[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H4188-H4189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     AUTHORIZING USE OF CAPITOL ROTUNDA FOR HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 54) permitting the 
use of the Rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the 
commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 54

         Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring),

     SECTION 1. USE OF ROTUNDA FOR HOLOCAUST DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE 
                   CEREMONY.

         The Rotunda of the Capitol is authorized to be used on 
     April 23, 2009, for a ceremony as part of the commemoration 
     of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust. 
     Physical preparations for the ceremony shall be carried out 
     in accordance with such conditions as the Architect of the 
     Capitol may prescribe.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel 
E. Lungren) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks in the Record and to include extraneous matter.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this concurrent resolution provides for the use of the 
Capitol Rotunda on April 23, 2009, as part of the commemoration to 
honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. I support the 
resolution and thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) for 
sponsoring it.
  Mr. Speaker, the Holocaust is one of the most shameful and horrifying 
events of human history. It is imperative that we honor the memory of 
those who died so senselessly and provide them their due recognition.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 54, which would, 
as the chairman has said, authorize use of the Capitol Rotunda on April 
23, 2009, for a ceremony as a part of the commemoration of the Days of 
Remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.
  For descendants of the approximately 6 million Jews who were killed 
during the Holocaust, the atrocities that their loved ones suffered at 
the hands of Nazi Germany are with them each day. As a Nation, it's 
important that all Americans take the time to reflect upon the effects 
of the horrors inflicted during the Holocaust, one of the darkest days 
or hours of our humanity. Those who would seek to destroy an entire 
people based on their religious heritage committed the most heinous 
acts imaginable upon their brethren. By remembering the victims of 
these unspeakable acts, we ensure that the flame of life that the 
forces of evil tried so hard to extinguish will never be forgotten and 
that we shall never allow this to happen again.
  Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to mention that there is a 
wonderful statue in our Rotunda of a great American, his name is Dwight 
D. Eisenhower. He's remembered as President of the United States. He 
was also the Supreme Allied Commander of all of those allied troops in 
Europe.
  When his troops and he came upon the reality of the Holocaust, when 
they came upon the concentration camps, then-General Eisenhower 
commanded that his troops take pictures, see the evidence, gather the 
proof. He required that German residents, German citizens of the 
surrounding communities, be brought forward and have to see what had 
taken place; and then he required those individuals to actually be part 
of the burial committees that buried the bodies of those who had been 
destroyed.
  When asked why he did this, President Eisenhower, then-General 
Eisenhower, said, ``I do this to gather this evidence, to get this 
proof, to get these photos, because some day in the future, some''--and 
I will use the initials--``some silly SOB will claim this never 
happened.''
  There are some who claim this never happened. Because a remarkable 
man with tremendous foresight, General Eisenhower, later President 
Eisenhower, because he required that proof be made, those perpetrators 
of that fallacy cannot be successful.
  In order to make this time of reflection an official event shared by 
all Americans, Congress established the Days of Remembrance as our 
Nation's annual commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust and 
created the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as a permanent 
living memorial to these victims. Since 1982, the Holocaust Museum has 
organized and led the national Days of Remembrance ceremony in the U.S. 
Capitol Rotunda, a ceremony that includes Holocaust survivors, their 
families, liberators, and Members of Congress.
  So I urge my colleagues to support this bill so that we may continue 
to use the Capitol Rotunda to pay tribute to those lives that were lost 
in the Holocaust during this shared time of solemn remembrance 
throughout the world.
  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be the sponsor of this 
resolution to authorize the use of the Capitol Rotunda on April 23, 
2009 for the annual congressional ceremony to commemorate the 
Holocaust.
  This year marks the 30th anniversary of the United States adoption of 
a national day for Holocaust commemoration. I take great pride that we 
are one of the only nations to join the State of Israel in observing 
Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Heroes and Remembrance Day, on the Hebrew 
anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
  Each year, the ceremony here in Washington serves as a centerpiece 
for similar events observed in communities throughout the United States 
to memorialize the millions who perished and honor the courage of those 
who survived. This year's theme ``Never Again: What You Do Matters'' 
highlights the power of individual actions to stand against genocide 
and our individual responsibility to relay the history of the Holocaust 
as its last survivors are now passing on.
  I would like to thank the Committee on House Administration for its 
work on this resolution. I encourage all of my colleagues to 
participate in the ceremony in the Rotunda.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 54.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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