Q: Why do we celebrate President's Day?
A: We celebrate President's Day to honor and remember the achievements of two of our greatest American presidents, President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln. Both presidents had a tremendous influence on the values and traditions of our country.
Q: What's the difference between President's Day and Washington's Birthday?
A: In Iowa, we celebrate President's Day on the third Monday of February. That's not necessarily the case in the rest of the states. A federal law signed by President Chester Arthur in 1885 declared February 22nd a holiday, Washington's Birthday, to honor our first president's importance in American history. Washington's Birthday is officially the name of the federal holiday many know as President's Day. Neither Congress nor the President has asserted the authority to declare a "national holiday," so federal holidays only affect federal offices and agencies. This allows states to follow their own guidelines when establishing holidays. Many choose also to honor another one of our great presidents, Abraham Lincoln. Some states honor the presidents together on the same holiday, as Iowa does, while some celebrate both President Lincoln's birthday on February 12th, and President Washington's birthday on February 22nd, as separate holidays. There are also several states that choose to only honor the federal holiday of Washington's Birthday, and some honor many different presidents on President's Day. The many celebrations led Congress in 1968 to pass the Uniform Monday Holidays Act, which moved the holiday from Washington's actual birthday to the third Monday in February.
Q: How will you spend your President's Day holiday?
A: The United States Senate will be in recess the week of President's Day, so I will take the opportunity to spend the workweek in Iowa holding town hall meetings, touring businesses and visiting with employees, talking with community organizations, and speaking at schools. I've held a meeting in every county, every year that I've represented Iowa in the United States Senate. These meetings foster dialogue that strengthens the process of representative government. Representative government is a two–way street. I am one-half of the equation and Iowans are the other half. I value the input I receive at these meetings. It helps me do a better job representing my constituents in the U.S. Senate.