"For the past three years, the plaque's future has become caught up in a game of partisan cat and mouse. After leadership in the House shifted to Republicans in 2023, multiple Democrats claimed that House Speaker Mike Johnson purposefully stalled the plaque's installation. Johnson failed to give the go-ahead for its installation to the Architects of the Capitol, the steward of the Capitol building that was charged by Congress with commissioning and mounting the plaque."
"Back in May 2025, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a news conference that the reason for the delay was that Republicans, 'directed by their puppet master Donald Trump, have been told, Try to erase January 6 as if it has never happened.'"
"Finally, on March 7, the plaque went up-albeit inside a hallway without public access-and it was all thanks to one clever design add-on: a tiny QR code."
Congress mandated in March 2022 that a plaque listing law enforcement officers who responded to the January 6 Capitol attack be installed within one year. However, the finished plaque remained in the Capitol basement for over three years. After Republicans took control of the House in 2023, Democrats alleged Speaker Mike Johnson deliberately stalled installation. The Architects of the Capitol, responsible for mounting the plaque, received no approval to proceed. Two officers, Harry Dunn and Daniel Hodges, sued over the delays. Finally, in March 2026, the plaque was installed inside a restricted hallway rather than the originally planned public location on the western front, with a QR code added to the design.
#capitol-january-6 #partisan-politics #law-enforcement-commemoration #congressional-mandate-delays #capitol-building-installation
Read at Fast Company
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