A Note After an Unprecedented Week for Our Nation
Pardon the lateness of this week's letter. As you can imagine, it's been an unusual last several days.
This Wednesday, Donald Trump became the first President to be impeached twice. Ten Republicans joined with every Democrat to vote for a single article charging the President with "incitement of insurrection." While it remains unclear when the Senate will conduct a trial—the next step in the process—impeachment means that President Trump will be held to account for his actions calling his most extreme supporters to DC and directing them to attack the Capitol, our government and our constitutional democracy.
We are all very concerned that the threat remains, not just in Washington for the inauguration, but in our state capitals and throughout the country. We must remain vigilant and stand strong against those who would seek to attack our government and undermine our constitution.
Meanwhile, as the country's attention was focused on the events in the Capitol, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage our nation. More than 23 million Americans have already been infected, and more than 385,000 people have died. The rollout of the first two vaccines has been fraught with issues and is thus far falling grossly short of what's necessary to get ahead of the battle with the virus. Our first priority is, and must remain, beating back this pandemic so that we can get our nation back to health—physically, economically and politically.
The pandemic got personal this week when I tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. Thankfully, I am so far only experiencing mild symptoms and am self-isolating.
I can't say for certain where I was infected, but I do know my greatest exposure was a week ago Wednesday, when I was forced to spend several hours in a secure but confined location with dozens of other Members of Congress. At least three other Representatives who sheltered with me have now tested positive as well. At the same time, several Republican lawmakers in the room adamantly refused to wear a mask, even after asked politely to do so, as demonstrated in video.
So now I am left to worry that I may have risked my wife's health and am angry at the selfishness and arrogance of the anti-maskers who put their own contempt and disregard for decency ahead of the health and safety of their colleagues and our staff. Wearing a mask is not a political statement, it is public health guidance, common courtesy, and simply what should be expected of all decent people.
Please continue reading for more on the events of this week and thoughts on the weeks ahead.
THE WEEK IN WASHINGTON
On Invoking the 25th Amendment
Last week, after the attack on our Capitol, I issued the below statement urging Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment.
"Today, America witnessed a mob, not of patriots, but rather rioters, looters, and domestic terrorists motivated by the incitement of the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
"President-elect Biden called on President Trump to ‘step up' to defend our nation and our Capitol. Mr. Trump has failed to do so, leaving not only the Congress in danger, but also the system of laws that this nation is so firmly and necessarily founded upon. I fear that to enable nearly two more weeks of such lawlessness would be to risk the future of our great democracy.
"If Mr. Trump will not step up to the task of leading our nation as President, then he should immediately step down. If he will neither lead nor step down, then he has proven himself ‘unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,' and it is therefore necessary that the Vice President immediately invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office."
Five days later, the House passed a resolution urging the same. Nevertheless, VP Pence had earlier indicated he was not prepared to invoke the 25th Amendment, and therefore, we were forced to pursue impeachment.
On Impeachment
I issued the following statement on January 13 shortly before casting by vote to impeach President Donald Trump:
"On January 3rd, I solemnly swore to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Remarkably, three days later, domestic terrorists, incited by Donald Trump, attacked not only our Capitol, but our Constitution, our government, and our democratic republic. Five people tragically died, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer. If not for the heroic actions of Capitol Police officers, this assault on our nation could have been so much worse. The violent mob in the Capitol was calling for the hanging of the Vice President and hunting for the Speaker and Members of Congress. For the first time in our country's history, we have failed to have a peaceful transition of power.
"Let's be clear: The President of the United States actively called his supporters, including the domestic terrorists, to Washington on January 6th. He organized a rally in front of the White House, and he directly instructed them to ‘march on the Capitol' and ‘fight like hell.' The law is clear, as is the President's role, in inciting this insurrection. His speech, and later that day his failure to intervene, will go down in history as the darkest day of the American Presidency.
"Sadly, in the days since the attack on our nation, the President has failed in his responsibility to protect the nation and our government.
"Today's vote will be a straightforward, bipartisan vote to hold the President accountable for his heinous crimes, and it is my sincere hope that the Senate will quickly move to convict the President and remove him from office.
"During the January 6th attack, I was locked into a secure room with other lawmakers, many of whom refused to wear masks. Two other lawmakers and I have since tested positive for the deadly COVID-19 disease that is tearing through the nation and that this President has disastrously failed to control. As a result, I will be voting by proxy from the isolation of my home in Illinois. During the attack and our bunkering, my mind was with my family, it was with my country, and it was with the oath that I swore to defend them both. The future of our national security and democratic republic are today at stake. I am proud that, as a Member of the U.S. Congress, I will be carrying out my duty to defend the Constitution."
Understanding What Happened
We need to hold all those responsible for the attack accountable, whether it is next week, next month, or 100 days from now. We must also conduct an independent, comprehensive investigation to understand exactly what happened, what led up to the events of January 6th, and who was responsible permitting it to occur. This attack was predictable, and more importantly, preventable. The President shared his plans openly on social media and invited people to Washington, incited them, sent them to the Capitol and provoked serious attacks on our government. It could have been so much worse, if not for the heroic actions of both the US Capitol and Washington Metropolitan Police officers. But it is clear that there were massive, and near catastrophic intelligence and managerial failures.
My heart goes out to the families of the five people who died as a direct result of this riot – including US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick. Their deaths and the other countless injuries that resulted from this insurrection should not have happened.
Although the road ahead may be perilous, our nation will move forward. The events of last week have only strengthened my resolve to fight for our Constitution, our nation and our national security. I remain committed to working with anyone who stands for our Constitution, whether Republican or Democrat, to move past this unthinkable tragedy and find the light at the end of the tunnel.
The Biden Pandemic Relief Proposal
Last night, President-elect Joe Biden presented his program proposal for beating back the COVID pandemic and putting our country on the path to healing, reopening our economy and renewing the bonds that unite our nation. Today, he announced his plan for accelerating the vaccination of our population.
Sadly we have lost many months time because of the incompetence of the Trump administration. I am confident that the incoming administration will focus on the pandemic, and the recovery, with the necessary seriousness and expertise to successfully move us forward. I look forward to working closely with the Biden team, and my colleagues in Congress to help every way we can. I will have more thoughts on how we do that in the coming weeks.
COVID IN THE DISTRICT
Despite the historic and stunning riot, we must not lose focus on our nation's ongoing war against COVID. You can get more detailed information, reference data regarding COVID and various assistance programs on my website. Hopefully this will make it easier to get the information you need.
I want to again take a moment to thank our frontline health care workers, our first responders and essential workers. This pandemic has pushed you to the limits and taken you away from your families. From caring for us in illness, to keeping us safe at home, to ensuring we have enough food and essential products throughout the crises, we could not make it without you and your good work.
Additionally, our COVID-19 testing site at Flick Park in Glenview has extended its hours to include Sundays from 9 am – 2 pm. Schedule your appointment at: http://bit.ly/flickparkcovid.
RELIEF FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
On Thursday, January 21st, I will be hosting a webinar with the SBA to help small businesses navigate the options that are available to them on Thursday January 21st. Register here.
Among other things, we will touch on:
- Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) – Applications for first-time borrowers are now open; applications for borrowers who have previously received a loan open Wednesday, Jan. 13
- Apply here for First Draw PPP Loan
- Apply here for Second Draw PPP Loan
- Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) – Application deadline extended until December 31, 2021
ANTISEMITISM ENVOY BILL SIGNED INTO LAW
Last but not least, I am very pleased to share that my Antisemitism Envoy bill, coauthored with Chris Smith (NJ-4), and former Foreign Affairs Chair Eliot Engel (NY-16), was officially signed into law this week. The new law elevates the State Department's Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism to an Ambassadorship, giving more clout to address the alarming rise in antisemitism worldwide. The House voted overwhelmingly to pass H.R. 221 in January 2019 and the Senate amended and approved the legislation in December 2020.
The bill was endorsed by numerous organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, B'nai B'rith International, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the American Jewish Committee, Hadassah, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and the Jewish Federations of North America.
IN CLOSING
After an incredibly difficult week, here's a small piece of good news in our fight against Covid: a story from Northwestern Memorial Hospital about a daughter vaccinating her mother.
Once again, thank you to everyone who everyone who has expressed concern for my well-being, my family's well-being and the health of our nation over the last few days. Together, we can stand up to the insurrectionists to restore the vision of our founders and the hopes for our children, and we can beat back this virus.
Please continue to stay strong, stay safe and stay healthy. We still have a long way to go in the fight to beat the pandemic and regain a sense of normalcy. But, as I talk every day with constituents, elected leaders, small business operators, nonprofit volunteers, and the like, I am constantly reminded of the strength or our communities and the humanity of our neighbors. I know that together, united as one large community, one strong nation, we will get through this and see better days ahead.
Sincerely,
Bradley S. Schneider
Member of Congress