Rep. Matt Van Epps, R-Tenn., has introduced legislation reaffirming the Declaration of Independence ahead of America's 250th anniversary in July 2026. The newly elected Republican, who won a December 2025 special election, said the resolution follows a congressional tradition of marking major national milestones with the founding document.
Van Epps told Fox News Digital that Congress previously passed similar measures for the nation's centennial and that he felt this was an appropriate time to reaffirm America's founding principles. "We felt like this was the right time to do it so that generations forward understand that we love our country at America 250," he said.
What the Right Is Saying
Van Epps said he filed the bill in response to concerns about socialism's visibility within the Democratic Party, pointing to socialist candidates who have won primaries in deep-blue districts. "These folks that are supported and endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America are antithetical to the founding," Van Epps told Fox News Digital. "Socialism, Marxist, leftist ideas have failed every time they've been tried in the history of the world."
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., who previously put the Declaration of Independence on the Senate floor where it passed easily, said the measure was intended to reinvigorate American pride and pass foundational values to future generations.
"A generation ago, American pride was nearly universal," Schmitt said on the Senate floor. "After 9/11, more than 90% of Americans said they were proud to be an American. Today, Gallup puts that number at 58%. That inheritance now rests in our hands."
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive critics have argued that such resolutions, while symbolic, may serve more as political messaging than substantive policy action. Some Democrats have pushed back against framing debates over government spending or social programs as conflicts with founding principles, noting that the Constitution itself was designed to evolve through amendment and democratic deliberation.
Others in the party have raised questions about timing, noting that House business stalled before recess after conservative Republicans protested the SAVE America Act and border security priorities. The legislative calendar disruption has prompted some lawmakers to question whether symbolic resolutions are the best use of congressional time when substantive policy disagreements remain unresolved.
What the Numbers Show
According to Gallup polling cited by Sen. Schmitt, American pride stood at over 90% immediately following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The most recent data places that figure at approximately 58%, representing a significant decline in measured national pride over two decades.
Van Epps was elected in a December 2025 special election to represent Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District. It remains unclear when the House will consider his resolution, as lawmakers departed Washington early for the July 4 recess following floor disruptions by conservative Republicans over spending and border security priorities.
The Bottom Line
The Declaration of Independence resolution represents one of several efforts by Republican lawmakers to frame upcoming elections around foundational American principles. While similar measures have passed both chambers in recent weeks with broad support, partisan disagreements over what those principles mean in practice remain a point of contention.
Whether the House will take up Van Epps's bill before or after November midterm elections remains uncertain. The timing could affect whether it garners bipartisan support or becomes another marker in ongoing debates about American identity and governance.