Why the US celebrates Veterans Day and how the holiday has changed over time

President Joe Biden laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday for Veterans Day as thousands marched through the streets of New York. Smaller parades were held across the nation to honor Americans who have served in the U.S. military.

The Veterans Day holiday began more than a century ago, albeit under a different name, as a celebration of the end of World War I. Over time its name and purpose evolved into a day of recognition for U.S. veterans of all wars as well as those currently serving in uniform.

It's also day off for U.S. postal workers and other federal government employees, as well as many schoolchildren. Numerous stores and businesses offer giveaways and discounts.

Here's a look at how the United States celebrates Veterans Day and how it started:

It began as Armistice Day to celebrate the agreement between the Allied nations and Germany to cease all fighting during World War I that took effect at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918.

The U.S. marked its first Armistice Day under President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. Congress made Nov. 11 an official federal holiday in 1938.

A holiday dedicated to those who fought in what had been known as “the war to end all wars” got a reevaluation after World War II. In 1954, Congress changed the name to Veterans Day, reflecting a broader purpose to honor veterans of all wars.

Other changes weren't so well received, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' website. Federal Veterans Day observances were moved to Mondays in the early 1970s, causing confusion as some states stuck with the Nov. 11 date.

In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed a law moving federal observances back to Nov. 11. The U.S. has celebrated Veterans Day on that date ever since.

Communities around the U.S. have held parades celebrating war veterans on Nov. 11 dating back to the first Armistice Day in 1919.

The nation's largest Veterans Day parade is held in New York with a procession along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. According to the United War Veterans Council, which organizes the parade, an estimated 20,000 marchers were taking part in 2024.

U.S. presidents lay a wreath during a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington. In remarks at the cemetery's memorial amphitheater Monday, Biden said it had been his life's honor to serve as commander in chief of "the finest fighting force in the history of the world.”

Other countries including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia also honor veterans on or near Nov. 11. They call their day of commemoration Remembrance Day.

While Veterans Day events tend to focus on giving thanks to all U.S. military veterans, both living and dead, Memorial Day observances traditionally have been about memorializing those killed during wars.

Memorial Day got its start after the Civil War, with the first national observance of what was then called Decoration Day on May 30, 1868. An organization of Union Army veterans called for decorating war graves with flowers.

Since 1971, the U.S. has marked Memorial Day on the last Monday in May rather than on May 30. The resulting three-day weekend has led to some complaints that the day's true purpose of somber remembrance has been undermined by its more leisurely recognition as the unofficial start of summer.

Because it's a federal holiday, the U.S. Postal Service doesn't deliver the mail on Veterans Day. Federal courts and other government offices are closed as well.

Most banks in the U.S. take the day off, as do many public schools.

The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq remain open, though bond markets are closed.

Though some private businesses observe Veterans Day, most retailers remain open, with many offering special deals. Many restaurants offer free meals to veterans and current members of the military, who also benefit from Veterans Day discounts from retailers. Some zoos and museums waive admission, while certain shops give away haircuts and automobile oil changes, according to a list compiled by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Girl Scouts carry photographs of people who served in World War II during the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Member of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) carry American flags during the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Vietnam War veteran Jose Alvarez, 72, salutes during the national anthem during the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Members of the Marine Corps march during the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

World War II Army Air Corps veteran Walter Rybarczik, 103, is helped to a car before the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A boy waves an American flag as crowds watch the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Veterans gather after a wreath laying service before the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

New York City Mayor Eric Adams marches in the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Dereck Rodriguez 10, and his brother, Thiago Rodriguez, 6, wait for their father Mauro Rodriguez, who is in the Army, to march past during the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People carry the American flag during the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Grand Marshal Dakota Meyer, U.S. Marine Corps, a Medal of Honor recipient, waves from a car during the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

President Joe Biden, from left, Vice President Kamala Harris, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough and Maj. Gen. Trevor Bredenkamp, commanding general of the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region and the U.S. Military District of Washington, arrive for a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Attendees look on during the Presentation of the Colors at the National Veterans Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Attendees look on during the Presentation of the Colors at the National Veterans Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A person holds a flag as they attend the National Veterans Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Members of the United States Army march during the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Members of the United States Army march during the annual Veterans Day Parade, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cheers broke out early Wednesday as Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee signed off on the GOP tax breaks bill after a grueling round-the-clock session that pushed President Donald Trump's package past overwhelming Democratic opposition.

But there's still more work to do.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also worked past midnight trying to resolve issues with Trump's plan. Opposition is mounting from various corners of the GOP majority as he tries to muscle the party's signature package to passage without any votes from Democrats.

On the one hand, the conservative leader of the Freedom Caucus derides the new Medicaid work requirements as a “joke” that do not go far enough at cost-cutting. Meanwhile, a handful of GOP lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states are refusing to support the measure unless changes are made to give deeper state and local tax deductions, called SALT, for their constituents back home.

"To say we have a gulf is an understatement," said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a leader of the conservative wing.

Roy said there is “a significant number of us who could not bless this product” in its current form.

Nevertheless, momentum is building toward an end-of-the-week inflection point to stitch together the sprawling package Friday at the Budget Committee. That means combining hundreds of pages of bill text covering $5 trillion in tax breaks and at least $1.5 trillion in spending reductions on Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs to deliver Trump's second-term legislative priority.

Democrats decry the package as a give-away to the wealthy at the expense of safety net programs that millions of Americans rely on. But Johnson insists the Republican majority is on track to pass the package by Memorial Day, May 26, sending it to the Senate where Republicans are crafting their own version. With his slim majority, he can only afford a few defections from his ranks.

“We’re still on target,” Johnson said at the Capitol. “The American people are counting on us.”

Democrats also stayed up all night forcing marathon public hearings. One at the House Energy and Commerce Committee was still going more than 26 hours later before finishing Wednesday afternoon.

Later Wednesday evening, the House Agriculture Committee handling the food aid cuts wrapped up its work too, but only after the Republican chairman abruptly shut down debate on dozens of remaining amendments from Democrats.

All told, Democrats proposed hundreds of amendments trying to change the package, with dozens of votes that largely failed.

“It is a cruel, mean, rotten bill,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., as the Agriculture panel debated changes to the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, known as SNAP.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said at least 7.6 million fewer people would have health insurance with reductions to Medicaid, and likely more with additional changes to the Affordable Care Act.

The CBO also gave lawmakers a preliminary analysis showing that 3 million fewer people each month would participate in the SNAP food program under the changes proposed.

More than 70 million Americans rely on Medicaid for health care, and about 40 million use SNAP.

The Republicans are targeting Medicaid and SNAP for a combined $1 trillion in cuts as a way to offset the costs of the tax package, but also to achieve GOP goals of reining in the social safety net programs.

Most of the cost-savings would come from imposing stiffer work requirements for those receiving the health care and food assistance, meaning fewer people would qualify for the aid. The legislation would raise from 54 to 64 the age of able-bodied adults without dependents who would have to work to qualify for SNAP. It also would also require some parents to work to qualify for the benefits once their children are older than 7, instead of 18. Under current law, those recipients must work or participate in a work program for 80 hours a month.

The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., insists the changes would “strengthen and sustain” Medicaid for the future, and are the kind of “common sense” policies Trump promised voters.

But Democrats told repeated stories of their constituents struggling to access health care. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., revealed his own diagnosis with Type 2 diabetes at the House Ways and Means Committee hearing and the sticker shock of health costs.

One of the most difficult issues for Johnson has been the more localized debate over state and local taxes as he works to come up with a compromise for New York, California and New Jersey lawmakers. They have rejected an offer to triple the deduction cap, now at $10,000, to $30,000 for married couples.

The speaker met with lawmakers Tuesday and talks continued into Wednesday.

Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., said it was cordial, but there was no deal. “More sizzle than steak in that meeting,” he said late Tuesday.

“The reality is you need 218 votes to pass a bill and the way this bill is currently constructed, it will not have that because it does not adequately the issue of SALT,” said Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.

The lawmakers believe they have leverage in the talks because without a deal, the $10,000 limit established under the 2017 tax bill expires at the end of the year and reverts to no cap at all.

But as Johnson and the lawmakers edge closer to a SALT deal, the conservatives are balking that their priorities must also be met.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said he’s a no for now, but would be working to improve the bill so that he could support it.

The conservatives argue that the tax breaks without deeper spending cuts will pile onto the deficit, and they worry that the Medicaid reductions do not go far enough in rolling back federal funds to expand the Affordable Care Act. They also want the work requirements, which don't take effect until Jan. 1, 2029, after Trump has left office, to start sooner.

"Basically Republicans are enforcing Obamacare, which is a surreal situation to me,” Burlison said.

Republicans are racing to extend Trump's tax breaks, which are set to expire later this year, while adding the new ones he campaigned on in 2024, including no taxes on tips, Social Security benefits and others.

A new analysis from the Joint Committee on Taxation shows that most tax filers would see a lower tax rates under the proposal, except those at the lowest rates, who earn less than $15,000 a year. Their average tax rate would go up.

Associated Press writers Matt Brown, Mary Clare Jalonick and Leah Askarinam contributed to this report.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)