WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) spoke on the Senate floor today alongside many of his Democratic Senate colleagues on the five-year anniversary of the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
In his speech, Senator Gallego called out the Administration’s decision to grant military funeral honors for one of the insurrectionists, Ashli Babbitt. In September, Senator Gallego, a Marine Corps combat veteran, condemned the decision and introduced a resolution to block Babbitt from receiving the honors. Yesterday, he introduced an amendment to the Senate Defense Appropriations bill to prohibit the use of taxpayer funds for Babbitt’s military funeral honors.
Read his remarks below:
Today marks five years since January 6th — the day a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol in an effort to overturn a free and fair election and disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.
It was not a protest. It was not a misunderstanding. It was an assault on our democracy.
I was there that day, as many of my colleagues were.
I remember the pounding on the doors of the House chamber. I remember stacking chairs against these doors to stop the mob from entering. I remember helping to evacuate the floor as the mob was taking over the Capitol.
And I remember looking around — thinking about my family, and whether we would make it out safely.
That day left scars — on this institution, on our democracy, and on the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way to defend it.
I served in the United States Marine Corps, and I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. And I know what it means to take that oath seriously — not just in uniform, but in life.
Which is why I will be offering an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill to ensure that military funeral honors remain reserved for those who defended the Constitution, not those who sought to overthrow it.
Last year, the Administration offered military honors for Ashli Babbitt.
Ashli Babbitt was not a hero. She was part of the violent mob that tried to overturn our democracy.
She ignored repeated lawful orders from Capitol Police. She pushed to the front of the crowd. She helped smash a window into the Speaker’s Lobby and attempted to force her way through a barricaded door while armed with a weapon.
She did not die defending this country. She died trying to tear it down.
Military funerals are sacred. They are reserved for those who upheld their oath — who defended the Constitution and the rule of law.
To grant those honors to someone who participated in an attack on this Capitol would dishonor every service member who actually served to uphold that oath.
I have seen real sacrifice. I have buried Marines who gave their lives protecting others. That is honor.
Those who serve are expected to uphold military standards even after they leave service. When you violate the law and betray your oath, you forfeit the privilege of military honors.
If we equate the January 6 insurrection with genuine sacrifice, we cheapen everything our service members have done in defense of this country. We erode trust in our military. And we feed the dangerous lie that January 6 was anything other than a betrayal of our democracy.
Taxpayer money should not be used to provide military funerals to someone who took part in an attack on this Capitol.
This is about accountability. It is about honoring those who truly served with integrity.
And it is about making clear — five years later — that we will not rewrite the history of January 6.
I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and to remember the men and women who have defended this country honorably – those who upheld their oath, protected our democracy, and continue to serve with courage and sacrifice.
1/6/26