{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-and-rubio-applaud-senate-passage-of-legislation-to-award-congressional-gold-medal-to-american-heroes-killed-in-2012-benghazi-consulate-attack", "Senators Markey and Rubio Applaud Senate Passage of Legislation to Award Congressional Gold Medal To American Heroes Killed in 2012 Benghazi Consulate AttackRead More", "2020-12-16", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Edward Markey", "M000133", "www.markey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Bill honors selfless sacrifice of Ambassador\r\nChristopher Stevens, Glen A. Doherty, Tyrone Woods, and Sean Smith  Washington (December 16, 2020) \r\nSenators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), along with\r\nSenators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.),\r\nDianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Shelley Moore Capito (D-W.V.) applauded U.S.\r\nSenate passage of their bipartisan legislation (S.2054) to posthumously award\r\nthe Congressional Gold Medal to J. Christopher Stevens, Glen A. Doherty, Tyrone\r\nWoods and Sean Smith in recognition of their service to and defense of the\r\nUnited States of America. Stevens, Doherty, Woods and Smith were killed in the\r\nattack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in September 2012.  Christopher Stevens, a member of\r\nthe Career Foreign Service, was serving as United States Ambassador to Libya\r\nduring the attack. Doherty, a former combat-decorated Navy SEAL, was a native\r\nof Winchester, Massachusetts. Woods, a native of Portland, Oregon was also a\r\nformer combat-decorated Navy SEAL. Smith, a native of San Diego, had served in\r\nthe Air Force where he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal.  The bravery of Glen Doherty,\r\nTyrone Woods, Sean Smith and Ambassador Stevens must be remembered and honored.\r\nOur diplomats, armed forces, and all who proudly serve our country overseas\r\ndeserve our utmost respect, recognition, and gratitude. I am honored to have\r\nled the effort that will honor them as the American heroes we know them to be,\r\nsaid Senator Markey. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor\r\nthe legislative branch can bestow upon any individual, and I look forward to\r\nawarding them and their families with this rare distinction that will honor\r\ntheir legacy for generations to come. I urge the House of Representatives to\r\nprioritize the bill's swift passage.  Honoring our fallen fellow\r\nAmericans, who were murdered during a terrorist attack in our nation's\r\nconsulate in Benghazi, commemorates not only their legacy but also their\r\nsacrifice, said Senator Rubio. We owe Ambassador Stevens, Navy SEALS\r\nDoherty and Woods as well as Airman Smith a great debt of gratitude. I am proud\r\nto have joined Senator Markey in introducing this bipartisan bill and urge the\r\nmembers of the House to quickly pass it and send it to the President's desk for\r\nsignature.  A copy of the legislation can be\r\nfound HERE.\r\n Passage in the U.S. Senate of\r\nlegislation to honor the four brave Americans who lost their lives in the\r\nBenghazi terrorist attack with a Congressional Gold Medal is a tremendous honor\r\nfor our family, said the Doherty family. We will remember these men\r\nalways as patriots and true heroes who gave their lives for the safety and\r\nprotection of other Americans. We thank Senator Markey, Senator Rubio, Senator\r\nDuckworth and so many other leaders in the U.S. Senate who supported this\r\neffort.   The passage of S.2054 brings overwhelming\r\njoy and gratitude to my heart. But it only happened through the efforts of so\r\nmany others, said Cheryl Croft Bennett, mother of Tyrone Woods. The\r\nfamily of Navy SEAL Tyrone S. Woods is forever grateful to Senator Ed Markey,\r\nthe initial sponsor of this resolution in 2015 that was created to honor these\r\nfour courageous Americans who devotedly served and willingly sacrificed their\r\nlives for their country. We owe our special gratitude to the persistence\r\nof Sen. Markey's office and the bi-partisan support of 67 other senators,\r\nincluding Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, from Tyrone's home state of\r\nOregon, for the passage of this bill. These four patriots embody the best of\r\nthe American spirit and deserve this recognition by Congress as a testament to\r\ntheir noble sacrifices and outstanding legacies of service to our Nation. My\r\nson would be honored and humbled by this esteemed recognition, but I also know\r\nhis reaction would be, I was just doing my job and protecting others.' Like\r\nTyrone that night in Benghazi, we were never going to give up our pursuit of\r\nachieving passage of this resolution. To each senator who co-sponsored this\r\nresolution, you have my heartfelt and sincere appreciation. Also, I\r\nextend my special appreciation to K&L Gates law firm for their unflagging\r\nefforts and to my dear friends, Kate Doherty Quigley and Glen's mother,\r\nBarbara, for their continued friendship and love. To each and every person who\r\ncontributed to supporting S.2054, you can rest assured that you have done your\r\nduty to ensure that the legacies of these four beloved Americans will never be\r\nforgotten.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-and-rubio-applaud-senate-passage-of-legislation-to-award-congressional-gold-medal-to-american-heroes-killed-in-2012-benghazi-consulate-attack"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6705270390957594, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}