Capitol Riot at Five: Senate Moves to Block Payouts as Defendants Plan Anniversary March

Five Years After the Breach

Wednesday marks half a decade since rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, and Washington is bracing again—this time for a legislative showdown and a planned march by defendants still fighting their charges.

Senate Democrats Launch ‘No Payouts’ Push

Senate Majority Whip Dina Ramirez (D-NV) introduced the Taxpayer Integrity Act late Tuesday, a bill that would permanently bar anyone convicted in the January 6 attack from receiving federal benefits, tax credits, or civil-service pensions.

“Americans should never bankroll the very people who attacked their democracy,” Ramirez said on the Senate floor. “Five years on, we owe the Capitol Police—and the nation—this basic safeguard.”

The measure has 47 co-sponsors, all Democrats, and taps into a simmering grievance: court filings show at least 14 defendants have received court-appointed counsel paid with public funds, while others have applied for pandemic-era small-business loans and Social Security disability.

Defendants Plan ‘Justice Delayed’ March

Meanwhile, the J6 Patriot Network—a loose coalition of roughly 200 defendants—has obtained a National Park Service permit for a “Justice Delayed” march from the Washington Monument to Capitol Hill on Monday afternoon.

Organizers expect 500–800 attendees, far smaller than the 2021 crowd, but the U.S. Capitol Police have reinstalled temporary fencing and canceled all leave for the date.

• Speakers include former Marine Sgt. Kyle Albright, acquitted last year on technical evidentiary grounds, and podcaster Melissa Crane, whose nightly livestream raises legal-defense donations.
• Counter-protesters from the group DC United Against Hate have pledged to form a human chain along Independence Avenue.

Political Fault Lines Reopen

Republican leaders have largely sidestepped the Ramirez bill, arguing it duplicates existing forfeiture statutes and smacks of political theater.

“We should focus on the border, inflation, and fentanyl—not re-litigate 2021 every election cycle,” Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told reporters.

Yet even some GOP moderates worry the march could hand Democrats fresh footage for fall campaign ads. “Perception matters,” said one swing-state senator who requested anonymity. “If skirmishes break out, we all lose.”

What Happens Next

The Senate Rules Committee will hold a markup on the Taxpayer Integrity Act next Thursday; passage in the Democratic-controlled chamber is likely, but the GOP-led House is expected to ignore it.

Capitol Police Chief Pamela Smith says her force has “no intelligence indicating armed groups,” yet downtown businesses are boarding up anyway, a haunting echo of five years ago.

As both sides dig in, the real question may be whether Congress can finally turn the page—or whether January 6 becomes an annual political ritual, replayed every two years at the ballot box.