Mary Gay Scanlon: “I thank the gentlewoman from New York for arranging this really important Special Order hour. Every day, we are so…”

“I thank the gentlewoman from New York for arranging this really important Special Order hour. Every day, we are so grateful for the hard work and support of our congressional staff. Many of them are young enough to be my children, but they serve Congress and our country with brilliance and honor every single day. This evening, I want to read a letter signed by nearly 400 congressional staffers to their Senators because they don't often have a voice on this floor, but their words are so raw and so heart- wrenching. Here is their letter, titled ``An Open Letter to Members of the U.S. Senate.'' ``We are staff who work for Members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, where it is our honor and privilege to serve our country and our fellow Americans. We write this letter to share our own views and experiences, not the views of our employers. But on January 6, 2021, our workplace was attacked by a violent mob trying to stop the electoral college vote count. That mob was incited by former President Donald J. Trump and his political allies, some of whom we pass every day in the hallways at work. ``Many of us attended school in the post-Columbine era and were trained to respond to active shooter situations in our classrooms. As the mob smashed through Capitol Police barricades, broke doors and windows, and charged into the Capitol with body armor and weapons, many of us hid behind chairs and under desks or barricaded ourselves in offices.…”