January 6 plaque installed in US Capitol after years of delays

Before dawn, Capitol workers installed the plaque, over five years after a mob of President Trump’s supporters tried to overturn the 2020 election.

By Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, March 7, 2026, 2:07 p.m. ET

A plaque honoring police who responded to the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot has been quietly and temporarily installed, after years of delays.

Capitol workers installed the plaque more than five years after a mob of President Trump’s supporters stormed the country’s seat of Congress amid the president’s failed quest to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-New York, a ranking member on the Legislative Branch Appropriations, highlighted the plaque being placed early in the morning with little fanfare following years of delays by House Republicans.

“Make no mistake: they did this at 4AM so no one would see, no ceremony, no real recognition,” Espaillat said in an X post. “Our Capitol Police deserve more and I will continue to push @SpeakerJohnson until they get it.”

The Washington Post first reported on the installation of the plaque on the Capitol’s Senate side. Congress approved a law for the plaque to honor police officers four years ago and directed it be placed in the Capitol’s western front.

Five police officers who responded to the riot died in the aftermath. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, 42, experienced strokes after being attacked by rioters and died a day later. Four other officers died by suicide in the months after the attack. In total, 174 police were injured.

Additionally, Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter, was killed by U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd when she tried to storm the House Speaker’s lobby.

The plaque reads: “On behalf of a grateful Congress, this plaque honors the extraordinary individuals who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on Jan. 6, 2021. Their heroism will never be forgotten.” 

The plaque lists different local and federal law enforcement agencies who responded.

House Republicans − in control since 2023 − delayed its installation after the law required it to be installed by March 2023. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, had yet to install the plaque. For years, the plaque was stored in the Capitol basement, away from public view.

A bipartisan Senate resolution, passed unanimously in January, ordered the Architect of the Capitol to display the plaque until it “can be placed in its permanent location.”

Neither Johnson’s office nor the Architect of the Capitol responded to emailed requests for comment. The White House didn’t respond to an email request for comment.

Two police officers who responded to the Jan. 6 riot have sued the Architect of the Capitol to install the memorial under federal law.

In his second term, Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people charged for their involvement in the Capitol riot. A White House page said Trump pardoned Jan. 6 rioters because they were “unfairly targeted, overcharged, and used as political examples.”

Contributing: Erin Mansfield and Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY

Source: US Capitol gets January 6 plaque honoring police responding to riot