The U.S. Senate unanimously voted on Feb. 12 to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Eugene Goodman, the Capitol police officer who’s been hailed for his role in steering protesters away from the Senate chambers during the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol building.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor that Congress can bestow. The measure to give the award to Goodman was passed by unanimous consent days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced that Capitol Police officers who protected the building during the events last month would receive the medal. Pelosi’s office later released a draft (pdf) of the legislation that the House speaker said will “pay tribute to the Capitol Police and other law enforcement personnel who protected the Capitol.”
