Senator’s bill would open federal cemeteries to visits on holidays: ‘Honor that they deserve’

FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican is hoping to ensure that families of fallen loved ones can mourn at their gravesides on federal holidays, days they are usually closed to visitation.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., is introducing legislation Thursday that would require the more than 170 cemeteries overseen by the federal government to stay open during legally recognized holidays, including Memorial Day, Christmas, Independence Day and others. 

Cemeteries operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and National Parks Service are typically closed during major holidays, save for Arlington National Cemetery, which is open on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but closed for all other holidays. 

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Daines said in a statement to Fox News Digital that holidays like Memorial Day give Americans “the opportunity to remember all those brave men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms.” 

“Our national cemeteries should be open on these special days, so that family and friends can pay their respects to their loved ones,” he said. “I’m proud to introduce this bill to ensure that our fallen service members can receive the tributes and honor that they deserve.”

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U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) questions U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) during his Senate Foreign Relations confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 15, 2025, in Washington, D.C. ( Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The federal government began operating national cemeteries during the Civil War in the early 1860s to offer final resting places for fallen Union soldiers, according to the National Park Service. 

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The practice has since grown into over 170 different national cemeteries operated by three government agencies, the Department of Defense, the VA and the National Park Service. Not every state, however, has a national cemetery. 

Montana, which Daines represents in the Senate, is home to two national cemeteries: the Fort Missoula Post Cemetery and Yellowstone National Cemetery.