Bill · S. 1915· Senate(119-S-1915)
Remove the Stain Act
- Introduced
- 5/22/2025
- Last activity
- 5/22/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- Sponsored by
- Elizabeth Warren
- Cosponsors
- - 6 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The ``Remove the Stain Act'' seeks to rescind every Medal of Honor awarded for actions that occurred at Wounded Knee Creek on December 29, 1890. The bill notes that 20 Medals of Honor were issued to members of the U.S. 7th Cavalry following the Wounded Knee Massacre. This engagement resulted in the deaths of approximately 350-375 Indian men, women, and children, many of whom were unarmed. The legislation directs the removal of these names from the various service branch Medal of Honor Rolls. Finally, the act specifies that no person is required to return the physical medals and no government benefits shall be denied because of this rescission.
Yes
Would Native Americans be better off under this?+9
The bill honors the requests of Native American tribes to rectify historical injustices involving the Wounded Knee Massacre.
Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated?+8
The bill addresses historical atrocities committed against Native Americans by rescinding honors associated with the Wounded Knee Massacre.
The opposite
Would white Americans be better off under this?-2
The bill removes historical honors previously held by white service members.
Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together?-2
The bill rescinds the highest military decoration for certain historical service actions.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Preserving the Integrity of Military Awards: The bill argues that allowing the highest military decoration to recognize participation in a massacre is a disservice to the integrity of the United States and the award itself (Section 2, Finding 16).
-
Addressing Tribal Requests: The legislation acts upon requests made by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (Section 2, Finding 13) and the National Congress of American Indians (Section 2, Finding 14) to renounce these specific medals.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Removal of Names from Honor Rolls: The Secretary concerned will be required to remove the names of the individuals from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard Medal of Honor Rolls (Section 3, subsection b).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Racial Equity+8
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Native Americans+9Good For Veterans-2Good For White Americans-2
- 5/22/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- 7 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · Oregon
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California
Bernie SandersIndependent · Vermont
Adam SchiffDemocrat · California
Tina SmithDemocrat · Minnesota
Ron WydenDemocrat · Oregon