21 Republicans vote against awarding medals to police who defended Capitol on Jan. 6

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The resolution names three police officers — Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood of the Capitol Police and Jeffrey Smith of the Metropolitan Police — who died in the days after they were on duty at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

It also highlights the heroism of Eugene Goodman, who was serving as a Capitol Police officer on Jan. 6 and has since been promoted to acting deputy Senate sergeant-at-arms. Goodman was shown on a video captured by a reporter luring the mob away from the Senate chamber in a move that helped former Vice President Mike Pence and senators escape to safety.

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"Jan. 6 was unquestionably one of the darkest days in the history of our democracy. But because of the courage of the Capitol Police and other law enforcement officers, it will also be etched in history as a day of heroism," Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the lead sponsor of the bill, said on the House floor before its passage.

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Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who voted against both versions of the bill, said Tuesday that he’s concerned its use of the term “insurrectionists” to describe the mob that stormed the Capitol could impact ongoing court cases. He rejected the notion that the Jan. 6 attack amounted to an insurrection — which Merriam-Webster defines as “an act or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government.”

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