Hershel ``woody'' Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, the Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded to brave individuals whose extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice exceed the call of duty.

In 2021, Congress authorized the placement of a National Medal of Honor Monument in Washington, D.C., to honor all of the Medal of Honor recipients from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

As a next step, this bill we are considering will ensure the memorial is located next to the Lincoln Memorial in the shadow of a President who created the Medal of Honor during the first year of the Civil War.

It is a privilege to speak on this bill. Medal of Honor recipients deserve recognition in the heart of our Nation's Capital.

I do note, however, that this is not the first time legislation for this memorial has been considered by the House this Congress. We voted on the House companion from Mr. Moore of Utah back in January 2025. It was one of the first Natural Resources Committee bills to pass this Chamber in the Congress.

Unfortunately, instead of passing the House bill that we already sent over, the Senate is forcing us into a do-over. This is becoming an unsightly trend this Congress. The House Natural Resources Committee alone has sent 88 bipartisan bills over to the Senate that are still waiting for a vote. No wonder this has been such an unproductive Congress and one of the least productive on record.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage Republican leadership in both Houses of Congress to start working together and talking to each other to better coordinate so that we are not forced to vote on all of these noncontroversial bills over and over. There is simply not time left on the calendar to continue this.

Moving back to the bill that we are considering, I encourage my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation again. This is an excellent example of the amazing work that we can do when we reach across the aisle and work in a bipartisan way. But it is worth noting that this bill is also an example of how monuments in Washington, D.C., should happen and how they can be lawfully established through a transparent and explicit act of Congress.

The Commemorative Works Act is the law, and it is very clear. Monuments and memorials in the area of Washington, D.C., may be built ``only as specifically authorized by law.''

If that weren't enough, Congress enacted a similar law prohibiting any building or structure being built on Federal public grounds in D.C. without express authority of Congress.

It is an insult to the American people that this administration is ignoring the law, that they are barreling ahead with an enormous arc de Trump in flagrant violation of these laws, an arch that would tower over the Lincoln Memorial and the sacred grounds of Arlington National Cemetery where we honor the very heroes that we have just been talking about here today.

Our constituents can't afford groceries right now due to Trump's trade wars. They can't afford gas due to his war of choice in Iran or electricity bills due to his war on clean energy. The last thing we need is another golden monument commemorating President Trump in the Capital, let alone one that circumvents Congress and flouts the law.

Mr. Speaker, my Republican colleagues should stand up to this administration's lawlessness. In the meantime, this is a good bill. This is how you are supposed to do monuments in compliance with the law. You bring it to Congress. You pass it through the process. Soon this bill will become law, and this monument will happen. That is the way it should work.

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Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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