President George H.W. Bush's casket arrives in Washington to lie in state at Capitol

WASHINGTON — The body of former President George H.W. Bush arrived Monday afternoon on "Special Air Mission 41," a presidential aircraft temporarily renamed in honor of the 41st president, from Houston to the nation's capital, where he will lie in state until Wednesday.

Leaders of the House and Senate announced over the weekend that the former president, who died Friday at 94, would lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

Members of Congress were holding an arrival ceremony around 4:45 p.m. ET Monday, a little more than an hour after the flight from Ellington Airport landed at Joint Base Andrews. President Donald Trump dispatched the plane to Texas pick up the former president, as well as members of the Bush family.

Members of the late president's family on board the flight included his son, President George W. Bush and his wife, former first lady Laura Bush. His service dog, Sully, was also on board.

Bush's spokesman, Jim McGrath, tweeted a photo of the plane early Monday morning.

As Bush's casket arrived at the Capitol, Hail to the Chief was played and a 21-gun salute was fired in front of the reflecting pool adjacent to the National Mall. The Bush family stood at the top of the Capitol steps as his casket was carried into the building.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were expected to pay their respects at the Capitol Monday night, according to two sources familiar with the arrangements.

A public service will be held Wednesday at Washington's National Cathedral. Trump has declared Wednesday a federal holiday and a national day of mourning.

The late president's remains are scheduled to return to Houston later Wednesday to lie in repose at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, where a private funeral service will be held Thursday.

Afterward, he’ll be transported by funeral car on a train to College Station, Texas — the site of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum — where he’ll be buried alongside his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, who died earlier this year, and their daughter Robin, who died of leukemia at age 3.

McGrath tweeted that the former president will be buried wearing special socks "that pay tribute to his lifetime of service."

Bush long had a notable preference for themed, colorful socks.

On Sunday, McGrath tweeted a photo of Bush's service dog, Sully, lying beside the casket.

"Mission complete," McGrath wrote. Sully will move on to helping wounded military veterans at Walter Reed hospital, America's VetDogs announced on Facebook.

Bush is among the select few who have lain in state in the Capitol Rotunda.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who died in August a little more than a year after being diagnosed with brain cancer, was the last person to lie in state there. Former President Gerald Ford was the last president to lie in state in the rotunda after he died in late 2006. Former President Ronald Reagan also lied there in 2004, as did civil rights icon Rosa Parks after her death in 2005.

Meanwhile, due to the remembrances for Bush, the House will not be voting this week as originally scheduled, multiple GOP sources confirmed to NBC News on Monday. A partial government shutdown looms should Friday’s funding deadline not be met, but sources Monday were confident that it will be funded by a short-term spending bill known as a continuing resolution, which would have to be done by a unanimous consent voice vote sometime this week.

Trump was originally scheduled to meet with Democratic leaders in the House and Senate — Nancy Pelosi of California and Chuck Schumer of New York — on Tuesday to discuss the funding situation, but the meeting has been postponed due to plans to commemorate President Bush, according to three Democratic aides. Both Democratic leaders have asked for the meeting to be rescheduled to next week.