Schneider Statement on the First Anniversary of the January 6th Attack on the Capitol and Congress’s Resolve to Maintain the Peaceful Transition of Power
DEERFIELD, Ill — Today, Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) released the following statement:
"January 6th is a day seared into my memory. From escaping the House Gallery as a violent crowd tried to break through the chamber doors to defiantly returning later that evening to fulfill our job and certify the count of electoral ballots, the day for me represented the steely resilience of our democratic institutions. Despite the siege of the Capitol, the insurrection, orchestrated by some at our government's highest levels, failed at the end of the day, Congress completed its constitutional duties and two weeks later we witnessed a peaceful transition of power to a new administration.
"We rightly celebrate the victory of democracy over violence last year. But we must also recognize that, one year later, many of the underlying causes of the tragedy of January 6th remain – including continued disinformation campaigns, hyperpartisanship, and emboldened extremists willing to circumvent our electoral system.
"There are no guarantees that our nation will persist as the kind of representative democracy our founders envisioned 250 years ago. If we want to continue pursuing the American experiment, fundamentally, every American today should be working to ensure that every ballot can be cast safely, that it will be counted fairly, and that the outcome of our elections will reflect the true will of the people. To secure faith in our elections, I urge the Senate to pass the Freedom to Vote Act. To combat rising extremism, I urge my colleagues to pass the bipartisan Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act introduced last year with my Senate colleague Dick Durbin
"Let us also always remember that our survival last January 6th did not come without costs. The U.S. Capitol Police and D.C. Metro Police suffered a terrible burden in defending the Capitol: more than 140 officers were injured, Officer Brian Sicknick died following the violence, and Officers Howard Liebengood, Jeffrey Smith, Kyle DeFreytag, and Gunther Hashida were all lost to suicide. Each of them bravely defended the Capitol. Their absence is keenly felt by their family and friends; their memories will forever be a blessing for our nation.
"Responsibility for the blood shed and lives lost on January 6th lies firmly in the hands of the rally's organizers. The deaths of Kevin Greeson, Benjamin Phillips, Rosanne Boyland, and Ashli Babbitt were all tragic, and wholly avoidable. The fact that so much remains unknown about those responsible for the day's carnage only underscores the importance of the work of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol."
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