President Biden Signs Bill to Award Congressional Gold Medal to Capitol Police Officers

Yesterday at the White House, President Biden signed a bill into law to award congressional gold medals to the police forces that responded to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. According to the U.S. Senate, the congressional gold medal is the U.S. Congress’ ‘highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions’. During the ceremony in the Rose Garden, the President thanked the officers for ‘protecting our Capitol, and maybe more importantly, for protecting our constitution, and saving the lives of duly elected members of the Senate, the House and our staff.’

Twenty one House Republicans voted against awarding the medals to the officers. Not all explained why they voted against it but some disagreed with the use of the word ‘insurrection’ to refer to the attack on the Capitol building by Trump supporters seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election. A congressional gold medal will be awarded to the headquarters of the U.S. Capitol Police and the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department. Two additional medals will be given to the Smithsonian Institution and the architect of the Capitol for display and research purposes.