[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 93 (Monday, June 2, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3165-S3167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE JOINT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE ON THE INAUGURATION
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, on January 20, 2025, the Joint
Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies--JCCIC--hosted the
inauguration of President Donald Trump.
This year, I chaired the joint committee with Senator Fischer, my
counterpart on the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. I
thank her and the rest of the committee members--Leader Schumer,
Speaker Johnson, Leader Scalise, and Leader Jeffries--for their
partnership.
In the first 20 days of January, the Capitol Complex was the focus of
three large-scale events--the January 6 Election Certification, the
lying in state of former President Jimmy Carter, and the 60th inaugural
ceremonies. And after the President-elect requested the ceremonies be
held indoors, our staff and partners worked around the clock to prepare
the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for the ceremonies and the Capitol Visitor
Center Emancipation Hall for additional guests to watch the
proceedings.
Today, I want to thank those who worked tirelessly to plan and
execute the 60th inaugural ceremonies. The JCCIC staff, partners, and
volunteers were all crucial in countless ways.
I want to especially thank the staff director of the Rules Committee
Elizabeth Farrar, who also served as staff director for JCCIC.
Our committee's U.S. Capitol Police Liaison Captain Sean Patton
worked tirelessly to synchronize the work of the JCCIC and the
department's inaugural task force, commanded by Inspector Mike
Spochart. I want to thank Captain Patton, the inaugural task force, the
National Guard, and the entire law enforcement and security partnership
which makes up the Washington Metropolitan Area's National Special
Security Event Executive Steering Committee.
I also want to acknowledge JCCIC's important partnership with Mayor
Bowser's District of Columbia Presidential Inaugural Committee under
the leadership of Lindsey Parker. Together, we were able to focus on
the end-to-end guest experience of constituents visiting our Nation's
Capital for the inauguration.
The JCCIC ticketing and Member services team, led by Davita Jones and
including Anthony Davis, both detailed from the House Sergeant at Arms
Office, and Navy CAPT Judy Malana, counted, organized, and distributed
more than 200,000 tickets for the ceremonies and coordinated the
attendance with all JCCIC's traditional guests. They were aided in the
counting by over 200 volunteers. Sarah Wheeling and the congressional
publishing team at the Government Publishing Office oversaw the design,
printing, and inspection of all tickets and program materials, working
efficiently on tight deadlines to deliver products worthy of the
occasion.
The operations team, led by Lauren McBride, who was on loan from the
House Sergeant at Arms Office and is a veteran JCCIC staffer, kept
track of every detail, planning rehearsals and walkthroughs, and
executing the day. The operations team supporting JCCIC included Abby
Stahl, Randall Bethea, Elizabeth Khader, Jordan Prince, Destiny Davis,
Martha McPhee, Zachary Hassay, and Chris Brantley.
Abby, a JCCIC veteran from Senator Fischer's office, effectively led
multiple timeline meetings, ensuring both the production timeline and
the Inauguration Day ``run of show'' reflected the synchronized best
information from JCCIC, the Architect of the Capitol, the Capitol
Police, and the military.
Randall taught radio protocols and, by leading Capitol Compass
walkthroughs each week, ensured staff knew their way around the
Capitol. Randall also led inclement weather planning and coordinated
JCCIC participation in the Department of Defense dress rehearsal on
January 12.
Elizabeth, on loan from the Senate Sergeant at Arms office,
coordinated all the rooms JCCIC needed to hold guests and other
Inauguration Day assets, accommodating special requests, furniture, and
catering. Elizabeth was additionally responsible for the signing
ceremony in the President's Room.
As platform director, Jordan ensured the platform was ready to hold
more than 1,300 guests, each with a specific seat based on inaugural
protocol and
[[Page S3166]]
precedent. When plans shifted indoors, Jordan's focus pivoted to
accommodating Congress, the President-elect's guests, and traditional
guests in the Rotunda. Destiny provided critical administrative and
logistical support to Jordan.
Martha, another veteran JCCIC staffer, and Zachary had the task of
working with our U.S. Capitol Police partners, including Captain Patton
and the inaugural task force, to manage the credentialing process for
more than 8,000 personnel. They also provided critical liaison with our
Joint Task Force-National Capital Region military partners on all the
military resources needed on Inauguration Day.
Chris Brantley, from visitor services in the Capitol Visitor Center,
recruited, tracked, trained, and managed employment of more than 350
volunteer ``JCCIC Ambassadors'' in tasks ranging from ticket counting
to wayfinding to escorting participants and guests. Though not all
served on Inauguration Day, their contributions were essential to our
overall success, and I would like to thank the following Volunteer
JCCIC Ambassadors:
Althea Abbott, Sara Adams, Harley Adsit, Joey Aguilo, Nolan
Ahern, Joshua Anderson, Michael Appelbaum, Claudette
Archambault, Rebekah Armstrong, Benjamin Arquit, Abigail
Ashcraft, Alexander Attebery, Grant Auman, Sky Avants, Zehra
Bakirdan, Shawn Baldy, Andrew Bambrick, Zachary Bannon,
Jennifer Bastin, Audrey Beck, Sara Bell, Lyssa Bell, Caroline
Bender, Ashlynne Beninga, Craig Berning, Jacqueline Bisille,
Thomas Blanford, Jackson Blodgett, Anthony Bocchino, Micah
Bock, Jody Bogoslavski, Savannah Bolender, Claire Bossong,
Scott Boswell, Taylor Bradley, Lindsay Brand, Matt Brennan,
Alyssa Bretan, Caroline Broom, Joseph Brown, Sarah Brown,
Alex Brunner, Britney Butler, John Byers, Larry Calhoun,
Jillian Cantrell, Molly Carpenter, Luke Catanzaro, Paloma
Chacon, Christy Charbonnet, Daniela Chirinos Vasquez, Peter
Chong, William Christian, Madelon Clark, Patricia Clarke,
Matthew Clemence, Adam Cloch, Sarah Coffman, Rachel Coll,
Katherine Covington, Caleb Crosswhite, Peter Crumpler,
Candace Cunningham, Jacob Custer, David D'Antonio, Miranda
Dabney, Marjorie Daily, Noelle Dana, Owen Dankworth, Graydon
Daubert, Isabel David, Jasper Davis, Bryer Davis, Alexandra
Davis, Alexis Davis, Sean Decker, Catalina Delgado, Arianna
Delgado, Margaret Deneen, Nora Derrick, Luke Diel, Madeleine
Dierksheide, Nathan Dinh, Logan Dobbins, Connor Domingue,
Caroline Donlon, Kelsie Donovan, Jonathan Downing, Sarah
Drake, John Draxler, Benjamin Driscoll, Samanta Dunford,
Elizabeth Dunlap, Darin Durand, James Durham, Anne Earthman,
Benjamin Easter, Flannery Egner, Manik Elahi, Margaret
Elliott, Ross Elston, William Emerson, Alyssa Erdel, Benjamin
Esposito, Carley Esser, Samantha Ewing, Jeanne Fahey, Adam
Fairchild, Lila Farris, Charlotte Featherston, Sarah
Fernandes, Sarah Ferrell, Alex Fink, John Fossum, Emma
Fullerton, Mary Galey, John Ganter, Sara Garcia, Brianna
Garcia, Thomas Garloch, Chongyang Ge, Eric Gebhart, Kristen
Gentile, Madelyn Gerken, Sarah Gilbert, Andrea Gilsdorf,
Andrew Gleaton, Celestine Gold, Ernest Gomez, Kaily
Grabemann, Patrick Green, Nicholas Greene, Mariah Greenlee,
Haley Griffiths, Maddisen Grimm, Khenadi Grubb, Andrew
Guernsey, Ella Gunn, Caroline Hamilton, Hannah Hancock,
Wesley Harkins, Laurie Harris, Austin Harrison, Grace
Harrison, Michael Hart, Daniel Hartl, John Hatfield, Wesley
Helms, Holly Hendrix, Bridget Henne, Bryson Henriott, Nicole
Herman, Rosanna Hernandez, Sofia Herring Jones, Allison
Hibben, Elliot Higgins, Grace Higgins, Emma Hoffschneider,
Ryan Hofmann, Elizabeth Hood, Randall Hopkins, David Horsley,
Kelsie Hovenden, Preston Howey, Charles Huang, Calvin
Huggins, Margaret Hughes, Cecilia Hutton, John Isaacs,
Madeline Jackson, Janquil Jackson, Noah Jackson, Hannah
Jahreis, Danielle Janowski, Matthew Jansen, Andrea Jenkins,
Alexandra Jenkins, Conrad Johnson, Jamie Johnson, Demarion
Johnson, Joseph Johnston, Dylan Jones, Tekia Jones, Hiroya
Jordan, Charles Judson, Samuel Kaardal, Haig Kadian, Charles
Kaiman, Benjamin Kelley, Macie Kelly, Megan Kenney, Lauren
Ketchum, Chelsie Keys, Edward Kim, Hunter Kirkland, Jake
Kirshen, Steven Klausner, Arden Koenecke, Christine
Kortokrax, Alexandra Kotsovos, Sidney Kucera, Erin Kuil,
Brayden Lacefield, Matthew Lamb, John Laseter, Robyn Lea,
Hannah Levins, Luke Lilly, Jack Lincoln, William Lissau,
Amelia Litynski, Alana Lomis, Parker Loy, Kate Lundberg,
April Lyman, Connor Lynch, Joseph Madel, Mary-Eileen Manning,
Andrew Mansell, Skyler Mansell, Joseph Martin, Sarah Martin,
Victor Martins, Kimberly Mash, Justin Mastrangelo, Donald
Mathis, Reagan Mays, Georgette Mbengue, Shekyla McBroom, Max
McClendon, Meghan McCully, Scott McElhaney, Tara McGee,
William McKenna, Brenda McKinney, Jacob McMeekin, Leah
McPhearson, Ian McPhearson, Bryce McWilliams, Walton Mears,
Lauren Meininger, Davis Michols, William Miles, Matthew
Mondello, Morgan Money, Nathanael Monroe, Meredith Moore,
Emma Morris, Ruby Moukadam, Jackson Mountain, Prisila Munoz,
Braden Murphy, William Murphy, Margaret Murphy, Amy Nabozny,
Antonia Nascimento, Bradley Nathan, Casey Nelson, Benjamin
Newhart, Madison Newsom, Luke Nickless, Katherine Nikas,
Malaika Nji-Kerber, Blake Nolan, Amy Nycz, Susan Occhipinti,
Elizabeth Oien, Anderson Okoniewski, Brooke Oliver, Haley
Parker, Adam Parkinson, Drew Parks, John Pecaro, Angelika
Pellegrino, Colm Pelletier, Madeline Peltzer, Mehgan Perez-
Acosta, Carolyn Perlmutter, Matthew Perricone, Mark Peterson,
Jana Pierce, Riley Pingree, Chad Pit-Og, Tyler Platt, Mary
Popadiuk, Gigi Powers, Gavin Proffitt, Ryan Prosperie,
Harrison Ransley, Thomas Reckling, Paula Restrepo, Lauren
Reuss, Kyle Rimando, Katherine Robbins, Elizabeth Robbins,
Ann Robinson, Joseph Rosenwinkel, Elizabeth Rowland, Jackson
Rudden, Joseph Russo, Rebecca Rybczyk, Eduardo Sacasa,
Samantha Salonen, Coby Sammis, Jessica Santos, Robert Sar,
Robby Saunders, Bethan Saunders, Karen Schmitt, Ansley
Schoen, Athena Schritz, Emma Schultheis, Lisa Schultz, Hannah
Schwartz, John Seibels, Sara Severens, Mitchell Shea, Michael
Shinholster, Alexia Sikora, Sophia Slacik, Alexandria Smith,
Elliot Smith, Stephen Spaulding, Adam Stewart, Kennedy
Stowater, Caroline Strock, Kirby Struhar, Robert Sucher, Kate
Sweeney, John Szymanski, Ruby Tavernier, Brooke Taylor, Grey
Taylor, Jon Tester, Christopher Thomas, Katherine Thomas,
Kaitlyn Tomko, Ann Topp, Dominic Travis, Courtney Trigg, Ajai
Tripathi, Shay Turman, Kimberly Vander Meulen, Trysten
Villarreal, Ashlee Vinyard, Jesse von Stein, Landy Wade,
Rachel Walker, Thomas Walker, Carolanne Walls, James Walsh,
Lindsay Walton, Christina Ware, Emily Welch, Laura Wengloski,
Nicholas West, Grayson Westmoreland, Garrett Wilbanks,
Clifford Williams, Jordan Wilson, Luke Wilt, Kaitlyn Wolfe,
Zoe Wong, Noah Yantis, Elizabeth Yoder, Connor Young, Amira
Zaidi, and Kristina Zuccarelli.
The Capitol venues team was led by Grant Scherling from the Office of
the House Chief Administrative Officer, whose acquisition and use of
detailed Capitol complex maps, schematics, and diagrams were essential
to the planning effort. The east front team of Michael Delaune and
Brian Hublar coordinated with partners from the inaugural task force,
U.S. Secret Service, and the Presidential Inaugural Committee on all
motorcade arrivals, movements, and departures on the east front of the
Capitol, to include the landing and take-off of the HMX-1 helicopter
for the farewell of President Biden.
Inside the halls of the Capitol Building, the Capitol core team of
veteran JCCIC staffers Molly Stevens and Abby Stahl was joined by
Noreen Kassam and became the backbone of JCCIC execution on
Inauguration Day. They led multiple walkthroughs with principals and
senior staff and pivoted seamlessly when the ceremonies moved indoors.
Not only did they rehearse every step for every guest, but they also
made sure to document it in ``PILLARS''--the Presidential Inauguration
Line-by-Line and Relevant Seating application developed by the expert
software development team at the Senate Sergeant at Arms--so staff and
volunteers would have real-time access to the most up-to-date plan.
Maggie Tyler, detailed from the National Park Service, worked
tirelessly with the Capitol Police, Tyler Pumphrey and Liz Aduso from
the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services, and other Capitol
Hill and DC partners to plan all aspects of the guest experience on the
west front of the Capitol. With the help of Michelle Reinshuttle, on
loan from the Capitol Police Board staff, Maggie's team maximized on-
site viewing of the inaugural ceremonies and allowed the first-ever
indoor rendering of First Honors for the President by the military.
I want to thank Abbie Platt, another former JCCIC staffer, and
McKinley Scholtz for their artistic eye, attention to detail, and
perseverance in the face of change, which made this year's inaugural
luncheon a success. We are grateful for the support of Korbel, Lenox,
the Wine Institute, Brown-Forman, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the
Smithsonian Chamber Players.
The communications team was led by Eliza Duckworth. Eliza, working
closely with my personal office staff, focused on response to and
engagement with national media, while Reilly McBride focused on the
livestream production which reached over 5 million people with the help
of Paul Winston of Razor Management and Ronn Jackson and Emily Boisvert
from Capitol Visitor Services, who served as emcees throughout the day.
Meanwhile, Chase Baran managed our online presence for internal and
external audiences.
[[Page S3167]]
Wendy Dawson, our director of press logistics, brought to the team
extensive industry experience covering numerous political conventions,
State of the Union Addresses, and six Presidential inaugurations. The
strong relationships she developed across the Capitol campus,
especially with the Media Galleries and Senate Photographic Services,
enabled the highest standard of press coverage.
The efforts of the administration team of Elisa Mendez, Nick Stella,
and Teddy Kohlhaas, all under the leadership of Christi Mayer, helped
to keep everyone on track and to feel supported, and Thomas Weber
ensured our IT resources never let us down. Toni Coverton, from the
Office of the Clerk of the House, led the gifts and commemoratives
section of the administrative team, spearheading selection and
acquisition of the luncheon gifts and distribution of thousands of
program kits and hundreds of other commemorative items.
I also want to thank my staff, including my chief of staff Tamara
Fucile, Heidi Kraus Kaplan, Jane Meyer, Lizzie Haskell, Jack Hostager,
Madeline Coles, and Maixee Lee, as well as my Rules Committee staff,
especially Ben Driscoll and Stephen Spaulding, who--in addition to
their normal duties--provided expert advice and counsel to the JCCIC.
Thank you also to the JCCIC staff representatives of our committee
members.
Cami Morrison, a veteran of six JCCICs, concurrently served as both
chief clerk of the Senate Rules Committee and senior adviser to JCCIC.
She provided administrative oversight to the JCCIC but, more
importantly, served as a valued mentor to every member of the staff
from the staff assistants to the executive director. When the
ceremonies moved indoors, Cami's in-depth knowledge of inaugural-
specific protocol and precedence was critical to the event.
Julia Daniel, our chief of staff, retired from Active-Duty Marine
Corps service halfway through her time with JCCIC and came back onto
the team as a civilian without missing a beat. A veteran of six
inaugurations, her meticulous attention to detail improved all our
plans, and her calm professionalism and decisive leadership preserved
essential elements of the ceremonies while still ensuring the
President-elect was sworn in on time. Stefanie Muchow from Leader
Thune's office provided invaluable support to Julia backstage as she
expertly addressed challenges.
For Mike Wagner, our executive director, participation in inaugural
ceremonies began when he was a high school tuba player at President
Nixon's second inauguration in 1973 and includes a 44-year Army career
culminating as the military lead for the 57th, 58th, and 59th
Presidential inaugurations. His organizational skills, calm demeanor,
and quiet confidence served JCCIC well in this, his 13th Presidential
inauguration.
I want to thank Secretaries of the Senate Ann Berry and Jackie Barber
and from the Office of the Secretary, Sydney Butler, Senate Historian
Kate Scott, Senate Curator Melinda Smith; and from the Curator's staff,
Lacey Baradel, Theresa Malanum, and Jennifer Krafchik.
I also want to thank the Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin, who
built the outdoor platform and media risers, then seamlessly pivoted to
design, build, and install a beautiful new stage in the Capitol
Rotunda. From Thomas's staff, I thank Mark Reed, Raynell Bennett,
Matthew Aye, Jason McIntyre, and Dwayne Thomas.
I thank House Sergeant at Arms Bill McFarland and his staff,
especially Ted Daniel, Seton Gardner, and Becky Fontaine.
I thank Senate Sergeant at Arms Jennifer Hemingway and her staff,
including Carly Flick and Hannah Pfaltzgraff; Mike Mastrian, Jeff Kent,
Laura Reed, and Justin Wilson from the Media Galleries; Myles Cullen
and the Photographic Services team; Yvonne Bennett, Scott Mead, Chris
Wilde, Blair Cooper, and Diego Torres from the Senate Recording Studio;
Sam Jacobs from Capitol Facilities; Ray Woeller and Jim Green, who
managed the credentialing contract; and the entire PILLARS development
team of Casey Bishop, Jason Blum, Roger Masse, Atul Patel, Silvino Da
Sul, Mehmet Yuksel, Brad Nathan, Claudette Archambault, and Jason
Tongarm.
On January 20, 2025, the world witnessed the 60th inaugural
ceremonies, as they have every 4 years since 1789, and I offer my
sincere thanks to everyone who worked on these ceremonies.
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