Democrats ran on “affordability” during the midterms after they spent four years supporting ‘Bidenflation’ policies and two years opposing every single affordability issue President Trump and Republicans tackled, including no taxes on tips and overtime and reducing the price for most prescription drugs.
And now that they’ve won, the first thing they’re going to do is tackle “affordability,” right? Wrong.
House Democrats are preparing to move a memorial plaque honoring police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, after taking control of the chamber in January.
The planned change comes as Democrats begin outlining their priorities following last week’s midterm elections, when they captured the House majority from Republicans.
Punchbowl News first reported that incoming Democratic leaders intend to relocate the plaque from its current position near a Capitol gift shop to a more prominent location.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is positioned to become speaker when the new Congress convenes, has previously argued that the current placement fails to satisfy the law establishing the memorial.
Congress approved legislation in 2022 requiring a plaque honoring the law enforcement officers who protected the Capitol during the January 6 riot.
The measure directed the Architect of the Capitol to install the memorial “in a prominent location in the United States Capitol.”
President Joe Biden signed the legislation in March 2022.
The plaque was supposed to be installed within one year, but the deadline passed without its appearance.
Democrats repeatedly criticized Republican House leaders over the delay, eventually demanding that Speaker Mike Johnson comply with the law.
The memorial was finally unveiled in September 2025, more than two years after the original deadline.
Johnson, Jeffries and other congressional leaders participated in the ceremony.
“Today, we honor the brave men and women of law enforcement who defended the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021,” Johnson said at the time.
The memorial recognizes members of the U.S. Capitol Police and Washington Metropolitan Police Department who responded when rioters breached the Capitol as Congress met to certify the 2020 presidential election.
Its inscription thanks officers for protecting lawmakers, employees and visitors inside the complex.
The plaque also contains the names of officers involved in the response.
Its placement, however, immediately generated another dispute.
Instead of being installed in one of the Capitol’s more prominent ceremonial spaces, the plaque was placed near the House gift shop in the Capitol Visitor Center.
Jeffries argued that location did not comply with Congress’ original instructions.
“The law required that the plaque be placed in a prominent location in the Capitol,” Jeffries said following its installation.
“The current location is not consistent with that requirement.”
With Democrats preparing to take control of the House, Jeffries will soon have greater authority to change that arrangement.
His office reportedly confirmed Monday that Democrats intend to move the plaque after the new Congress begins.
No final location has publicly been announced.
The decision is likely to revive partisan disagreements surrounding January 6 as Democrats prepare for their return to power.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the federal government’s prosecution of January 6 defendants.
Shortly after beginning his second term in January 2025, Trump granted clemency to roughly 1,500 defendants charged or convicted in cases connected to the Capitol riot.
Those actions included both pardons and sentence commutations.
Democrats strongly condemned the decision, as did several law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol.
Trump and his allies have maintained that the Justice Department pursued January 6 cases too aggressively and treated many defendants unfairly, an accusation that is 100 percent true.
The plaque’s relocation is emerging as one of several changes Democrats are preparing as they assume control of the House.
The party won its majority after campaigning heavily on affordability, healthcare, housing and other economic concerns, none of which they seem prepared to deal with.
Democratic leaders have simultaneously promised aggressive congressional oversight of the Trump administration once they gain control of committees and subpoena authority. So buckle up.
