Lawmakers and dignitaries gathered in the Capitol Rotunda to greet the arrival of former President George H.W. Bush, who died Friday at 94.
Bush’s casket arrived at the east side of the Capitol shortly before 5 p.m. and was carried up the Capitol steps as a Marine Corps band played and his son, George W. Bush, watched with his wife and family.
Former President George H.W. Bush’s casket arrives at the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state https://t.co/Hr0jsJcrTM pic.twitter.com/M9p8kbXEyj
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 3, 2018
One inside, congressional leaders praised Bush for a lifetime of public service that started with his enlistment in the Navy when he was 18, and later saw his election to the White House in 1988.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Bush once referred to the Capitol as “democracy’s front porch” in his first address as president.
“Today this hero has returned to the Capitol a final time, not on the front porch of our democracy this time, but here in its hallowed cathedral, beneath paintings that tell the story of our land and our liberty, and flanked by statues of his fellow champions whom he joined in making that story possible,” McConnell said.
“Here lies a great man,” said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. “To the Bush family, on behalf of the whole House, Republicans and Democrats, we are profoundly sorry for your loss, and we are honored to celebrate this wonderful life with you.”
Bush’s casket will lie on the historic catafalque until Wednesday. Public viewing will begin Monday evening after the ceremony.
Members of Bush’s cabinet and his family were in attendance. As is customary, the current president, Donald Trump, will pay his respects at the Capitol, but the timing of that visit had not been announced as of late Monday afternoon.
The House canceled most business for the week and the Senate is out of session until Wednesday.
