Easter Monday could become US federal holiday if senator gets his way
The Catholic Herald• April 16, 2025
US Senator Eric Schmitt has announced that he is introducing new legislation to make Easter Monday a federal holiday to help families spend “the holiest day in Christianity” together.
In a thread of posts on the social media platform X, the Republican senator for Missouri put the case for why the Christian celebration should be federally recognised.
He starts with the fact that “81 per cent of Americans celebrate Easter” while noting that “our current holiday schedule makes it way too difficult for families to celebrate together”.
Schmitt argues that designating Easter Monday as a legal public holiday in the US “isn’t a radical idea” and that it would be “federal recognition of a tradition that is central to Western civilisation”.
He also highlights that across much of the world, Easter Monday is a “tradition that’s already recognised as a public holiday in nations across (and beyond!) the West, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Western Europe”.
He adds: “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 says that Easter is not a “micro-holiday” of relevance only to some but rather a day that “unites more than three-quarters of Americans”.
He also notes how Easter Monday used to be more officially recognised in the US, and that “for generations, many American school calendars gave students the day off for Good Friday and Easter Monday”.
He also argues that making Easter Monday a day off would also create a break when “workers and families need it most”.
Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt speaks during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, 16 July 2024 (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
He explains: “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.”
There is also an economic argument in its favour, he says.
“There are plenty of practical arguments for it, too. Easter weekend already generates around $15 billion for our economy. Making it a three-day weekend could boost that by an estimated 10 per cent -15 per cent, adding up to $2 billion in economic activity while strengthening American families.”
There is a long way to go to make the proposal a reality, with the proposed bill being at the earliest stage of the legislation process.
Schmitt says that federal recognition of the holiday would be, “Pro-worker. Pro-family. Pro-faith.” And he argues that it is something that all parties should be able to get behind.
“Our holidays and traditions are part of the story we tell about ourselves” Schmitt said. “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 civilisation.”
Photo: Daphne Rank, from Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, participates in an Easter egg roll race during the 139th White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images.)