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 independence 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 commemoration 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;

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 program 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