[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H4528-H4529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING HISTORIC CEREMONY AT INDEPENDENCE HALL

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
a historic ceremony at Independence Hall earlier this month celebrating 
America's semiquincentennial.
  On July 2, a group of Representatives traveled to Philadelphia, the 
birthplace of our country, to commemorate the exact date when the 
Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Great 
Britain.
  Mr. Speaker, the origins of our Republic trace back to Pennsylvania, 
and Independence Hall has served as a physical representation of the 
birthplace of the United States.
  Within those hallowed Halls, delegates from the original Thirteen 
Colonies debated in good faith and voted for independence. This 
building has long been the symbol of freedom and democracy around the 
world.

[[Page H4529]]

  Mr. Speaker, Pennsylvania has always been my home, and the Keystone 
State, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, has stood firm in its 
commitment to freedom and prosperity.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the 37 Members of Congress for 
traveling to Philadelphia and for their efforts to preserve our legacy 
for future generations, just as the Founding Fathers intended it.

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