The Senate voted Thursday to display a commemorative plaque honoring the law enforcement officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
The vote directs the Architect of the Capitol to display a previously commissioned plaque honoring the Capitol Police who responded Jan. 6 in a publicly accessible location in the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol.
The signage will stay on the Senate side until the House designates a permanent location on the West Front.
The decision follows growing frustration over the sign’s delayed installation, which was originally authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022.
The law required the plaque to be placed on the West Front by March 2023.
Despite the Senate resolution, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Monday that the statute authorizing the plaque is “not implementable.”
The debate over the memorial continued following President Donald Trump’s sweeping pardons for those involved in the riot.
Since the decision on the plaque has been in limbo, mostly Democratic members of Congress have displayed poster-board signs in front of their doors. The signs read: “On behalf of a grateful Congress, this plaque honors the extraordinary individuals who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on Jan. 6, 2021. Their heroism will never be forgotten.”
The deadlock over the memorial has now moved to the courtroom as two responding officers have filed lawsuits to compel the plaque’s installation.
The Justice Department has since sought to dismiss the case, arguing Congress “already has publicly recognized the service of law enforcement personnel.”
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While action on the plaque has moved forward, some activists have pointed out that honoring only the responding law enforcement doesn’t account for others who have lost their lives, such as Ashli Babbitt.
The 35-year-old veteran and Trump supporter was fatally shot by Capitol Police while attempting to crawl through a shattered window into the Speaker’s lobby.