John Thune

Mr. President, Claims · 146 wordsthis year, we celebrate 150 years of the Capitol Guide Service.¹ Since 1876, Capitol guides have welcomed visitors to the U.S. Capitol and shared with them the history, art, and architecture that make this building a symbol of American democracy. Over the last 150 years, their uniforms have changed, but the mission of the Capitol guides remains the same. Generations of Americans have passed through this building and learned about our Nation and our government from the Capitol Guide Service. And thanks to these men and women, visitors from around the world can see and understand this building and the business of the American people being done within its walls. When the first guides began their tours in 1876, Constantino Brumidi was still at work, statues were still arriving from the States, ²and many States had not yet been admitted to the Union, my own included.³ Positioning · 17 wordsThe guides in this building are not only history-tellers; they are witnesses to history in the making.Positioning Thanks · 22 wordsI congratulate them on 150 years of welcoming visitors to the Capitol, and I wish them the best in their continued service.Thanks