Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Repairing Of Unacceptable Treatment Of National Guard Members On Duty At The Capitol

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor regarding the unacceptable treatment of National Guard members on duty at the Capitol. Senator Schumer pledged to every National Guard member that it will not happen again. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

It came to our attention last night that members of the National Guard, after standing on duty to protect the Capitol for Inauguration Day, keeping us safe, were sleeping in parking garages, in cramped quarters, without proper space or ventilation.

It was utterly unacceptable. I have told those who run the security of the Capitol that it can never happen again. And I pledge to every National Guard member that it will not happen again.

The minute I heard about this outrage last night, we made sure it was fixed immediately. Every member of the guard was found proper accommodations inside and as of this morning, everyone was accounted for and taken care of. This morning, I went over to the CDC, and I spoke to a number of Guardsmen personally to make sure they were okay.

I want to thank Senators Hassan, Duckworth, Kelly, and Heinrich for their work on this matter last night, as well as Senator Luján, who went around late at night to make sure things were okay as well. And I want to thank all the members who were concerned and lent a hand.

I also want to particularly thank Acting Sergeant at Arms Jennifer Hemingway, who—when we told her about this situation—patrolled the floors of the Capitol complex until past 3 a.m. to ensure that no one was left behind or not where they belonged. And she was back at her desk first thing today to follow up.

We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the men and women who worked to keep us all safe on January 6th and the days since. A situation like last night will never happen again.