September 11 falls on a Wednesday for 2019, and some are curious as to whether banks and stock markets across the nation are closed. Are they open? Are banks near me open or closed on September 11?
According to USA Today, banks and stock markets are open. This is because September 11 is not a federal holiday like Memorial Day or Veterans Day. Schools, business, and banks remain open in observance of the occasion, although there are memorial ceremonies for the victims that are often held throughout the day.
Banks & Stock Markets Will Be Open on September 11, 2019
On September 11, the flag of the United States of America should be flown at half-staff as a mark of respect to those who died in the attacks. Many people observe a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. ET. This marks the time that the first plane flew into the World Trade Center. reports that there are also communities who hold special church services or memorials.
Former House Rules Committee staffer Donald Wolfensberger said that Congress does not want to add more federal holidays to their docket. “I think right now the thinking in Congress is there are too many federal holidays,” Wolfensberger revealed. “So it’s a question of how you commemorate an incident: Do you have to give all federal workers a day off to make it significant? I don’t think so.”
September 11 Is Not a Federal Holiday & Therefore Government Business Remain Open
Wolfensberger also felt that turning 9/11 into a federal holiday could detract from September 11 remembrances that occur in the workplace, including at the Pentagon, where one of the attacks took place. Peter Balogh a historian at the University of Virginia, feels that it’s important to keep 9/11 from becoming a federal holiday for other reasons.
Balogh theorizes that making it a federal holiday could risk losing meaning for many Americans over time. He points to other federal holidays like Memorial Day and Presidents Day; which, instead of their original intent, have become associated with barbecues and mattress sales. “It’s a holiday, a day off, and it does become a day to extend your vacation or go to an amusement park,” he said. “And I’m not blaming people for that: I think they simply just lose the meaning of the original historical moment. That’s human nature.”
September 11 Is Also Referred to As Patriot Day
Conversely, FOX consultant Joe Brettell feels that Congress should pay tribute to the victims of September 11 by making it a federal holiday. “September 11 has forever changed our nation – one need only try to pass through security at a major airport to realize that,” he writes.
“However, the events of that day deserve to be remembered in something greater than modern inconveniences, the memories of a generation that will fade over time or run of the mill ceremonies in Washington,” Brettell adds. “A national holiday is the only proper way to remember the sacrifices of our heroes their penchant for heroism at a moment’s notice.”