Easter traditions: chocolate bunnies, egg rolling contests out on the lawn… and the day off?
What the legislation does
The Easter Monday Act would officially make “Easter Monday” a federal holiday. In the next three years, that would mean: April 6 in 2026, March 29 in 2027, and April 17 in 2028.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) introduced the Senate version last April 10. Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV2) introduced the House version one week later: last April 17. That was mere days before Easter actually occurred last year: April 20.
If enacted, it would become the 12th annual federal holiday, alongside the other 11: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Context: Easter
In Christianity, Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus on the third day after his burial, which is commemorated on Good Friday.
However, unlike Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus and is always on December 25, Easter’s date fluctuates. Specifically, it’s always celebrated on the first Sunday after an astronomical phenomenon called the Paschal Full Moon. Because that phenomenon can occur across a range of weeks, Easter can take place anywhere from March 22 to April 25.
(This year, it’s April 5.)
What supporters say
Supporters argue that one of the biggest days on the calendar should have the day off.
“81% of Americans celebrate Easter. But our current holiday schedule makes it way too difficult for families to celebrate together,” Sen. Schmitt posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Easter falls on the longest unbroken work stretch of the calendar. March and April are the only back-to-back months without a federal holiday.”
(Indeed: Presidents' Day is in February, then Memorial Day is in May. The 81% stat came from a 2024 survey by the National Retail Federation. The organization’s 2025 survey found a slightly-smaller but still overwhelming 79% celebrate Easter.)
“Nor is this some boutique left-wing micro-holiday, commemorating ‘Trans Visibility’ or ‘Indigenous Mourning,’” Sen. Schmitt continued. “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.”
What opponents say
Opponents may counter that the legislation would violate the separation of church and state or the First Amendment’s “establishment of religion” clause.
However, there is some precedent for this, since Christmas has been a federal holiday since 1870. Few people argue against this: that’s just the federal government acknowledging the reality that few people in a majority-Christian nation would go to work or school that day, not that the government is declaring Christianity to be the “official religion,” per se.
Even just on a practical level, though, some may argue against this legislation on more nitpicking grounds: Easter Monday isn’t that important in the Christian tradition. Easter Sunday is really the holiday, not so much Easter Monday.
What happens now?
The House bill has attracted one Republican cosponsor, Rep. Addison McDowell (R-NC6), and was referred to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
The Senate bill has not yet attracted any cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
As of this writing, this year’s Easter is imminent – but who knows, perhaps this legislation could still be enacted shortly before then? After all, look at how the last new federal holiday was added: Juneteenth in 2021.
The Senate passed it by unanimous consent on June 15, the House passed it by a 415-14 vote the next day on June 16, then President Joe Biden signed it into law the next day on June 17… only two days before the June 19 holiday itself.Jesse Rifkin is a freelance journalist with The Fulcrum. Don’t miss his report, Congress Bill Spotlight, on The Fulcrum. Rifkin’s writings about politics and Congress have been published in the Washington Post, Politico, Roll Call, Los Angeles Times, CNN Opinion, GovTrack, and USA Today.
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