Schumer Announces New Website, Facebook Page for 2013 Presidential Inauguration Ceremonies

Washington, DC—Chairman Charles E. Schumer and the members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) today announced the launch of a new website for the 2013 Presidential Inauguration as well as the ceremonies’ first-ever page on the social networking site Facebook. Both sites are designed to be authoritative and comprehensive sources of Inaugural history and provide up-to-date Inaugural information.

The Inauguration website can found at http://www.inaugural.senate.gov. Its Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/JCCIC.

“This new website will provide an encyclopedic resource to Inauguration watchers across the nation and the world,” Schumer said. “On behalf of all the members of JCCIC, it is my hope that bringing all this information together in one place for the first time online will be of ongoing benefit.”

“Our first-ever Facebook page will expand the reach of this historic event, and be an important source of practical information for Inauguration attendees,” Schumer added. 

For the first time the Joint Inaugural Committee is using Facebook as a resource. The new Facebook page will expand sources of Inauguration material for individuals, organizations and the news media interested in the most current information about the upcoming ceremonies, as well as the history of prior Inaugurations. In addition, as Monday, January 21, 2013 approaches, information will be added to the sites that are specific to people planning to attend the 57^th Presidential Inauguration.       

The new website is intended to be a one-stop shop for all Inaugural facts, figures and information, past and present.  The site contains a timeline of all Presidential Inaugurations starting with George Washington in 1789. The timeline has pictures and—when available—audio, videos, and other information on each Inaugural event. This portion of the site is expected to appeal to historians, teachers, students, and others with a specific interest in learning about America’s long history of peacefully transferring power every four years.              

The Inaugural website incorporates a comprehensive historical database containing more than 100 new historical photos. The database includes information on past Inaugural luncheons including recipes; detailed information on the Inaugural Committee; and, a vast collection of Inaugural facts. Over the coming weeks, new content, such as videos of previous swearing-in ceremonies, will be added to the website and Facebook page.

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies is responsible for the oversight and planning of the Presidential Inauguration and related ceremonies on the U.S. Capitol grounds.

The Joint Committee was authorized by S. Con. Res. 35, which passed the Senate on March 1, 2012, and the House on March 5^th.  Members of JCCIC are appointed by the Vice President and the Speaker of the House. In accordance with tradition, the Senate representatives on JCCIC are Majority Leader Harry Reid, Rules Committee Chairman Charles E. Schumer, and Rules Committee Ranking Member Lamar Alexander.  The House members of JCCIC are Speaker John A. Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

S. Con. Res. 35 established the date of the 2013 Inauguration as Monday, January 21, 2013, since January 20, 2013 falls on a Sunday.  This is the seventh time in U.S. history that the constitutionally mandated Inauguration date has fallen on a Sunday.  The last time was for President Ronald Reagan’s second Inauguration in 1985.  When this occurs, the public ceremonies traditionally are held on Monday.

In addition, January 21, 2013 is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It will be the second time that this federal holiday has coincided with a Presidential Inauguration. The first was President Bill Clinton’s second Inauguration in 1997.

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