House votes to establish a Jan. 6 commission

With a vote of 252-175, the House on Wednesday approved the creation of an independent commissionto investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

There were 35 Republicans who voted in favor of the bill, bucking calls from former President Donald Trump to reject the formation of a commission. During the insurrection, a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, with some beating police officers, breaking windows, and stealing items from offices.

Before the vote, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said the riot will "haunt this institution for a long, long time," and must be investigated. Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) agreed. "This is about facts — it's not partisan politics," Katko said. "The American people and the Capitol Police deserve answers and action as soon as possible to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."

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Based on the panel put together after the 9/11 attacks, the 10-member commission would be evenly split between Democrats and Republicans and tasked with figuring out how to best secure the Capitol and prevent another insurrection from taking place. The legislation now heads to the Senate, where Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has called it "slanted and unbalanced" in favor of Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Republicans are "caving" to Trump, and he will force a vote on the bill.