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If you’re hoping to score tickets to the second presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, on Jan. 20, and haven’t yet made a request, you might want to stop what you’re doing and reach out to your friends on the Hill. The sooner the better.
Each member of the U.S. House and Senate gets an allotment of tickets from the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.
LaPolitics attempted to find out exactly how many tickets the Louisiana delegation will control, but the figure proved elusive. That’s to be expected, according to USA Today, which reported members wouldn’t know their allotments until tickets are distributed, possibly in early January.
Our federally elected representatives decide for themselves how to distribute tickets. LaPolitics reached out to the office of every delegation member and found differing approaches for January’s big event at the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, for example, has already stopped taking requests. His ticket recipients were chosen by lottery and notified via email this week.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. John Kennedy is accepting online requests until Jan. 5, and also plans to distribute on a lottery basis.
To avoid any confusion about what’s up for grabs, Kennedy’s ticketing process offers this disclaimer: “Please note that tickets are for standing room only, and they only provide access to the presidential and vice-presidential swearing-in ceremonies. This does not include access to any of the inaugural balls or receptions.”
On the House side, Congressman-elect Cleo Fields says his team is keeping a list of constituents who have requested tickets, and if there isn’t enough to go around, tickets will be given out on a “first come, first served” basis.
In case you were wondering, Congressman Garret Graves, who Fields is replacing in the redrawn 6th District anchored by Baton Rouge, does not get an allotment of inauguration tickets.
—They said it: “This project has been fumbled by administration, after administration. I suspect that was intentional because we know the cost of this bridge is going to be extraordinary.” —Congressman Garret Graves about the effort to build a new Mississippi River bridge in the Baton Rouge area, to Business Report
