Volume 167, No. 45, covering the 1st Session of the 117th Congress (2021 – 2022), was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“NATIONAL GUARD” mentioning Dan Sullivan was published in the Senate section on pages S1474-S1475 on March 10.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators’ salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
NATIONAL GUARD
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, most mornings I get up kind of early, and I go for a run on the Mall, run by the Capitol, this beautiful building, the Senate, the House, the people’s house, which recently was open for all of us to enjoy. And now, as most Americans know, it is ringed with gates and razor wire and troops. It looks a little bit like the Green Zone in Baghdad, not the U.S. Capitol.
Here’s the thing. When I go running–I do this most mornings; I did it this morning–you see these wonderful National Guard men and women who are serving their country still here behind the fence, behind the razor wire. And they are literally about every 50 yards, sometimes closer, standing post all night–all night–hundreds of them, American soldiers.
They are doing their duty, and we all appreciate it. I talk to them. I just say: Hey, how you guys doing? How is morale? You want to be here? You think it is time to go home? I think it is time for you to go home, and I am going to try and help you with that.
Now, look, most are stoic. They are tough. They are soldiers doing their job. But make no mistake, they want to go home. They are standing their post all night, 1, 2, 3 in the morning, every 50 yards, for what? For what? I don’t think they know what for, and neither do I.
Now the assault that took place on our democracy on January 6 was a dark day for our country, no doubt. I will remember that for the rest of my life. But the Members of Congress did something really important that same day. We reconvened right here in the U.S. Senate, even amid some of the broken glass and smashed doors in the House. We finished our constitutional duty to count the electoral college votes. The rioters that day–who should be prosecuted–did not win. That was important.
But that was 3 months ago, and our Nation’s Capitol is still decked in layer upon layer of barbed wire and metal fencing. More than 5,000 troops still roam the Capitol instead of being where they know they should be: home with their families, back to their jobs–these are National Guard members, so their work is obviously being disrupted–and back to their States and their communities.
The cost of keeping them here since January at this juncture is over a half billion dollars. But here’s the thing: I pay close attention to these issues. I keep asking: OK, I understand this; they were here after the 6th, and they were here for the inauguration, but what is the threat now? Give me an intel threat–a credible intel threat–that requires 5,000 troops and razor wire all across the U.S. Capitol, the people’s house. What is the credible intel? I have not gotten any credible intel that I am aware of.
We learned yesterday that the Secretary of Defense approved the request for these soldiers to be here for another 60 days. Here is what you didn’t hear about in those reports. I have a lot of respect for the Secretary of Defense. As a matter of fact, as I mentioned in my remarks earlier, I introduced him at his confirmation hearing. But this decision on whether there should be troops here or not is actually not his decision. It is our decision. It is the Members of Congress’s decision. That is the threshold issue: Should we still have the troops here? It is the majority leader’s decision. It is the Speaker of the House’s decision. So why do we still have troops here? Why is the Capitol still in high security lockdown?
I think it would be really important for the majority leader to come to the floor and not only tell us but tell the troops, tell the American people what is going on.
Remember, this is not our House. This is not our building. This belongs to the people of America. We are privileged to be here, certainly, but we need answers.
And I will tell you who else needs answers. The troops need answers.
My own view is we need to get these troops home. We need to tear down the wall. We need to open the gate. And this is not just my view; this is a widely held view. Democrats and Republicans all agree.
Just look around the Capitol Hill neighborhoods. These signs are everywhere. So are other signs. “Free the People’s House.” “Don’t Fence the Capitol.”
What is happening right now–we all love our military. Our military normally is a symbol of strength for America. But right now, the military here is not a symbol of strength. We are telling the world, through razor wire, that American democracy is fragile and that it is afraid. American democracy is not fragile, and it is not afraid. So these troops are a symbol not just to Americans but to the rest of the world that the Capitol lives in fear or weakness.
There was evidently some kind of vague–it wasn’t credible–threat on March 4 from some nutjob group, QAnon–however the heck you pronounce it–and we had the entire House on the other side of this great building call it quits, went home, and said: We are not going to do any work. That is exactly the wrong answer. That is not what we did on January 6.
So what we need is we need our leaders in the House and in the Senate to come down here and tell us why we are still in an armed camp. One can’t help but wonder if there is something else going on here. Why do the leaders of the House and Senate still want thousands of troops and razor wire around the Capitol? I hope they don’t fear the people they represent. I don’t fear my constituents. Is there intel that they have that we don’t know about? How long can we expect this green zone in our Nation’s Capital to continue? The American people need answers.
But here is the key issue. At the end of the day, this is a law enforcement problem. It is not a military problem. To make it a military problem is dangerous. If the Capitol Police need more officers, then let’s have that discussion, but we are a citizen-
controlled government, and our military, whom I respect so much, should not be used for an extended period of time here on the Capitol grounds to handle a law enforcement issue, especially at the most important symbol of democracy in America, probably the most important symbol of democracy in the world.
So here is what we need to do. It is time to tear these walls down, open these gates, and send our brave National Guard troops home.
I yield the floor.
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