Establishment of the General George C. Marshall House As An Affiliated Area

Floor Speech

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Ms. ELFRETH. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1352 would designate the General George C. Marshall House in Leesburg, Virginia, as an affiliated area of the National Park System. This is a fitting tribute to a man who left an enduring mark on our national and, dare I say it, world history.

George Marshall is the namesake of the Marshall Plan, a strategy that helped rebuild Europe after World War II. He understood that American leadership isn't found in the vacuum of isolation. It occurs from the steady, selfless work of building relationships to achieve global stability. He gave us a blueprint for a world held together by shared prosperity and common interests.

The Marshall House preserves and celebrates the historic contributions made by George Marshall throughout World War II and during the postwar economic recovery.

The property currently holds a collection of over 6,000 objects related to George and Katherine Marshall. It was found to be a worthy site for increased affiliation with the Park Service through a survey completed in 2023.

This bill is the next step in that process and will help forever cement the legacy of George Marshall.

This preservation of history also stands in stark contrast to the foreign policy of the Trump administration, which, unfortunately, continues to shoot first and aim later at the expense of decades of thoughtful diplomacy and alliances.

The bill before us today is also an important reminder of the need to support our national parks and the agencies tasked with protecting them.

Affiliated areas are vital public-private partnerships, as this bill establishes between the National Park Service and the George C. Marshall International Center, but they are just one component of our system. They are not a replacement.

Real stewardship requires the courage to designate new, fully funded national parks, not just when it is easy or convenient, but where the land and our history demand it.

H.R. 1352 ensures that the legacy of George Marshall and his significant contributions to American history are preserved, protected, and publicly accessible for generations to come.
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Ms. ELFRETH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge my colleagues to support this critical piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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