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Floor Speech
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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I have been unequivocal in saying: In this country, we use our voices and our votes--not violence--to advocate for change. I have said it many times. I will say it many times more. And I say it today.
But you are sorely mistaken if you think I am going to sit here feet away from our Capitol Police officers and let the Senate say we stand by the richest men on the planet before saying we stand by the men and women who keep us safe every single day.
Where is the solidarity for our officers here? And where, by the way, is the plaque that Congress passed into law honoring their sacrifice on January 6?
Do I have to march down to Speaker Johnson's office, put it up on my own? You can hang it on my door. You just bring up the plaque; I will go get the nails and do it myself because I am not going to let anyone ever erase this history, and I am not going to let them paper it over with outrage on behalf of the richest man in the world.
I have no problem condemning violence. I will do that any day of the week. I condemn attacks on our car owners and salespeople. I condemn destroying other people's personal property. This is not a new position for me. But you will have to excuse me if I don't take some Republicans seriously when they make this big show about law and order at the same time they are letting this President stab law enforcement in the back. I am not going to let Republicans get by selling a charade not weeks after they voted to freeze funding levels for law enforcement in a bill--
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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask for 3 additional minutes.
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Mrs. MURRAY. I am not going to let some Republicans get by selling a charade not weeks after they voted to freeze funding levels for law enforcement in a bill where House Republicans slashed DC's budget for police officers; not months after Trump tried to halt COPS grants and many Republicans didn't breathe a word about it; not when Trump is still in the middle of firing just about as many Federal law enforcement workers as he can get away with; and certainly not when some of my Republican colleagues are still ignoring how our lawless President continues to champion the very people who attacked our Capitol Police.
Just this week, mere days ago, President Trump speculated about compensating people who committed crimes on January 6, about rewarding their violence with taxpayer dollars. Where is that outrage? Where is the condemnation? What are some of you waiting for?
Don't you try for a single second to say: Oh, he is not talking about the violent ones. You all know better. We know better. Remember when you tried to say that about pardons? Remember how that worked out? Trump pardoned people who violently attacked police. They are back on the streets--except for the ones who already committed new crimes.
I don't know how my colleagues keep forgetting what happened on January 6. I don't know how on Earth it is not burned into their memories. But President Trump is talking about people who attacked this building, our offices, our staff, our democracy. He is talking about people who smashed windows in that we walk by every day, people who brought bats and weapons to the halls where we meet our constituents, people who beat the Capitol Police who keep us safe every day, the Capitol Police who are standing guard even now, who sit right outside this Chamber.
These are violent criminals, and President Trump is talking about them like heroes. He wants us to write them a check. Over my dead body, Mr. President. And I am going to say it again and again.
Unlike some of my Republican colleagues, I will say the same for the people who burn Teslas and for the people who smash windows here at the Capitol.
I am tired of watching this. I know our constituents are. We need to demand that Speaker Johnson hang that plaque that he--
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Mrs. MURRAY. It is not too much to ask, and I hope this body recognizes that violence is violence, and we should condemn the attacks on January 6.
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