"I join in observing International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which commemorates the liberation of the Nazi death-camp at Auschwitz in 1945.  That place, where more than a million innocent civilians were systematically murdered- among more than 6 million Jews and 5 million others killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust - has become a solemn memorial to the victims of Nazism and a reminder to the world of what can happen when far-right, violent nationalism and racial supremacy are allowed to fester unchecked.  Americans must pay heed to the lessons of the Holocaust as we confront the reality of a violent, far-right nationalism growing like a cancer in our own country.  

"The images of violent insurrectionists storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6 were alarming enough.  But to see several of the rioters wearing clothing emblazoned with slogans like 'Camp Auschwitz' and 'Six Million Wasn't Enough' was a gut-wrenching experience for those who believed that the painful lessons of the Holocaust were being heeded in our day.  Our nation must face the truth that a growing segment of our population embraces conspiracy theories that question the veracity of the Holocaust, that call for political violence to enforce white supremacy and racist ideologies, and that glorify Adolf Hitler and Nazism.  We must do everything possible to root out these evils and shine the light of historical truth into the dark places where such conspiracy theories find foothold.  

"Last year, I marked this solemn day by bringing legislation to the House Floor to promote Holocaust education.  That bill, introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, passed the House with strong, bipartisan support.  Legislation of that kind is important, but it pales in comparison with the individual responsibility each of us carries as Americans, which is to call out anti-Semitism and other forms of hate when we see it in our communities and to teach young people about the Holocaust to ensure they learn its lessons.  This is particularly important at a time when those who, through miracles and unbelievable endurance, survived Auschwitz or other Nazi camps are passing into history, and they will no longer be able to provide firsthand witness of the atrocities they endured or of the social and political conditions in Europe that preceded the Holocaust.  Together, those of us who cherish freedom, truth, justice, and equality must carry on this work and make it our own, so that the words 'Never Again!' do not ring hollow in our time."