To express the sense of the Senate regarding the reopening of
Pennsylvania Avenue.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MAY 14, 1996
Mr. GRAMS submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Governmental Affairs
RESOLUTION
To express the sense of the Senate regarding the reopening of
Pennsylvania Avenue.
Resolved,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Senate makes the following findings:
(1) In 1791, President George Washington commissioned Pierre
Charles L'Enfant to draft a blueprint for America's new capital
city; they envisioned Pennsylvania Avenue as a bold, ceremonial
boulevard physically linking the U.S. Capitol building and the
White House, and symbolically the Legislative and Executive
branches of government.
(2) An integral element of the District of Columbia,
Pennsylvania Avenue stood for 195 years as a vital, working,
unbroken roadway, elevating it into a place of national
importance as `America's Main Street'.
(3) 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House, has become
America's most recognized address and a primary destination of
visitors to the Nation's Capital; `the People's House' is host
to 5,000 tourists daily, and 15,000,000 annually.
(4) As home to the President, and given its prominent
location on Pennsylvania Avenue and its proximity to the
People, the White House has become a powerful symbol of
freedom, openness, and an individual's access to their
government.
(5) On May 20, 1995, citing possible security risks from
vehicles transporting terrorist bombs, President Clinton
ordered the Treasury Department and the Secret Service to close
Pennsylvania Avenue to vehicular traffic for two blocks in
front of the White House.
(6) By impeding access and imposing undue hardships upon
tourists, residents of the District, commuters, and local
business owners and their customers, the closure of
Pennsylvania Avenue, undertaken without the counsel of the
government of the District of Columbia, has replaced the
former openness of the area surrounding the White House with
barricades, additional security checkpoints, and an atmosphere
of fear and distrust.
(7) In the year following the closure of Pennsylvania Avenue,
the taxpayers have borne a tremendous burden for additional
security measures along the Avenue near the White House.
(8) While the security of the President is of grave concern
and is not to be taken lightly, the need to assure the
President's safety must be balanced with the expectation of
freedom inherent in a democracy; the present situation is
tilted far too heavily toward security at freedom's expense.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE SENATE.
It is the sense of the Senate that the President should order the
immediate, permanent reopening to vehicular traffic of Pennsylvania
Avenue in front of the White House, restoring the Avenue to its
original state and returning it to the People.
Pennsylvania Ave. Closure || Peace Park