Permitting the use of the Rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 54, which would, as the chairman has said, authorize use of the Capitol Rotunda on April 23, 2009, for a ceremony as a part of the commemoration of the Days of Remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.

For descendants of the approximately 6 million Jews who were killed during the Holocaust, the atrocities that their loved ones suffered at the hands of Nazi Germany are with them each day. As a Nation, it's important that all Americans take the time to reflect upon the effects of the horrors inflicted during the Holocaust, one of the darkest days or hours of our humanity. Those who would seek to destroy an entire people based on their religious heritage committed the most heinous acts imaginable upon their brethren. By remembering the victims of these unspeakable acts, we ensure that the flame of life that the forces of evil tried so hard to extinguish will never be forgotten and that we shall never allow this to happen again.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to mention that there is a wonderful statue in our Rotunda of a great American, his name is Dwight D. Eisenhower. He's remembered as President of the United States. He was also the Supreme Allied Commander of all of those allied troops in Europe.

When his troops and he came upon the reality of the Holocaust, when they came upon the concentration camps, then-General Eisenhower commanded that his troops take pictures, see the evidence, gather the proof. He required that German residents, German citizens of the surrounding communities, be brought forward and have to see what had taken place; and then he required those individuals to actually be part of the burial committees that buried the bodies of those who had been destroyed.

When asked why he did this, President Eisenhower, then-General Eisenhower, said, ``I do this to gather this evidence, to get this proof, to get these photos, because some day in the future, some''--and I will use the initials--``some silly SOB will claim this never happened.''

There are some who claim this never happened. Because a remarkable man with tremendous foresight, General Eisenhower, later President Eisenhower, because he required that proof be made, those perpetrators of that fallacy cannot be successful.

In order to make this time of reflection an official event shared by all Americans, Congress established the Days of Remembrance as our Nation's annual commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust and created the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as a permanent living memorial to these victims. Since 1982, the Holocaust Museum has organized and led the national Days of Remembrance ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, a ceremony that includes Holocaust survivors, their families, liberators, and Members of Congress.

So I urge my colleagues to support this bill so that we may continue to use the Capitol Rotunda to pay tribute to those lives that were lost in the Holocaust during this shared time of solemn remembrance throughout the world.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be the sponsor of this resolution to authorize the use of the Capitol Rotunda on April 23, 2009 for the annual congressional ceremony to commemorate the Holocaust.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the United States adoption of a national day for Holocaust commemoration. I take great pride that we are one of the only nations to join the State of Israel in observing Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Heroes and Remembrance Day, on the Hebrew anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.

Each year, the ceremony here in Washington serves as a centerpiece for similar events observed in communities throughout the United States to memorialize the millions who perished and honor the courage of those who survived. This year's theme ``Never Again: What You Do Matters'' highlights the power of individual actions to stand against genocide and our individual responsibility to relay the history of the Holocaust as its last survivors are now passing on.

I would like to thank the Committee on House Administration for its work on this resolution. I encourage all of my colleagues to participate in the ceremony in the Rotunda.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 54) permitting the use of the Rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks in the Record and to include extraneous matter.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this concurrent resolution provides for the use of the Capitol Rotunda on April 23, 2009, as part of the commemoration to honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. I support the resolution and thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) for sponsoring it.

Mr. Speaker, the Holocaust is one of the most shameful and horrifying events of human history. It is imperative that we honor the memory of those who died so senselessly and provide them their due recognition.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 54, which was received from the House.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the measure be printed in the Record.