As political battles raged elsewhere around the Capitol, lawmakers temporarily buried their differences Wednesday in order to get ready to bury a time capsule marking America’s semiquincentennial anniversary.

The project is the result of bipartisan legislation signed into law in February 2026 directing the Architect of the Capitol to create and prepare a congressional time capsule to be sealed in the Capitol Visitor Center. Serving as a snapshot in time, the capsule will be opened on July 4, 2276. 

“As I reflected on when this is going to be opened, I was thinking, ‘Well, maybe I’ll be here, but pretty sure I won’t,’” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. at a dedication ceremony. 

The stainless steel vessel is more than four feet wide, two and a half feet deep and four feet tall, Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin said Wednesday. Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Capito, her fellow Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J. and Robert B. Aderholt, R-Ala., unveiled the capsule together, pulling off a large cloth cover from it.

Each state and territory delegation had the chance to submit one item to the time capsule, as well as joint picks by leadership from each chamber, the Library of Congress, the Architect of the Capitol and officers of both chambers. 

“From the Statue of Liberty to the Golden Gate Bridge, the Great Lakes to the Rio Grande Valley, and all points in between, the American people will have their stories told through a collection of meaningful items that represent the fullness and richness of our great country,” Jeffries said. 

For some, deciding what to submit wasn’t too hard. The New Hampshire delegation chose a piece of granite, an homage to the state’s nickname, according to Shaheen.

“Granite gave us our nickname, the Granite State, and the people who built it could not have imagined the America of 2026,” Shaheen said. “The institutions they built continue to serve New Hampshire and the country.”

Congress’ isn’t the only time capsule being buried to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. A separate time capsule will be buried in Independence National Historic Park in Philadelphia with submissions from each state and territory as well.

Not anything can go in the time capsule – organic materials like wood or plant materials are prohibited, as well as anything else that can break down or decompose over time, according to guidance sent to congressional offices. Items requiring specialized technology or equipment are also banned, because of the evolving nature of technology over time. 

Photographs, like those submitted by the Virginia and Minnesota delegations, were allowed. Minnesota’s photographs were a collection of original images of Minnesota in 2026. 

“We don’t know what challenges the people in 2276 will face. We don’t know what they’ll think of us. We don’t know what they’ll celebrate,” Shaheen said. 

“But they’ll know something about who we were.”