{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://vanepps.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-van-epps-special-america-250-message", "Rep. Van Epps\u2019 Special America 250 Message", "2026-07-02", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Matt Van Epps", "V000139", "vanepps.house.gov", "vanepps", "https://vanepps.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, Rep. Van Epps released the following special message for the 250th anniversary of our nation\u2019s founding. Also, in honor of America\u2019s 250th anniversary, Rep. Van Epps introduced the Declaration of Independence Reaffirmation Act of 2026. You can read more about that here or here.\n\nWatch the video by clicking below\n\nRead excerpts from the video below:\n\nI was recently asked, \u201cDo you think America lived up to what it set out to do 250 years ago?\u201d My answer is a resounding yes!\n\nOur Founding Fathers set out to found a new nation, one built on the principles of freedom, inalienable God-given rights, self-government, consent of the governed, and the right to make your own way\u2014also known as the American Dream.\n\nToday, the United States isn\u2019t only one of the freest nations in the world, but we have also exported that freedom around the globe. This freedom empowers Americans to build and to innovate, to raise a family and to pursue what you\u2019re passionate about. This freedom allows Americans to speak their minds, to worship without fear, and to keep the fruits of their labor.\n\nHere in the United States, freedom isn\u2019t an abstract idea, it's tangible. We see it when we choose where to send our kids to school, we hear it when we express our faith in public, and we taste it when we see our brave men and women fight for our flag wherever it is threatened.\n\n250 years later, the United States continues to be the land of opportunity. And more people than ever before are achieving the American Dream.\n\nSo, Gold bless America and happy America 250th!", 1, "2026-07-03T08:00:00Z", "2026-07-03T08:01:30Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://vanepps.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-van-epps-special-america-250-message"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7205430194735527, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}