Biden Instructs US Government Office To Close During Jimmy Carter's Funeral

US President Joe Biden/PHOTO Upload Via Instagram @potus

JAKARTA - United States President Joe Biden on Monday ordered the closure of all US federal government offices on January 9 as a sign of mourning over the death of former US president Jimmy Carter at the age of a century.

The date is the day Carter's state funeral is planned to be held at the Washington National Cathedral.

"All executive departments and Federal Government agencies closed on January 9, 2025 in honor of James Earl Carter, Jr., the 39th President of the United States," read an excerpt from an executive order signed by Biden on Monday.

Biden also declared the day a National Day of Condolences in honor of Carter, whom he called a person of "principle, belief, and humility".

In addition to activities at Washington's National Cathedral, mourning activities for the public will be carried out in Atlanta and Washington, before the funeral procession is closed in Plains, Georgia, Carter's hometown.

Carter passed away on December 29, 2024 accompanied by his family members in Plains, Georgia, where he has received life's end of treatment since February 18, 2023, the Carter Center, a charity organization founded by Jimmy Carter, reported.

"Jimmy Carter is living a life that cannot be measured with words, but with his service," Biden said in a television broadcast announcing the death of the former president.

Biden highlighted Carter as a freedom fighter, civil rights, human rights, and global democracy, as well as for his efforts to provide housing for the homeless.

"Today, the United States and the World are losing an extraordinary leader," said Biden. "He is a statesman and a humanist. My (wife) Jill and I have lost close friends".

In addition, the US flag was raised by half a pole in government office complexes as a sign of mourning for Carter's death.