FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 6, 2021

FMC Board Statement Following Insurrection At U.S. Capitol

(Washington, D.C.) -- On behalf of the over 800 Representatives and Senators who are members of FMC:

When blood is shed in the US Capitol, how can you not stand on the right side of history?

When the right to peacefully assemble is commandeered by a seditious mob wrapping itself in the very flag brave men died for on the beaches of Normandy, how can you not weep for our democracy?

When elected representatives are threatened with violence for carrying out their constitutional duty, how can you not be filled with fear for the future of our ability to self-govern? 

There no longer is a question where the line is between right or wrong.  There no longer is a gray area leaving room for interpretation what constitutes acceptable political behavior.  Democracies are fragile, and our current path of hyper-partisanship and politicians stoking division for self-gain, if left unchecked, clearly will have as its inevitable conclusion the demise of our cherished republic. 

FMC, a group of former Senators and Representatives – Democrats, Republicans and Independents – calls on our political leadership to unite across the political aisle in their opposition to the gut-wrenching spectacle of the United States Capitol invaded by a lawless mob.  The inauguration of President-Elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. must bring about a willingness by elected officials and leadership from both parties to forge a way forward that puts our country and our democracy above parties and political gamesmanship.  The responsible path forward is to make powerless those who seek to divide us into opposing tribes.  There is no ambiguity where the right side of history is today.

Signed by the FMC Board,

The Hon. Charles Boustany (R-LA), FMC President

The Hon. L.F. Payne (D-VA), FMC President-Elect

The Hon. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY), VP of Membership

The Hon. Donna Edwards (D-MD), VP of Programming

The Hon. Martin Frost (D-TX), Immediate Past President

Peter M. Weichlein, Esq, FMC CEO

Sabine Schleidt, FMC COO