Expressing support for the preservation, protection, and maintenance of statues and monuments honoring Christopher Columbus as an enduring testament to the Nation's history, heritage, and identity.

Whereas the United States of America was discovered as a result of the courage, sacrifice, and vision of Christopher Columbus, whose story is reflected in monuments across the country, and these monuments belong to all Americans as shared civic and educational landmarks;

Whereas Christopher Columbus is a consequential figure in world history whose voyages beginning in 1492 initiated sustained contact between Europe and the Americas and profoundly influenced the subsequent history of this great country and the only nation founded on an idea that liberty and equality are a human birthright from God;

Whereas Columbus Day has been observed as a Federal holiday since 1937 and holds deep cultural and historical significance for all Americans;

Whereas statues and monuments remembering Christopher Columbus possess historical significance not only because of the individual they depict, but also because of the communities that built, funded, dedicated, and maintained them;

Whereas the Columbus Monument in Syracuse, New York, was funded by the city’s working-class Italian immigrant community, many of whom faced profound discrimination and persecution in early 20th-century America;

Whereas those who constructed the monument in Syracuse, New York, did so as a testament to their identity and as a meaningful contribution to the city they called home;

Whereas statues and monuments honoring Christopher Columbus have become targets of removal, vandalism, and politically motivated revisionism in communities across the United States in recent years, threatening to erase Columbus’ role in discovering the Americas;

Whereas factual evidence reveals attacks on Christopher Columbus are based on misinformation and a calculated distortion of the truth about his evangelical journey to the Americas;

Whereas the movements across the United States to remove these historical monuments are not isolated acts but part of a broader national pattern in which radicals have sought to erase historical symbols without full deliberation, due process, or respect for the pursuit of historical truths; and

Whereas, as the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence in 2026, preserving monuments to Christopher Columbus and other historical figures who lived imperfect lives and achieved great things is essential to building our communities up and remembering the promises of this great Nation: Now, therefore, be it