NC Sen. Thom Tillis pushes to hang plaque in Capitol honoring Jan. 6 law enforcement

Danielle Battaglia, The News & Observer (Raleigh) on Jan 6, 2026

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WASHINGTON — North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis announced a plan Tuesday afternoon to ensure that a plaque is hung in the U.S. Capitol to honor the law enforcement who responded to the attack on the building on Jan. 6, 2021.

The plaque has already been created. It was commissioned by Congress in March 2022 in an appropriations bill signed into law by President Joe Biden. The bill required the plaque to be hung at the Capitol.

Five years have passed since supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of Biden’s election as president.

At least 160 officers were injured defending the Capitol that day, and five others died — one from a stroke and four others by suicide following the attack. Many are still suffering from injuries they sustained.

A White House website on Tuesday sought to whitewash what happened on Jan. 6, 2021. Former Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a Republican from Hendersonville now running for Congress in Florida, boasted Tuesday about his involvement in the rally on the Ellipse before supporters began rioting.

Tillis, on the other hand, took to the Senate floor just before 3 p.m. on the fifth anniversary and called Jan. 6, 2021, the worst day of his Senate career. He said he believes it will remain that way upon his retirement next January.

“I came here mainly to thank the parliamentary staff, the sergeant at arms and the Capitol police officers who got us all into a safe environment within literally minutes of the Capitol being breached and our safety being threatened here,” Tillis said.

But Tillis also addressed an issue that has been looming over Republicans since 2023. The plaque honoring law enforcement has been created, but Republican House speakers Kevin McCarthy and Mike Johnson have refused to hang it.

It wasn’t until this week that Johnson finally gave his reason: the law requires the name of every responding officer to be included, but instead the plaque lists only agencies.

Tillis said following the law would apparently mean a plaque with hundreds, if not thousands of names.

“Later this week, I will help the speaker with his ability to implement the installation of this plaque by coming to the floor seeking unanimous consent to simply say, we won’t list the individuals, but we will list their agencies,” Tillis said.

Tillis hasn’t yet provided details about his proposal, so it’s unclear whether it would need approval from the House and Trump if the Senate agrees.

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