House Democrats Plan to Move Jan. 6 Police Plaque After Taking Control
Democrats spent the midterm campaign promising to focus on affordability, but one of their first planned moves after taking the House has nothing to do with prices.
House Democrats reportedly plan to relocate a memorial honoring the police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, once they take control of the chamber in January.
The plaque now hangs in a less visible spot near the Capitol's gift shop, even though a 2022 law requires it to be placed in a prominent location. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become speaker in January, intends to move it somewhere more visible, according to Punchbowl News.
The plan follows Democrats' win in last week's midterm elections, which ended the Republican majority in the House.
READ MORE: HAKEEM JEFFRIES REVEALS FIRST TRUMP ADMIN 'TARGET' AFTER DEMS TAKE HOUSE
The 2022 Law
The plaque honors members of the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department who responded when rioters breached the Capitol as lawmakers met to certify the 2020 presidential election.
Congress ordered the memorial in legislation signed by President Joe Biden in March 2022. The law directed the Architect of the Capitol to install a plaque listing the officers who protected lawmakers and others inside the building, and specified that it go "in a prominent location in the United States Capitol."
The law originally required the plaque to be installed within one year, but that deadline came and went. House Republican leaders finally unveiled it in September 2025 after years of delays and pressure from Democrats and some Republicans.
It was placed near the House gift shop in the Capitol Visitor Center rather than in one of the building's busy ceremonial areas. The plaque lists officers from both departments and includes an inscription thanking law enforcement for defending the Capitol and the people inside.
Clash With Johnson
Democrats repeatedly criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson over the delay. In 2024, Jeffries and other Democratic leaders sent Johnson a letter demanding the plaque be installed as federal law required.
"Two years ago, a bipartisan Congress passed legislation to honor the incredible bravery of the law enforcement officers who defended the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021," the Democrats wrote, accusing GOP leadership of failing to meet the requirements set by Congress.
READ MORE: Hakeem Jeffries Blasts Stephen Miller After Trump Names Him White House Chief of Staff
Johnson eventually took part in the 2025 unveiling alongside Jeffries and other congressional leaders. "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 ceremony.
Jeffries still objected to where it ended up. "The law required that the plaque be placed in a prominent location in the Capitol," he said. "The current location is not consistent with that requirement."
More Fights Ahead
The relocation is among the early changes expected when the House changes hands in January. Democrats campaigned heavily on affordability, healthcare costs and housing, but party leaders have also promised extensive oversight of President Donald Trump's administration.
January 6 is expected to remain a flashpoint between the incoming Democratic House and Trump, who granted clemency to roughly 1,500 January 6 defendants shortly after starting his second term in January 2025.
Democrats and several officers who responded to the attack strongly criticized that move, while Trump has defended the pardons and commutations and repeatedly attacked the prosecutions tied to that day.