When I was first elected to Congress in 1994 to represent the great people of Tennessee’s 3rd district, our U.S. Capitol building pierced the skyline of our nation’s capital as a shining beacon of democracy that so many brave men and women from different walks of life, parts of the country, and political beliefs have fought to protect.
These days, my heart is heavy seeing this symbol of freedom transformed into a militarized fortress.
You see, I vividly remember how easy it was for the public to access the Capitol during those early years when I was still learning my way around the vast network of underground tunnels and marble hallways. Visitors from every corner of America and the world came to my place of work to see firsthand the history and magnitude of our government in action.
After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the increased security that followed, my colleagues and I built bipartisan support for the Capitol Visitors Center (CVC) so that millions of Americans, including students learning about their country and its government, could safely enter and experience all the glorious history made in this magnificent building since it opened in 1800.
As Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee with Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, we took on the challenge of finishing and opening the CVC prior to the Inauguration of President Barack Obama in January 2009. It remains a beautiful and modern architectural feat that celebrates our democratic ideals.
In fact, I had the privilege of authoring the legislation to name the 20,000 square foot great hall in the CVC “Emancipation Hall” to honor the many enslaved Americans who built the Capitol from 1793-1800 and to celebrate the end of of slavery.
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That’s one of the many reasons I was so outraged by the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. It was a sad day for America. Anyone who had anything to do with the riot should be ashamed of themselves and those who broke the law should be fully prosecuted.
But let’s not punish the law-abiding citizens, innocent students and tourists who just want to visit our nation’s capital and enjoy the extraordinary history that this “temple of freedom” represents. They shouldn't be kept out.
According to intelligence officials, there are no known, credible threats at this time that would imperil the security and safety of the U.S. Capitol. Pertinent security agencies have learned lessons from January 6 and are taking measures to ensure it will not happen again, and our elected leaders are overseeing ongoing hearings and investigations to get to the bottom of the events that transpired on that fateful, dark day in our nation’s history.
Our capital cannot permanently be closed to the people who elect the leaders that work there. We must honor our traditions of freedom and individual liberty in 2021 as we have since 1789.
While the outer perimeter of fencing surrounding the U.S. Capitol has started to come down, that’s not enough. The fencing in its entirety must come down. It is time to update our intelligence and security protocols based on what happened on January 6. It is time to heal, to restore, and to revive the spirit of America.
We should trust and honor each other once again, have faith in ourselves, our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights.
“We the People'' have ownership over the U.S. Capitol and, indeed, the government belongs to us. We must respect and protect it and it must remain open to our citizens.
As soon as Covid protocols allow it, we must once again invite all who are interested to come see first hand how truly extraordinary our democratic republic continues to be.
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