Ranking Member Morelle Delivers Opening Remarks at the House Administration Hearing on the United States Capitol Police

Washington, D.C. – Today, Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) delivered the following remarks during the House Administration Committee hearing on the United States Capitol Police:

“Thank you, Mr.Chairman, both for giving me an opportunity and for convening this hearing.

“And thank you, Chief Manger, both for your service and for appearing before us this morning.

“The women and men of the Capitol Police are heroes. Their actions on January 6th saved our lives and may well have saved our democracy.

“To every one of the nearly 2,000 sworn members of the Capitol Police, thank you. And during this National Police Week, I also want to thank all law enforcement across my district back home in New York and across the country for their extraordinary service to our fellow citizens.

“I look forward to discussing how we can best support the department and hearing about the progress made implementing the Capitol Police Inspector General's reform recommendations.

“But first, I'd like to set the record straight on a few things, because some of my colleagues have a habit of saying one thing while doing another.

“House Republicans started this Congress talking frequently about how Capitol security needed to be depoliticized.

“Despite this, they've spent much of this Congress inserting politics into Capitol security.

“For example, earlier this year, the Secret Service asked the Capitol Police Board to authorize a temporary security fence around the Capitol for the State of the Union address.

“A designated national special security event that brings virtually the entire leadership of the United States federal government into one room.

“The Senate Sergeant at Arms and the Architect of the Capitol voted to grant the Secret Service request.

“Speaker McCarthy pushed to decline the request.

“Next, the Speaker provided unfettered access to sensitive Capitol security footage to Tucker Carlson, an entertainer who said the January 6th attack was a ‘false flag operation’ and that the rioters were ‘peaceful’.

“Speaker of the House contributed to an attempted whitewashing of a day one Capitol Police officer described as ‘like something from a medieval battlefield’ where he ‘fought hand-to-hand and inch by inch to prevent an invasion of the Capitol by a violent mob intent on subverting our democratic process.’

“Two Capitol Police officers died from the events of that day. 140 law enforcement officers were assaulted.

“More than 1,000 rioters have been arrested, including more than 200 who were charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer.

“For the first time in decades, we've seen convictions for seditious conspiracy, providing that security footage to Tucker Carlson over the strenuous objections of the Capitol Police was an insult to the grievously injured and to the families of the American heroes who died because they fought to protect us all sitting on this dais today.

“To me, ‘backing the blue’ includes listening to the Capitol Police when they tell us that releasing sensitive Capitol security footage makes everyone who sets foot in the Capitol, including the officers themselves, less safe.

“It also includes listening to nonpartisan security officials when they tell us what resources they need to protect us and themselves.

“But the original Capitol Security supplemental appropriations bill that met the needs identified by nonpartisan Capitol Security officials did not receive a single Republican vote.

“I frequently hear from my Republican colleagues that they are the party of law enforcement, but it was a Republican Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who suggested he defund the FBI, and House Republicans introduced the ‘Abolish the ATF Act’.

“Last week, the Judiciary Committee couldn't even report a resolution expressing support for law enforcement unless support for federal law enforcement was removed from the resolution.

“And just last night, Democrats on the Rules Committee tried to amend the resolution to add support for the Capitol Police.

“Republicans voted it down on party lines.

“Not a single Republican was prepared to say thank you to the Capitol Police. And it's not just here in Washington.

“It’s in Florida.

“The Hillsborough County Republican Party formally requested the Governor remove the Capitol Police from their Tampa field office and kick them out of the state of Florida.

“With that in mind, I'm anxiously looking forward to hearing from Chief Manger about how we best support the brave officers that protect us.

“We are serving at a time of unprecedented threats of political violence.

“Just yesterday, as the Chairman mentioned, a few miles from here, an individual entered the district office of Congressman Gerry Connolly with a baseball bat.

“And after asking about the Congressman's whereabouts, attacked two members of his staff.

“I know we are all thinking of those staffers today, and I pray they make a swift and full recovery.

“But the incident underscores how important it is the Capitol Police have the resources they need to protect us.

“Last Congress, the committee convened more hearings on the preparations for and response to the January 6th attack than any other standing committee in Congress.

“I'm looking forward to hearing about the progress made in implementing the Inspector General's recommendations discussed at those hearings, and also eager to hear the Chief's view on what this committee can do to help improve recruitment and retention and minimize officer burnout.

“Finally, I hope to hear the Chief's thoughts on how the department may begin to operate more like a protective agency, as I mentioned earlier, than a traditional law enforcement agency.

“With that, again, thank you Chief for being here. And, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.”

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