Hershel ‘Woody' Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act

Mr. President, well, I don't come to you very often, but I come to you, when I come, with important stuff. You know, I am not a politician. It is easy for you to see that. We have so much work that can be done and should be done, all the time here.

You know, I am going to speak to you today about folks that we owe everything to--not some, but everything, to. You know, I have said so many times as a Governor of West Virginia--I said over and over and over--that we owe every single thing to those who serve in our military, the active folks that are serving in our military. They have given us everything--everything.

You know, in my little State of West Virginia, we are really proud because we step up. We step up in every way.

I am here today, in a lot of ways, for Sarah and Andy too. Surely, God above, we have not forgotten Sarah and Andy.

We just lost Sarah Beckstrom, a great National Guardsman, absolutely in the prime of her life--20 years old--gunned down right on our streets here.

And Andy Wolfe continues to fight for his life, and he is improving. He has done wonderful. Andy, in many ways, is our miracle--our miracle for not only West Virginia but our miracle for this Nation, in lots of ways.

But I also come today on something that is enormously important. I come today with my bill for this Nation, for the most prestigious honor, the most prestigious medal in our military, and that is the Medal of Honor.

I want to talk to you about the namesake of this bill, Woody Williams. You know, Woody was a friend, a good friend. His name was Hershel ``Woody'' Williams. My bill is S. 858. It is going to be called the Hershel Woody Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act. And in a few minutes, I will ask for unanimous consent for this. I will ask that we quit playing these silly, silly, silly politics and step up to the plate and honor absolutely those that have given, in many instances, the ultimate sacrifice.

So with all that being said, as I move forward here, I would say to you this: My bill is a testament--a testament--that will go on the National Mall. It is fully funded. It is fully funded with private donations.

We absolutely know that the recipients of the Medal of Honor, absolutely, those folks--all the way back to the Civil War--those folks have been in every single conflict that this Nation has been in, and it is so enormously important it is off the charts.

This monument in the National Mall will be in proximity to the other memorials and monuments that remember wars that these individuals fought and died in, in an absolutely appropriate setting. This monument reflects the American people's collective appreciation for the Medal of Honor recipients' bravery and stands as a lasting tribute to their legacy.

These individuals come from every corner of our Nation, from Hawaii to Maine, from every State. We have at least one individual from every State that has gone beyond the call of duty.

These people are like Army SGT Brian Buker from Maine. These people are like Navy ENS Charles Hamman from Maryland, Air Force MSgt John Chapman from Massachusetts, and Coast Guard Signalman First Class Douglas Munro from Washington State.

Mr. President, we are honored to have these great recipients, many of them with us today. But I do know that two are really right here with us today--U.S. MG Patrick Brady from South Dakota, who served in Vietnam and made several missions to evacuate wounded soldiers. He utilized 3 helicopters in a single day to Evacuate 51 seriously injured men.

It is unbelievable. It is totally unbelievable. The bravery. The sacrifice. Un-flat-believable.

We also have with us U.S. Army LTC William Swenson from Washington State and living up in California. He made multiple trips to the enemy's kill zone to evacuate wounded soldiers and recover four fallen U.S. servicemen.

I just don't know how in the world--you talk about this unbelievable bravery. You talk about their unbelievable sacrifice. They have given so much in every single way, and we should be so, so, so proud.

Like I said a few minutes ago, we are asking to do something on the National Mall. It has been vetted in every single possible way. The House has passed it unanimously. We passed it out of committee unanimously. Honestly, what is wrong with us in America? What could possibly be wrong with us in America to not step up and do something as small but as great as this for our greatest--greatest--medal recipients, the Medal of Honor. Absolutely.

I tell you this: I am grateful to be joined in this effort by 12 Senators that have cosponsored, including 5 of my colleagues from the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Again I underline that this passed the House 414 to 0. It passed committee without objection. It is absolutely unbelievable. Unbelievable.

The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation has been a great champion and partner on this bill. The National Congress of American Indians has also supported this effort, as it has 42 recipients who are Native American.

It is unthinkable for me. I am new to the game. I have white hair, and I have done a lot of stuff. But Mr. President, absolutely, if we can't do this--we have a miserable, miserable approval rating as it is--14 percent. I don't see how in the world it is 14 percent, to tell you the truth. But if we have 14 percent as our approval rating of what we do, we should be disgraced off the chart.

But if we can't step up and support these heroes that have given the ultimate sacrifice beyond belief, these people that absolutely have a level of courage and bravery, have a level of service, have a level of sacrifice that is totally off the chart--totally off the chart. Do we not realize that every single solitary thing we have--everything that we have today--is due to folks like this?

In every way, I hope and pray that we will just stand up and say absolutely, unanimously, we concede.

As if in legislative session notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of S. 858 and the Senate proceed to immediate consideration; further, that the Justice substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, my bill has gone through all the steps. The great Senator who is here speaking--his bill has not gone through the steps, and it being held up is surely not my fault, and of everything in the world, it is not these great recipients' fault.

I may have missed one person that could possibly be in our Gallery, and that is Marine Corps Capt. Raymond Murphy of Colorado.

But I want to just tell you this, sir: We have gone through every step the right way. We have gone through the hearings, the markups, the unanimous passage by the ENR Committee. Therefore, I absolutely object in every single way. His bills have not gone through the committee. His bills have not had a hearing and been passed out of committee. This is absolutely skipping the proper steps. I may be new, but we have done it right.

And absolutely what we are doing is we are turning our backs on the greatest of the greatest of the greatest. This is the very thing--the very, very thing--I support the museums that he speaks of. We all would. But absolutely this act right here is the very root of what is wrong with us.

For God sakes-a-living, how do you absolutely look at those great people, how do you look at what they have given all of us and turn your back on them? I don't get it.

I absolutely object.

Mr. President, I am not going to volley back and forth. Use the Rules Committee, not this Congress.

Like I said before, I absolutely object.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 858) to authorize the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on the National Mall to honor the extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice displayed by Medal of Honor recipients.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 858, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as Americans across the country celebrate our Nation's 250th anniversary this year, it is important to recognize that none of this would be possible without the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces. That is why the consideration of S. 858 is especially timely today, as it honors the valor and sacrifice of some of our Nation's bravest heroes: Medal of Honor recipients.

Mr. Speaker, 163 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln awarded the first Medal of Honor in the midst of the Civil War. It remains our Nation's highest honor awarded to members of the Armed Forces and is bestowed sparingly on only those who have demonstrated the highest acts of valor. Fewer than 70 Medal of Honor recipients are alive today out of the more than 3,500 medals that have been awarded.

As the highest and most prestigious military decoration in the United States, the Medal of Honor symbolizes extraordinary acts of bravery, selflessness, and sacrifice beyond the call of duty.

By recognizing these remarkable individuals, the Medal of Honor inspires national pride, honors the memory of fallen heroes, and motivates future generations to embody the values of courage and honor.

The Medal of Honor continues to symbolize the American people's profound respect and gratitude for the sacrifices recipients have made defending freedom and justice. The Hershel ``Woody'' Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act would ensure that the monument honoring these brave heroes can be placed on what is known as the Reserve, which is commonly referred to as The National Mall here in Washington, D.C.

A monument honoring our most exceptional military heroes deserves an equally exceptional location. According to National Park Service data, The National Mall receives upward of 25 million visitors each year. The monuments and memorials located on The National Mall are the centerpiece of this history, and it is appropriate to include a new monument honoring veterans who have displayed the most courageous acts of valor recognized by our country.

In my home State of Arkansas, our State capital also has a memorial dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients. I hope the monument in D.C., like the one in Arkansas, can inspire reflection, patriotism, and gratitude for our Nation's military heroes.

Last Congress, the Committee on Natural Resources had the privilege of hearing from one of the 65 living Medal of Honor recipients, Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt Slabinski. In his inspiring testimony, he reminded us that the Medal of Honor represents those willing to go above and beyond in any circumstance, no matter how small.

This monument will serve as an everlasting reminder of this country's greatness and the difference that one single person can make. As an example of the difference one singular person can make on the course of history, I note that this bill has been named after Hershel ``Woody'' Williams, who, sadly, passed away in June 2022.

He was known for his extraordinary heroism in the Battle of Iwo Jima during the Second World War. At the age of 21, he singlehandedly cleared a path for American troops against Japanese forces in an act of extraordinary bravery.

The House has already passed this bill unanimously this Congress. It is an honor to do so again today and send it to President Trump's desk.

As part of its consideration, the Senate made an unfortunate change to this legislation. It removed a portion of the findings section that expressed the sense of Congress that the Medal of Honor monument should be located near the Lincoln Memorial in recognition of President Lincoln's unique and integral role in the history of the Medal of Honor.

While this section has been removed, Congress and living Medal of Honor recipients still overwhelmingly support locating this monument near the Lincoln Memorial. I look forward to working with the Trump administration to ensure such a location is ultimately chosen.

I was proud to support the original legislation authorizing this memorial, and I am proud to support this legislation today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore) for his leadership on the House companion to this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I will add that the House Natural Resources Committee has done a lot of very good bipartisan work this Congress. We have sent a lot of bills to the Senate, and a lot of those bills are over there waiting to be acted upon. When we pass bills, we have hearings. We have markups. We go through regular order. We have done a lot of work that the Senate wouldn't have to do if they would just take up these bills and pass them.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore), the lead sponsor of the House companion to this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill that honors Hershel ``Woody'' Williams, our Nation's heroic Medal of Honor recipients, and all those who have served. It honors their memory. It honors their legacy, and it reaffirms our unwavering commitment to upholding the principles for which they fought so valiantly.

Once again, I thank Representative Moore of Utah and Senator Justice of

West Virginia for their leadership in this effort. I thank the Senate for actually passing a bill even if they needlessly changed it. Now we can hopefully get something to the President's desk. I urge passage of this bill and look forward to seeing President Trump sign it into law.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Reserving the right to object, as we know, the Commemorative Works Act restricts new museums and memorials from being built on the National Mall without an act of Congress. It is one of the ways Congress likes to try to maintain and be mindful of the evolution of the National Mall and monuments and museums that meet our collective bipartisan standard for placement there.

Since I first arrived in the Senate, I have been working across the aisle to support the building of two important museums on the National Mall--one being the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino and the other being the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum. Both of these efforts are longstanding bipartisan. In fact, Senator Cruz and I, along with Senator Moreno and others, have a bipartisan bill that would adopt the necessary language for placement on the Mall. Meanwhile, Senators Klobuchar and Lummis have a bipartisan bill to do the same for the women's museum.

So let me be clear. I wholeheartedly agree that the sacrifices made by Medal of Honor recipients should have a place of recognition for all Americans to see in our Nation's Capital. I also supported the Senator from West Virginia's bill when it came before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee just yesterday morning.

As ranking member of the Rules Committee, let me also offer to the Senator from West Virginia and his constituents some good news. I am happy to share that the committee is working as we speak to approve the installation of a statue in the Capitol for national Medal of Honor recipient Herschel ``Woody'' Williams, the individual whom the placement legislation is named after.

But as I shared in committee yesterday morning, I also believe that the story of the American Latino and the fight for equality by American women should also be enshrined on the National Mall. So we have an amendment that would add the text of those bills to S. 858 to also allow the Latino and women's museums to build on the National Mall.

My colleague from West Virginia was very eloquent, very passionate, and I share his conviction. The effort to approve the placement language, the location language for the Latino museum and the women's museum has been held up far too long. So I hope the Senator from West Virginia will join me in trying to do away with--what was it that he said?--the ``silly, silly politics'' because when you look at the history of Latinos in America, it includes 60 Medal of Honor recipients, beginning with Phil Bazaar and John Ortega for their service in the Civil War.

Latino contributions, including paying the ultimate sacrifice, is nothing new. And it includes, by the way, David M. Gonzales from my hometown of Pacoima for his bravery during World War II. The history of women in America includes the story of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, also a Medal of Honor recipient. All these stories deserve to be told in a location of prominence.

As I said yesterday morning when the Energy and Natural Resources Committee marked up and approved S. 858--I made remarks at the time clearly announcing my intention to offer this amendment when the Medal of Honor bill came up for consideration on the floor of the Senate, so here I am. It shouldn't be a surprise to anybody.

I would urge my colleagues to agree to include my amendment so that all three of these bills can finally move forward after years and years of hard work and bipartisan support.

Therefore, I would ask the Senator to modify his request so my amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the Justice substitute amendment, as amended, be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Reserving the right to object, I want to set the record straight. The museum efforts that I talked about have gone through all the proper steps. There have been committee hearings. They have been approved by committee. They have been approved in prior Congresses separately by both Chambers, so they are ready to move.

I am disappointed, frankly--not surprised--that the amendment is not accepted.

Therefore, I object and would look forward to working with my colleague from West Virginia and anybody else to advance all three of these proposals as expeditiously as possible.

Madam President, you know, I have got to say just this: We have Medal of Honor recipients with us right now, and I fast- forwarded because I had this beautiful speech to give and all that stuff, and there have been some things happened that we will get to in just a second.

But if U.S. Army MG Patrick Brady, just please stand up, just one second, sir. If you would, just stand for just a second, sir.

And U.S. Army LTC William Swenson, please stand, if you would.

And U.S. Navy Command Master Chief Britt Kelly Slabinski, if you would please stand.

And U.S. Army SGM Thomas Payne, if you would stand, please.

Madam President, if I violated the rule, it is because I am new to the game, and I don't know all the rules. But I want to thank them for their service in every way.

Medal of Honor winners--it is just unfathomable to think that those folks can grab a live handgrenade and try to throw it away from their comrades, to absolutely charge into enemy fire like you can't imagine.

And I think all the time, and I say to myself: You know, if I were in that situation, could I have that courage?

Could I have that grit? Could I have that love for this unbelievable country and my comrades that are right with me?

I don't know. It takes something that not many have, and we should honor them beyond belief.

The reason I asked these gentlemen to stand was simply just this: Today--today--something happened to me that, to be perfectly honest, I may have thought was getting to be semi-impossible. And that was just this: People from both sides of the aisle actually talked to one another. I had an amazing conversation with Ranking Member Martin Heinrich. We sat, and we built some level of trust and communication.

Now, we are always going to fight with one another; we know that. But at the end of the day, these four--and for all the other 3,500 almost-- today, we did something that, in all fairness, these four an hour and a half ago would have thought wasn't going to happen.

So I am going to fast-forward and read something that we all thought was semi-impossible.

But to others on the other side of the aisle--you know, Senator Shaheen; you know, Senator Padilla; to absolutely our great chairman of ENR, you know, Senator Lee, who I am so thankful that we just talked-- for God's sakes of living, we just talked, and lo and behold: wham, bam, bam. This monument that we have wanted to put on our National Mall that I am going to ask for your unanimous consent in just a second, absolutely we are there. No one would have believed it. No one really thought it.

These people have given so much, and we needed to stand up for them, and, lo and behold, today, maybe just a lot of lessons--lessons maybe that we all ought to listen to, and that is just this: If we talked and we trusted and we absolutely told the truth to one another, there may just be passage of lots and lots and lots of stuff that we should be doing here.

That is what we should be doing. I always call the voters Toby and Edith. But Toby and Edith need us. They need us in the worst way.

I would say, someway, somehow, we have got to tone down and stop a little bit of the food fight.

So right now--now, get this; get this--this is what I am reading to you right now.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc; that the substitute-amendment at the desk to S. 858 be considered and agreed to; and that the bills, as amended, if amended, where applicable, be considered read a third time and passed en bloc; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc: my bill, S. 858, the Hershel `Woody' Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act, and S. 1142 the Scarper Ridge Golden Gate National Recreation Area Boundary Adjustment Act, from Senator Padilla.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

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.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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