Jimmy Carter funeral updates: Congress, Supreme Court gather for ceremony in DC
Carter will lie in state at the Capitol from Tuesday to Thursday.
Members of Congress, the Supreme Court and other dignitaries gathered at the U.S. Capitol for a lying-in-state ceremony for former President Jimmy Carter.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered one of the eulogies for Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100.
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'Always willing to roll up his sleeves to get the job done,' House Speaker Mike Johnson
House Speaker Mike Johnson also commended Carter's commitment to service in his eulogy.
Johnson, who remarked he was 4 years old when Carter was sworn in, said the former president was someone who was humble and captured the imagination of the nation.
He touted his work with Habitat for Humanity and said Carter was "always willing to roll up his sleeves to get the job done."
"It's remarkable to think that one of the 45 men who has served as president and one of 13 who held the role in the nuclear age would humble himself to such service," Johnson said.
'Making the lives of his fellow man better'
New Senator Majority Leader John Thune highlighted former President Jimmy Carter’s work in his 44 years of post-presidency.
Carter dedicated his time to Habitat for Humanity in his effort to provide affordable housing for those in need.
"Jimmy Carter knew that his status as a former president could bring attention to good causes. That’s why he encouraged Habitat to make use of his name and image," Thune said. "But simply lending his name or maybe attending a gala or two wasn’t Jimmy Carter’s style. He was here to get down in the weeds and the dirt, and he did that literally, on numerous Habitat builds."
Carter could even be found on a construction site with a hard hat well into his 90s, Thune noted.
Carter "focused on making the lives of his fellow man better," he said.
Service to begin at Capitol
Former President Jimmy Carter’s casket has been placed on the Lincoln catafalque in the Rotunda, a stand that has been used for most memorial services at the Capitol, dating back to President Abraham Lincoln.
A service for the 39th president will begin momentarily.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Supreme Court justices, members of Congress and ambassadors are among the dignitaries in attendance.
House cancels Wednesday votes
The House canceled Wednesday votes in observance of former President Jimmy Carter lying in state at the Capitol.
The 39th president will lie in state at the Capitol from Tuesday evening to Thursday morning for the public to pay respects.
The next votes in the House will be Thursday at 11:45 a.m., according to Majority Leader Steve Scalise.