H. J. Res. 133 
One Hundred Nineteenth Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE FIRST SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday, 
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-five 
Joint Resolution 
Requesting the Secretary of the Interior to authorize unique and one-time arrange-
ments for displays on the National Mall and the Washington Monument during 
the period beginning on December 31, 2025, and ending on January 5, 2026. 
Whereas the Second Continental Congress unanimously agreed to 
adopt the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in which 
the Second Continental Congress declared a complete break with 
Britain and the king and claimed the powers of an independent 
country; 
Whereas the founding of the United States represented a historic 
world event that has improved the lives of the people of the 
United States and the people of other nations in profound ways 
for centuries; 
Whereas the ideas of the founding fathers, including representative 
government, guaranteed rights, and national sovereignty, inspire 
all people of the United States to this day; 
Whereas, on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the independ-
ence and founding of the United States will be commemorated 
and celebrated; 
Whereas Congress enacted the United States Semiquincentennial 
Commission Act of 2016 (36 U.S.C. note prec. 101; Public Law 
114–196) to plan, encourage, develop, and coordinate the 
commemoration of the history of the United States leading up 
to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States; 
Whereas the United States Semiquincentennial Commission has 
planned, coordinated, and inspired celebrations of the 250th 
anniversary across the United States to mark the occasion; 
Whereas New Year’s Eve in 2025 marks the boundary between 
the 249th and 250th year of the United States, will bring the 
people of the United States together, and will be a fitting date 
to initiate celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the United 
States in earnest; 
Whereas Congress explored lighting the Washington Monument 
and other capital monuments at night during calendar year 1976 
to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States; 
Whereas the National Mall hosted the 50th anniversary commemo-
ration of the Apollo 11 lunar landing in 2019, which included 
the display of NASA and Smithsonian artifacts on the National 
Mall for 5 days and concluded each night with an inspiring 
video program that projected footage from the Apollo 11 program 
on the Washington Monument;
H. J. Res. 133—2 
Whereas the commemoration of the Apollo 11 lunar landing was 
attended by over 500,000 people from all over the United States 
who gathered over a period of 5 days to celebrate the historic 
achievements of the Apollo program and watched the video pro-
gram centered on the Washington Monument; 
Whereas hundreds of thousands of people of the United States 
visit Washington, DC, each holiday season and attend outdoor 
exhibits; 
Whereas Washington, DC, is uniquely suitable to host the people 
of 
the 
United 
States 
for 
inaugural 
United 
States 
semiquincentennial festivities; and 
Whereas the Washington Monument is central to the Washington, 
DC, landscape and commemorates one of the most prominent 
figures in the founding of the United States: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress— 
(1) requests the Secretary of the Interior to authorize 
unique and one-time arrangements for the display of United 
States semiquincentennial materials and other significant arti-
facts, digital content, film footage, and associated audio and 
imagery in and around the vicinity of the National Mall, 
including projected onto the surface of the Washington Monu-
ment for 5 nights of public display, during the period beginning 
on December 31, 2025, and ending on January 5, 2026; and 
(2) respectfully requests that the Clerk of the House of 
Representatives transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution 
to— 
(A) the Secretary of the Interior; and 
(B) the Chair of the United States Semiquincentennial 
Commission. 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.