U.S. senator introduces legislation to make Easter Monday a federal holiday

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt at the CPAC D.C. conference at the Gaylord National Resort in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. / Credit: DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 14, 2025 / 17:42 pm (CNA).

U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, announced that he is introducing new legislation to make Easter a federal holiday so families are able to spend “the holiest day in Christianity” together.

In a thread of posts on X, Schmitt explained why the day should be federally recognized, starting with the fact that “81% of Americans celebrate Easter.”

“But,” he continued, “our current holiday schedule makes it way too difficult for families to celebrate together.”

The new bill is in the earliest stage of the legislation process but states its intent is “to designate Easter Monday as a legal public holiday,” which Schmitt said “isn’t a radical idea.”

“It’s a federal recognition of a tradition that is central to Western civilization — a tradition that’s already recognized as a public holiday in nations across (and beyond!) the West, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Western Europe,” Schmitt said.

“It isn’t even novel in America,” Schmitt continued. “We already have a ‘National Day of Prayer,’ signed into law by Missouri’s own President [Harry] Truman. A federal Easter Monday holiday allows Americans to celebrate the most extraordinary day in world history, Easter — the day of Christ’s resurrection.”

Schmitt said that Easter is not a “micro-holiday” but rather a day that “unites more than three-quarters of Americans.”

“For generations, many American school calendars gave students the day off for Good Friday and Easter Monday,” he continued.

Schmitt explained that aside from religious elements, the day off would also create a break when “workers and families need it most.”

“Easter is a floating holiday, it can fall from March 22 to April 25. The only two-month gap in our federal holiday calendar is April-May. An Easter Monday holiday fills the gap.”

Schmitt said federal recognition of the holiday is “Pro-worker. Pro-family. Pro-faith.”

“There are plenty of practical arguments for it, too,” Schmitt said. “Easter weekend already generates around $15 billion for our economy. Making it a three-day weekend could boost that by an estimated 10%-15%, adding up to $2 billion in economic activity while strengthening American families.”

“Our holidays and traditions are part of the story we tell about ourselves. This is not partisan. It’s not a ‘Republican’ or ‘Democrat’ holiday. It’s an American holiday, allowing a fuller celebration of the defining moment of the faith that shaped our nation and civilization,” Schmitt said.