Search Site:

Bill Search:
North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina
The Blue Dog Coalition

2009 Presidential Inauguration

With Inauguration Day quickly approaching, thousands of Americans are planning their visit to Washington, D.C. to witness the swearing in of our new president, Barack Obama. I would like to make sure that as many Western North Carolinians as possible are able to attend this momentous event.

The inauguration itself is coordinated by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC). For each inauguration, this committee divides tickets among members of the upcoming Congress to be distributed to the American people.

I have chosen to make tickets available to residents of the 11th district of North Carolina on a first-come first-serve basis. I have asked my staff to maintain a list of constituents who are requesting inauguration tickets. Unfortunately, we have already received far more requests than we will be able to accommodate and we are no longer taking additional requests.

Once our office receives our allocation of tickets, we will begin filling our earliest requests and will continue down our list until all tickets are accounted for. Those individuals who receive tickets will be contacted by our office as early as possible. The JCCIC has not yet determined when tickets will be issued to Congressional offices, but we are hoping to notify all ticket recipients by December 1st.

If you are planning to visit Washington, D.C. for the inauguration, please keep the following information in mind:

  • Tickets are required to attend the inauguration ceremony, including standing-room spaces on the National Mall.

  • While my office is not able to assist with travel or lodging plans, I suggest that all visitors make arrangements as early as possible, due to the large number of people that are expected to be in Washington for inauguration week.

  • Visitors should be prepared to stay in hotels in the Washington suburbs of Maryland and Northern Virginia, as hotels are booking-up quickly. Many of these locations are easily accessed using Washington, D.C.’s public transit system, called “Metro”.

  • Due to traffic and limited parking, plan to utilize Metro while in Washington. To learn more about bus and rail routes, including Park and Ride stations, you can visit http://www.wmata.com/.

  • The most convenient MetroRail station from which to access the Capitol is the Capitol South Station, serviced by the blue and orange lines.

  • My office does not have access to any inaugural balls or festivities other than the inauguration ceremony itself.

  • All balls, galas, receptions, and inaugural parties are the responsibility of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. My office does not have the ability to grant access to any of these events.

  • For those who are interested in public tours in the Washington, D.C. area, I have compiled a list of suggested attractions which can be viewed here.

Please continue to check my website for updates on the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. If I can be of service to you in any other way, please do not hesitate to let me know. It is an honor to represent you in the United States Congress.

Sincerely,

Heath Shuler


PHOTO GALLERY

The end of this page.