Historic Legislation Now Moves to Final Vote by Full Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. – (November 18, 2021) – Today, the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation (NMOHMF) celebrated the passage of the National Medal of Honor Monument Act by the U.S. Senate Energy and National Resources Committee. The bipartisan bill authorizes the creation of a monument in Washington, DC, to recognize those who earned the Medal of Honor – our nation’s highest military award – and now awaits consideration by the entire U.S. Senate. A companion version of the legislation in the House passed that chamber by a 416-0 vote earlier this year.
“We are grateful for the work done by the Senate Energy and National Resources Committee and the 30 senators who co-sponsored this bill,” said Chris Cassidy, NMOHMF president and CEO. “Fewer than 4,000 Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor, and today there are only 66 Medal of Honor recipients alive. Recognizing the values of the Medal of Honor in a permanent, national way will help bring Americans from all walks of life together around the ideals to which we, both individually and as a nation, should aspire. I urge every senator to rally around this project, pass the bill and send it to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.”
The bill, S. 172, was introduced by Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) and is co-sponsored by 30 senators in total from both parties. This progress comes after the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed its version of the bill on July 26, 2021, where it was introduced as H.R. 1664 by Reps. Marc Veasey (D-TX) and Blake Moore (R-UT). In both chambers of Congress, energetic support for the national project has crossed partisan lines.
“Today marks a step forward for this bill and for forever honoring the American servicemembers who have distinguished themselves in service to our nation,” said Medal of Honor recipient Major General Patrick Brady. “The Senate can now show the country that honoring the values we hold dear as Americans – patriotism, courage, sacrifice – is worthy of uniting around.”
The action in the Senate comes just over a week after three former Commanders in Chief – Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama – joined forces to call on their fellow Americans to support the creation of the National Medal of Honor Museum in a PSA that debuted nationally during the NFL’s annual Salute to Service game on Nov. 7 between the Cowboys and the Broncos. No taxpayer dollars will be used to pay for the Monument or Museum.
