Congress may give George Washington his Feb. 22 birthday back in 2017

George Washington may be getting his birthday back.

The full House Appropriations Committee July 15 approved by voice vote an amendment to the annual spending bill that funds the Interior Department to move the holiday celebrating Washington’s Birthday back to his actual birthday, February 22.

Although officially recognized as George Washington’s Birthday since 1885, the holiday was moved to the third Monday in February in 1971.  Since then, the holiday devolved in popular culture to be known as Presidents’ Day even though the law was never changed to recognize other presidents.

The move is supported by George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and a number of leading authors and historians, including David McCullough, Ron Chernow and Richard Bookhiser.

The amendment was offered by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), who first introduced legislation in 2011 to move the holiday.  The Senate has yet to act on its version of the spending bill.  If signed into law, the change would go into effect in 2017.

A longtime admirer of Washington’s life and leadership, Wolf said he is concerned that the celebration of President Washington’s unparalleled role in American history has been lost.  His amendment aims to make Washington’s legacy the singular focus of an existing federal holiday.

“Unfortunately, few Americans living today remember the legacy of President Washington and his contribution to this country,” Wolf said.  “I believe Congress has unwittingly contributed to this lack of historical understanding by relegating Washington’s Birthday to the third Monday in February to take advantage of a three-day weekend.  It is time to change the focus of the holiday from celebrating sales at the mall to celebrating the significance of President Washington’s birth and the birth of our nation.”