In the News: Repercussions of January 6th Insurrection Still Felt in the Capitol
“Jan. 6 echoes loudly on the campaign trail, but Capitol falls quiet on third anniversary”
Roll Call
Megan Mineiro
January 5, 2024
Excerpts from the story:
Halls that echoed with the shouts of rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, will be quiet on Saturday, with no plans in Congress to mark the attack on the Capitol.
Some still haunted by the violence are struck by the silence from lawmakers on the third anniversary.
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Brad Fitch, president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, said Congress should not sweep the events of Jan. 6 under the rug. As staff file into congressional offices next week, managers should be flexible with those who may be negatively affected by the memory of violence in their workplace, Fitch argued.
“Employee wellness isn’t just an altruistic, nice thing to do. It relates to job engagement, it relates to employee retention,” Fitch said.
A record number of congressional staffers sought counseling in the year after Jan. 6, 2021. The Congressional Progressive Staff Association blames the event for leading to “a mass exodus of staffers from Capitol Hill.”
“We will continue to help congressional staffers connect with mental health resources as they recover from the trauma,” the association said in a statement.