{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=804AFF5B-4F43-4F19-AB07-C454001D1F6B", "Construction Begins on 2025 Presidential Inaugural Platform with Ceremonial Driving of the First Nail", "2024-09-18", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "Senator Amy Klobuchar, Chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Convened the Ceremony\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) and the Architect of the Capitol held the First Nail Ceremony for the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. The event marks the launch of construction of the Inaugural Platform, where the next President and Vice President of the United States will take the oath of office on Monday, January 20, 2025.\n\nDuring the ceremony, JCCIC Chair Amy Klobuchar, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Rules Committee Ranking Member Deb Fischer, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin drove nails into a plank at the site of the future platform on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. The Senate Chaplain Barry C. Black also offered a blessing over the platform.\n\nDownload photos HERE.\n\n\u201cThe Presidential Inauguration is a powerful symbol of American democracy and our country\u2019s commitment to the peaceful transfer of power. Today\u2019s ceremony marks the beginning of this cherished tradition,\u201d said Chair Klobuchar. \u201cAs the Chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in organizing a successful 60th Presidential Inauguration.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor each incoming president, the Inaugural Platform is built anew to symbolize new beginnings. In this remarkable ceremony, Republicans and Democrats place the first nails together to show support for our peaceful transfer of power, a sacred tradition we should never take for granted. It\u2019s a great honor to participate, and I look forward to the 2025 inauguration,\u201d said Senator Fischer.\n\nThe 60th Presidential Inaugural Platform will be more than 10,000 square feet - the same size as every platform used since the 2005 inaugural ceremonies - which was the largest platform built for any inauguration. The platform is constructed entirely from scratch for each inaugural ceremony. The completed platform will hold approximately 1,600 inaugural guests, including members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, Supreme Court justices, former presidents, and the president and vice president and their families.\n\nThe Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies is charged with the planning and execution of the inaugural events of the President-elect and Vice President-elect of the United States at the U.S. Capitol since 1901.\n\nThe nail used by Senator Klobuchar at the ceremony was made from iron ore mined and processed on Minnesota\u2019s Iron Range by U.S. Steel at their facilities in Keewatin and Mountain Iron. The hammer used was made by Malco Tools of Annandale, Minnesota.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:46:43Z"]], "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://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=804AFF5B-4F43-4F19-AB07-C454001D1F6B"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.495088916271925, "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"}