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The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution honoring the two National Guard members attacked in Washington, D.C., late last month.
The legislation passed the House by voice vote on Monday afternoon, meaning lawmakers did not take an individual roll call on their support.
Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were both shot by a gunman just blocks from the White House late last month, in what federal authorities are investigating as a terror attack.
The alleged shooter is an Afghan refugee who came to the U.S. as part of Operation Allies Welcome during the military’s withdrawal from Kabul in 2021.
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Both Republicans and Democrats spoke in favor of the resolution — led by West Virginia’s two GOP House lawmakers, Reps. Carol Miller and Riley Moore — in a rare moment of bipartisanship for the current Congress.
“As members of the West Virginia National Guard on duty in the nation’s capital, Spc. Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Wolfe were targeted and violently assaulted with a barrage of gunfire for doing nothing less than performing their duty as a soldier and an airman,” Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., said on Monday.
“Both of them sustained severe gunshot wounds during the attack. Sadly, Spc. Beckstrom succumbed to her injuries and passed away surrounded by loved ones on Thanksgiving Day. While Staff Sgt. Wolfe remains in recovery, and we wish him speedy success in that effort to be back on his feet.”
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Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, said Beckstrom’s “life was far too short, but her example will endure.”
“Spc. Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Wolfe represent the very best of our nation. Young Americans driven by service, compassion, and a sense of duty. Their willingness to step forward to serve their communities and their country reflects the highest ideals of military and public service,” Tokuda said.
Miller called the attack “a targeted assault against United States service members.”
Moore, as a father himself, said it was “heartbreaking” to see Beckstrom’s parents at her funeral in Grafton, West Virginia.
“Watching her father just grieve in that manner is just unimaginable. It really puts you at a loss for words,” he said.
The resolution, while symbolic in nature, shows Republicans and Democrats coming together in a show of unity over national tragedy.
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