House Members Reach Agreement On January 6 Commission

House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Representative John Katko (R-NY) have come to an agreement on the construction of a bipartisan commission to look into the events surrounding the Capitol on January 6. 

The commission will be made up of ten members who will be appointed in various ways. The bill stated that one member will be appointed jointly by the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader to serve as Chairperson of the Commission. One member will be appointed by the House Minority Leader and the Senate Minority Leader to serve as the Vice Chairperson of the Commission. 

Two members will be appointed by the speaker with two more members being appointed by the House Minority Leader. Additionally, two members will be added by the Senate Majority Leader and two members will be added by the Senate Minority Leader. The commission will hold hearings, take testimony and receive evidence. It will be able to issue subpoenas, but the Chair and Vice Chair must agree on the subpoenas before they are issued — or the members of the commission must vote in a majority for a subpoena to be carried out.

Chairman Thompson released a statement explaining the details of the commission, saying that it “will be charged with studying the facts and circumstances surrounding the facts and circumstances of the January 6th attack on the Capitol as well as the influencing factors that may have provoked the attack on our democracy.”

Commissioners are required to have significant experience in the realms of “law enforcement, civil rights, civil liberties, privacy, intelligence, and cybersecurity. Current government officers or employees are prohibited from appointment,” per the statement. 

“There has been a growing consensus that the January 6th attack is of a complexity and national significance that what we need an independent commission to investigate.  I am pleased that after many months of intensive discussion, Ranking Member Katko and I were able to reach a bipartisan agreement,” said Chairman Thompson.

“Inaction – or just moving on – is simply not an option. The creation of this commission is our way of taking responsibility for protecting the U.S. Capitol. After all, the Capitol is not just a historic landmark, it is where our constituents come to see their democracy in action,” Thompson said. “As such, we owe it to the Capitol police and all who enter our citadel of democracy to investigate the attack. The timing of this action is particularly poignant with this being National Police Week, when we honor those who gave their lives to protect us.”

By the end of the year, the commission will put forward a final report on its findings about the reasons for the attack and the details surrounding the events, including suggestions on how to ensure that such events do not take place in the future.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was at a crossroads last month as members of Congress tried to find a way to create a bipartisan commission to look into the January 6 events.

CNN reported in April that Pelosi planned to change parts of her proposal. The original proposal would have given Democrats the ability to appoint 7 out of the 11 seats on the commission and given them unilateral subpoena power.

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