Floor Speech on H.R. 3233, the National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act

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Speaker Pelosi. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his great leadership, working with Ranking Member Katko on bringing this bipartisan legislation to the Floor for a bipartisan commission.

Let's talk about where we are. Here we are in the Capitol of the United States. The dome of the U.S. Capitol has always been a beacon of democracy and hope to America and to the world. Under this dome, our nation has abolished slavery, secured equal protections for all, ended a civil war, enfranchised women, established Medicare and Medicaid, voting rights, civil rights and met the needs of the American people. Under this dome, schoolchildren learn about their country's history and what we are doing to advance their future. They come here. They see us honor those who have contributed to the success of our country: Washington, Lincoln, so many, Jefferson, et cetera, but they know that our Founders, those patriots, wanted us to be working for a better future, as we honor our history. Under this dome, again, when children learn about our country's history, they learn also about what we are doing for their futures. Legislators pass law. Press engages with our democracy, reporting on it. Staff and workers enable all of this to happen. This dome is a symbol of the determination of America, but this was not always so.

Let us recall that the dome of the Capitol was built during the Civil War, as our country was ridden by a brutal conflict. At the time, the iron and steel used for construction were needed for the war effort. And they urged the President not to continue the work on the dome, but President Lincoln said no. He knew we needed a symbol of strength and unity, a reminder of the shared ideals and common purpose that built our nation, a beacon of hope to guide us through times of darkness. And he knew that the work must continue as a sign of our strength and the unity of our country.

Sadly, Mr. Speaker, on January 6th, in the days and weeks and months after the Capitol dome was – once again such a beacon would – we prevail. January 6th was a day called for in the Constitution to validate the presidential election. It was not just another day in the life of Congress. That day, one of the darkest days in our history, our temple of democracy was under assault by insurrectionists. The gleeful desecration of our Capitol resulted in multiple deaths, physical harm to 140 members of law enforcement and terror and trauma among staff, workers and even Members. The insurrection was called for to impede our Constitutional mandate, but the Congress returned to the Capitol that night to accomplish our purpose. We agreed in a bipartisan way that day that we would return to the Capitol. And that sent an important signal to the world. The insurrection called for people to impede our Constitutional mandate, but we returned to the Capitol. Thanks to the courage of the Capitol Police, Members and support workers, we showed the country – and indeed, the world – that we would not be diverted from our duty, that we would respect our responsibility to the Constitution of the United States. We take that oath to protect and defend the Constitution. Again, in a bipartisan way, we agreed to come back to the Capitol.

Today, over four months later, many questions regarding the circumstances of this assault on our democracy and response to it remain. It is imperative that we seek the truth of what happened on January 6th. And to do that, Congress must, in a spirit, I believe, of bipartisanship and patriotism, establish an independent, bipartisan, 9/11-type Commission. Today, thanks to the leadership of Chairman Bennie Thompson and Ranking Member John Katko, legislation to create such a Commission is on the House Floor.

It's important to note, Mr. Speaker, that this is happening four and a half months after the January 6th insurrection. My colleagues, do you know – many of you were not here at the time, but legislation establishing the 9/11 Commission was not signed into law – 9/11, mind you, 9/11/2001 – was not signed into law until the end of November 2002. Over fourteen months after the attacks. So, people have been saying, ‘How come we don't have a Commission?' Well, it takes time to build a bipartisanship – come to agreement. And let us hope that the leadership that Mr. Thompson and Mr. Katko have demonstrated will be leadership that we will follow, that we will continue in the most bipartisan way in order to seek the truth.

Today, after – four months later, many questions regarding the circumstances still exist. This Commission is designed to be impartial and experienced. The legislation requires that the Commissioners be, quote, ‘prominent United States citizens with national recognition and significant depth of experience,' but also indicated that they should not be Members of Congress or elected in another capacity.

Commissioners will be appointed from the highest echelon of government service, law enforcement, civil rights, civil liberties and privacy, the armed forces, intelligence, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, technology and law. The Commission will be, again, bipartisan and bicameral, with commissioners appointed by the Majority Leaders and – Majority and Minority Leadership in the House and Senate. And it will be actionable and effective culminating in a final report on the facts and causes of January 6th, along with recommendations to prevent further attacks on our democratic institutions.

I heard you earlier, Mr. Chairman, acknowledge the support and endorsement of the previous Chairs of the 9/11 Commission, Governor Kean and Chairman – well, Chairman in the Congress, Lee Hamilton – Co-Chairs of the 9/11 Commission. They also had written to us earlier on – about the need for such a bipartisan Commission. But they also wanted, ¬¬not only to find out the truth so this doesn't happen again, but also to reinforce our commitment to democracy and take us on a path that is better and more unifying. And that's a responsibility we have, and that is a hope that I have emerging from this debate, this vote today. That we will be able to have a strong, bipartisan vote that takes us down a path more unifying for our country. We have this opportunity.

My colleagues, the press says to me, ‘Why don't you just go do your own task force, your own Select Committee to investigate this? You have the votes, you have the subpoena power. You have this or that.' I said I don't want to do that. We want this to be as it is shaped, bipartisan, with shared responsibility, shared staff, in a way that the public will have respect for the outcome.

To that end, 140 national security leaders have called for such a Commission, writing, and this is what they said, ‘The events of January 6th exposed severe vulnerabilities in the nation's preparedness for preventing and responding to domestic terrorist attacks. The immediate security failings that permitted such a lethal breach of the Capitol Complex by armed extremists raise serious questions and demand immediate solutions. A failure to deploy the full suite of available tools to fully understand January 6th and address its causes will leave the Capitol and nation vulnerable to future attacks.' These are a list of non-partisan – 140 Democrats and Republicans, I don't even know what party some of them are.

Without objection, I would like to submit their statement for the record, Mr. Chair.

Speaker Pro Tempore. Without objection, so ordered.

Speaker Pelosi. After the bipartisan agreement on this Commission was reached, the respected bipartisan Chairs of the 9/11 Commission, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, endorsed it, as was mentioned by the Chairman and as I referenced earlier. I want to repeat because I think it bears repetition, ‘We very strongly urge House Members to support H.R. 3233, the bipartisan National Commission to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol Complex. That bill would create a 9/11-style Commission to investigate the January 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol. That was a dark day in American history, one of the darkest.

‘As Chairman and Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, unity of purpose was key to the effectiveness of the group. We put country above party, without bias, the events before, during and after the attack. We sought to understand our vulnerabilities in order to prevent future attacks or future acts of terrorism.'

The Chair and Vice Chair went on to say, ‘Today, democracy faces a new threat. The January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol was one of the darkest days in the history of our country. Americans deserve an objective and accurate account of what happened.' And he said, they said, Mr. Hamilton and Governor Kean, ‘As we did in the wake of September 11, it's time to set aside partisan politics and come together as Americans in common pursuit of truth and justice.'

As I said earlier, Mr. Speaker, the Capitol of the United States has always been a glorious beacon of democracy for the American people and for the world. This legislation is about something larger, even than the Commission, vital as the Commission is. This legislation is about our democracy, about ensuring that the Capitol dome remains a symbol of freedom, about preserving America's role as the emblem of resilience, determination and hope to the world.

Indeed, creating this Commission sends a resounding message to terrorists, both at home and abroad: the commitment of the United States Congress to the Constitution and to the American people is unshakeable. In establishing the truth of January 6th, this Commission will protect our temple of democracy and our democracy itself, and it will ensure that such an attack will never happen again.

Can you just not wait, my colleagues, for a time very soon when children come here to learn, where the press can cover in a more open way, where the American people can come into the People's House? That's what this body, this Chamber, has been called: the People's House. Come to witness the debate that affects their lives, and whatever our disagreement about policy, that they are assured that we are unified in our commitment in honoring our Constitution, respecting the institution in which we serve.

With that, I urge a strong bipartisan vote for H.R. 3233, to establish the National Commission to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol Complex. And I do so with the great appreciation and respect to Chairman Bennie Thompson and to Ranking Member Katko, and hope, again, that the spirit of bipartisanship that they engendered in bringing this legislation to the Floor will only grow as we go forward with the Commission and with its recommendations. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.