Christopher Van Hollen

“ President, while we are improving the physical security here on Capitol Hill, we are failing in our larger duty to the American people. We have failed to stop the spread of the Big Lie and its corrosive impact on the confidence in our democracy. We know that Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in a free and fair election, and yet too many of our Republican colleagues put political convenience ahead of country and ahead of our Constitution. Too many are afraid to state the facts and tell the American people the simple truth. ”

“ We can still repair and sustain our democracy. One year ago, we did not allow a violent mob to prevent us from staying right here to do our job. We completed the certification of the presidential election. But our job is not over. We have not finished the job of securing our democracy. Mr. President, now is the time for us to do that. Let’s come together and do what’s necessary and right for our republic, for our democracy, and for the American people. ”

“ I had hope that most of us grasped the idea that the machinery of our democracy does not operate automatically. It is not self-executing. That institutions are ultimately only as strong as the people who safeguard them. That it is up to each and every one of us to nurture and protect our democracy. That we are the current stewards of our republic’s tradition of the peaceful transfer of power. Mr. President, I really believed that night that that was a shared belief in this Senate. ”