Congress requests special New Year's displays on Washington Monument
S.J.Res. 96 — A joint resolution requesting the Secretary of the Interior to authorize unique and one-time arrangements for displays on the National Mall and the Washington Monument during the period beginning on December 31, 2025, and ending on January 5, 2026. · Filed by Shelley Capito (R-WV) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Nov 19, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This joint resolution asks the Secretary of the Interior to allow special, temporary displays celebrating America's 250th anniversary on the National Mall and Washington Monument from December 31, 2025, to January 5, 2026. The displays would include historical artifacts, videos, and projections on the Monument itself over five nights, similar to the Apollo 11 50th-anniversary celebration in 2019.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole function is to request authorization for temporary historical displays and projections on federal monuments during a specific five-day window to mark the nation's 250th anniversary. It is a straightforward commemorative measure with no regulatory, appropriations, or policy-change mechanism.
What the text implies
- The resolution requests but does not mandate action—the Secretary of the Interior retains discretion to approve or deny the request, creating potential for political controversy if denied.
- Precedent cited (Apollo 11 2019 commemoration) drew 500,000+ visitors; similar crowds could strain DC infrastructure and security during holiday week.
- No appropriations are specified in the resolution itself; funding mechanism and cost responsibility are not addressed, potentially creating ambiguity about who bears expenses.
Who it affects
This is a one-time public commemoration that allows citizens free access to historical displays and celebrations on federal land during a major national anniversary. There is no apparent cost to ordinary people, and the provision explicitly references successful precedent (Apollo 11 commemoration) that drew over 500,000 visitors.
Who stands to gain
- hospitality and tourism sector (hotels, restaurants, transportation in DC)
- event production and display technology vendors
Named in the bill
Secretary of the Interior, National Mall, Washington Monument, US Semiquincentennial Commission, US Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016, Public Law 114–196, Smithsonian Institution, NASA
Where it stands
3 cosponsors: 2 Democrats, 1 Republicans.
- Nov 19, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Nov 19, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jun 8, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Congress requests special New Year's displays on Washington Monument” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/sjres96 Report an error
The week in bills
One email, Sunday: what Congress passed, what it changed, and who paid.
One link arrives to confirm the address. It is used for this email and nothing else, and every issue carries an unsubscribe link.