Procurement and Placement of Statue of Benjamin Franklin in the United States Capitol

Floor Speech

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Mr. FITZPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman, my friend from Wisconsin, Representative Steil, for yielding.

To my friend and colleague from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan), this is really the product of her hard work. I was proud to partner with her and accept an invitation. If Benjamin Franklin were here today, he would give Representative Houlahan a big hug of gratitude for finally recognizing him.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in resolute support of H.R. 250, the Benjamin Franklin statue placement act. Alongside my friend and colleague from Pennsylvania, Congresswoman Houlahan, I am proud to advance this effort to enshrine one of America's most extraordinary minds and consequential patriots in the heart of our Nation's Capitol.

Madam Speaker, few figures in our history so fully embody the spirit of American ingenuity, perseverance, and democratic virtue as Benjamin Franklin. He was a statesman whose diplomacy secured our independence, a philosopher whose wisdom guided our early Republic, and an inventor whose genius advanced mankind.

More than a son of Pennsylvania, Benjamin Franklin was and remains a towering architect of the American experiment, a testament to what is possible when vision and virtue work in concert with one another.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of our great Nation, it is both fitting and necessary that Benjamin Franklin take his rightful place amongst the great figures enshrined in this amazing place. To commemorate this milestone without visibly honoring one of its chief architects would be to overlook the very ideals that built our great Republic.

Benjamin Franklin lived his life with a deliberate sense of purpose, beginning each day by asking: What good shall I do on this day? And ending every evening in reflection: What good have I done today?

Madam Speaker, that is not just a measure of a life well lived. It is the measure of leadership, of duty, and of a nation that strives always to be better than it was the day before. Let us take up that challenge not merely in words but in action.

Let us ensure that Benjamin Franklin's presence in these Halls serves as a constant reminder that our charge is not to serve ourselves, but to serve a greater good.

At the close of each day, may we too be able to answer that question with certainty, having served with purpose, led with integrity, and upheld the ideals that Franklin and our Founders entrusted to us.

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