What federal holidays in 2025 will close or affect Congressional business and floor schedules?
Executive summary
Congressional business in 2025 will be affected by the standard set of federal holidays observed for federal employees (11 annually, plus Inauguration Day every four years), with Washington-area federal employees getting Inauguration Day off on January 20, 2025 — a date that coincides with Martin Luther King Jr. Day that year [1] [2]. The House and Senate publish session calendars that mark federal holidays as non-session days, and outside Washington‑area-specific exceptions, federal holidays close many federal offices and courts and typically shift observances to the closest weekday when a fixed date falls on a weekend [3] [4].
1. Federal holidays are the baseline that shapes the Congressional calendar
Congress has designated a set of federal holidays that govern when federal offices — and therefore much of the Executive branch infrastructure that supports Congress — are closed; those holidays are the baseline the House and Senate use when planning session days and committee work [3] [4]. Most public calendars and advocacy groups list the 11 annual federal holidays for 2025 (with Inauguration Day adding a fourth‑year observance) and vendors such as FedManager and FederalHolidays.net reproduce those same dates for federal scheduling purposes [1] [2].
2. Inauguration Day 2025 is a special Washington‑area holiday that can disrupt business as usual
Inauguration Day on January 20, 2025, is observed as paid administrative leave for federal employees who work in Washington, D.C., and several adjacent counties and cities; that makes it effectively a local federal holiday for the capital on presidential transition years [5] [1]. Because the date falls on the same day as the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday in 2025, federal employees and many Washington institutions will be observing January 20 as holiday leave, creating a concentrated impact on staffing and floor schedules [1] [2].
3. When a fixed‑date holiday falls on a weekend, observance shifts and affects schedules
Federal law treats fixed‑date holidays that fall on a Saturday or Sunday as observed on the nearest weekday for most federal employees: preceding Friday for Saturday holidays and the following Monday for Sunday holidays (5 U.S.C. 6103, as explained by OPM). That rule is routinely used when Congress constructs its session calendar because it determines which weekdays federal personnel and support services will be off [3].
4. Practical impacts for floor schedules and committee work
Federal holidays cause closures of non‑essential federal offices and federal courts and reduce availability of personnel who support legislative operations — translating into fewer available staff, delayed briefings, and typically no scheduled floor votes on major holidays [3] [6]. Congressional calendars published by House and Senate offices incorporate federal holidays as non‑session days; outside of special emergency sessions, leadership generally avoids scheduling major business on those dates [4] [7].
5. Sources disagree slightly on the count and presentation of 2025 holidays — read schedules, not headlines
Most sources describe 11 annual federal holidays, with Inauguration Day adding a twelfth every fourth year for Washington‑area federal employees [8] [1]. Calendar websites sometimes display additional observances or vary in how they mark Inauguration Day; authoritative guidance about observance and in‑lieu rules comes from OPM and the statutory language it summarizes [3] [1]. Users should consult official House and Senate calendars for exact session days rather than third‑party calendar aggregators [4] [7].
6. What current reporting does not specify (limitations you should note)
Available sources do not mention a definitive list of which exact House or Senate chamber floor votes will be cancelled or moved for each holiday in 2025; they indicate only that federal holidays are marked on congressional calendars and that Inauguration Day is treated as a Washington‑area holiday [4] [1]. For precise floor schedule changes, leadership announcements from each chamber and the official House/Senate legislative activity pages are the controlling sources [4].
7. Practical advice for planners and stakeholders
Treat all federal holidays in 2025 — and especially January 20, 2025 (Inauguration Day/Washington‑area observance) — as probable non‑session days in Washington unless chamber leadership issues a contrary notice; expect reduced staffing, closed federal courts, and altered administrative services on observed dates, with weekend‑date rules shifting observance to adjacent weekdays [1] [3] [4]. Verify the final House and Senate session calendars and leadership floor schedules for last‑minute adjustments [4] [7].