Rep. Espaillat Decries Delay in Installing Jan. 6 Officers Plaque, Discusses Book Bans

Delay in Installing Jan. 6 Officers Plaque

• 🏛️ Adriano Espaillat expresses deep disappointment over the uninstalled plaque honoring officers who responded to the January 6th riot.
• 📜 A bipartisan law passed in 2022 mandated the plaque, yet two years later, it remains uninstalled.
• 😠 Espaillat criticizes those who claim patriotism and support for law and order but fail to honor the officers who protected the Capitol.
• ❓ He questions who is preventing the installation, noting that past modifications on the House side of the Capitol are typically directed by the Office of the Speaker.
• 📢 Mr. Austin testified that the Speaker of the House has not provided written instructions for the plaque's installation.

Honoring a Fallen Colleague

• 🌳 Espaillat proposes planting a cactus tree on the Capitol campus to honor the late Rahul Grihalva, a former ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee.
• ✅ Mr. Austin commits to working with Espaillat's office on this tribute.

Book Bans and the Library of Congress

• 📚 Dr. Hayden discusses the effort to ban books in America, citing the removal of nearly 400 books from the Naval Academy library due to DEI-related subject matter.
• 🚫 Examples of banned books include "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "Memorizing the Holocaust."
• ❓ Hayden questions how such policies would impact the Library of Congress and its mission to provide information and educate the public.
• 🌍 The Library of Congress's mandate is to reflect the breadth of experiences of all American people, and removing items would conflict with this mission.
• 🔥 The effort to ban books is characterized as a modern exercise in book burning.