House approves Congressional Gold Medals for Jan. 6 police officers. 21 Republicans voted no.

Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

On the one hand, there was a rare outbreak of bipartisanship in Congress on Tuesday evening. The Senate voted unanimously to make Juneteenth a national holiday and the House soon after voted overwhelmingly to award the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's highest civilian honors, to the law enforcement officers who protected lawmakers and their staff from the Jan. 6 mob that laid siege to the Capitol.

On the other hand, while 406 House Democrats and Republicans voted to honor the officers, 21 Republicans voted no. "The vote underscored the lingering tensions in Congress amid efforts by some GOP lawmakers to whitewash the events of that day," The Washington Post reports.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.