The legislation provides for a third gold medal to be given to the Smithsonian for display and research purposes.
The final vote was 413-12 to reward law enforcement agencies for what Mayor Nancy Pelosi previously called “a moment of extraordinary heroism”.
Twelve Republicans voted against bipartisan legislation: Louie Gohmert of Texas, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Andy Biggs of Arizona, who chairs Freedom Caucus, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Andy Harris of Maryland, Lance Gooden of Texas, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Michael Cloud of Texas, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Bob Good of Virginia, Greg Steube of Florida and John Rose of Tennessee.
The way forward for Gohmert’s version of the Congressional Gold Medal bill would not gain momentum, given the control of Democrats in Congress, but it shows how to call the Capitol violation an insurrection is still seen as political for some members of Congress.
Gaetz told reporters that he voted against the legislation because “it is simply offensive that we literally log on to the Capitol Police; we did not give it its own dignity, we had to combine it with editorial comments on the January 6 sequence of events. , and so we had to record that with this exhibition at the Smithsonian, and I thought it was a little bit too much for me. “
“I have a problem with the term ‘insurrection’,” Massie told reporters. “This could have implications for someone’s prosecution later. If we give weight to the word ‘insurrection’, it will appear in someone’s accusation.”
Republican Conference President Liz Cheney of Wyoming warned her colleagues for supporting alternative legislation to the plenary-approved bipartisan bill, framing Gohmert’s proposed move as “outrageous.”
“What happened on January 6 was an attack on the Capitol. The policemen who defended us, the Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police, all the policemen who defended us put their lives at risk – some lost their lives – and there shouldn’t be doubt that we are giving people a gold medal for their actions that day, “Cheney told CNN.
Speaking about the significance of the medals, Pelosi said on the floor on Tuesday, “January 6 was a day of horror and disgust,” adding, “It was also a moment of extraordinary heroism. That day, the United States Capitol police stood between us and the violence. “
The vote had already been paralyzed twice by members of the House Freedom Caucus who used various procedural measures to delay it, in part because of their opposition to the project’s language and, more broadly, as the latest example of members of the project. Republican Party trying to delay ground procedure.