The House and the Senate have come to an agreement that will award officers who defended the Capitol on January 6 the Congressional Gold Medal by a vote of 406-21.
The bill will award three medals:
- To the entire U.S. Capitol Police force
- To the Metropolitan Police Department
- A third will be a plaque on display at the Smithsonian Institution that lists all the law enforcement agencies that protected and defended the Capitol.
There were 21 Republicans who voted against the legislation, among those were Marjorie Taylor Greene, who disagreed with language of the bill that called the riot on January 6 an “insurrection,” and referred to the Capitol building as “the temple of our American Democracy.”
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky agreed, suggesting recognition could have occurred without making it “partisan.”
Republicans Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney publicly criticized those who voted no.
Kinzinger said, “How you can vote no to this is beyond me.”
The 21 Republicans who voted against the bill are:
- Lauren Boebert of Colorado
- John Rose of Tennessee
- Andy Harris of Maryland
- Thomas Massie of Kentucky
- Bob Good of Virginia
- Louie Gohmert of Texas
- Barry Moore of Alabama
- Ralph Norman of South Carolina
- Matt Rosendale of Montana
- Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia
- Chip Roy of Texas
- Paul Gosar of Arizona
- Andy Biggs of Arizona
- Warren Davidson of Ohio
- Scott Perry of Pennsylvania
- Matt Gaetz of Florida
- Greg Steube of Florida
- Andrew Clyde of Georgia
- Jody Hice of Georgia
- Mary Miller of Illinois
- Michael Cloud of Texas