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.
“HONORING OFFICER BRIAN SICKNICK” mentioning Shelley Moore Capito was published in the Senate section on pages S54-S55 on Jan. 19.
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:
HONORING OFFICER BRIAN SICKNICK
Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, in the Christian faith, there is a saying:
``Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.'' I rise today to talk about that kind of sacrifice, that kind of love, and ultimately that tragedy in the death of a man who is a hero.
Officer Brian David Sicknick was many things. He was a loving son to his parents, Gladys and Charles Sicknick; a loving brother to Ken and Craig Sicknick; and a loving partner of 11 years to Sandra Garza. He loved his two dachshunds, Sparky and Pebbles, and he took great care of them.
Many of us got to know Officer Sicknick because he served in the Capitol Police Department. He was someone who loved his job and understood that every day when you put on that uniform, when you come to the Capitol of the greatest power on the planet, the United States of America, that wearing that uniform, wearing that badge, you had a sacred duty to protect this sacred space.
I am proud to say that Officer Sicknick was a Jersey guy through and through. He was born in New Brunswick, NJ, raised in South River, and he lived a life committed to the greatest calling you can have, which is to serve others, to protect others, to defend not just your Nation but her citizens. He was a member of the New Jersey Air National Guard. He loved his country. And I am proud to say he loved Jersey too. He was a New Jersey Devils fan. He proudly, in his work and commitment, served his country in the 108th Security Forces Squadron in Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan.
Officer Sicknick was a reliable and cherished colleague. If you talk to those who knew him, they knew that he was a man of honor and decency and kindness. They knew he loved this job. He loved being a Capitol Police officer. He loved serving this Nation. He loved helping people. He loved his work.
That love is evident in so many stories shared by his family and friends, people who, in this time of painful grief, are still celebrating the life he lived even though it was cut short by hate. People speak to his character and the qualities, the values that made him so special. He was kind. He was patient. Like many of those who rise in their service to this country, he was humble. And he was selfless.
You talk to people who knew him really well, and they remember him as the kind of officer who would go out of his way, not just in his service to those of us who frequent the Capitol but to make sure that his colleagues, his fellow Capitol Police officers, were also doing OK. He was not just a leader; he was a servant. And they remember him living with that sense of honor and that sense of duty. They remember him as the kind of person who would stand courageously in the face of a colleague, who would sacrifice for them, who believed that service meant commitment, meant bringing your grit and your guts and your love. And that is what he did.
On January 6, 2021, when a violent mob attacked this Capitol, Officer Sicknick stood for America. He stood for this Capitol and all of its inhabitants. He was steadfast. He was courageous. He stood in the breach to protect the lives of the Members of this body, their staffs, personnel. He faced down terrorist attackers and sacrificed himself, his own safety, his own security, and ultimately his life in the name of love of country and of the countrymen and--women.
Officer Sicknick is the very definition of a hero, and he deserves to be remembered for the richness of his life, the way that he loved, and the devotion that he gave this Nation. That he is no longer with us today is a grievous tragedy, and it is also a crime. This great man was murdered. This crime demands the full attention of Federal law enforcement officials. Anyone who still harbors doubt about what happened here on January 6 should think of him.
On January 6, when extremists, when terrorists, when White supremacists attacked our Nation's Capitol, they took the life of one of our officers. They spilled his blood. They took a son away from his parents. They took a sibling away from his brothers. They committed this treachery while waving flags, claiming solidarity--some of them--
with law enforcement, but it was hate--it was hate; it was hate--that brought terror to our Capitol and the death of one of our sons.
So many of the words that led up to that day, the lies that were told, the incitement and the encouragement, came from the highest office of our land to dotted members of authority across our country--
these collective actions that led to the moment, the terrorists who are directly responsible as well.
In the aftermath, a hero, a Capitol Police officer, is dead-- a champion, a hero. This is a senseless tragedy, an awful crime. I am not alone when I say to Officer Sicknick's family and loved ones that we--
that I vow to hold those responsible for this heinous crime accountable.
We must honor Officer Sicknick's heroism and sacrifice not just with our words but by what we do here in the coming days, what we do as a nation, how we all take responsibility in the aftermath of a horrific moment.
Officer Sicknick died for this country. He did not die in vain. We, the living, must--must--continue with his level of courage as we tell the truth, as we hold others responsible and for account, as we try to live in the spirit that he lived: with humility, honor, courage, kindness, love, decency.
May Officer Brian Sicknick always be remembered for his service to the country he loved, and may we rise to his example and honor him. All those who have fallen in defense of this Nation, may we honor them in how we live for this country.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
(Mrs. CAPITO assumed the Chair.)
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Blackburn.) Without objection, it is so ordered.
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