Sponsor
Ruben Gallego
Senator · D-AZ
Senator · D-AZ
The bill withholds military honors from a specific individual tied to the January 6 attack to protect military integrity and avoid requiring service-members to honor misconduct, but it risks setting a case-by-case congressional precedent and generating perceptions of politicization that may distress families and undermine consistent policy.
Service members (military personnel) will not be required to render military honors for the individual disqualified for illegal participation in the January 6 attack, avoiding a duty conflict and association of the uniform with extremist/illegal conduct.
Military personnel and taxpayers will see that military honors are reserved for those whose conduct meets legal and disciplinary standards, reinforcing institutional integrity and public confidence in how honors are awarded.
Military personnel and taxpayers could face a precedent where Congress removes or withholds military honors on a case-by-case basis rather than through uniform criteria, increasing the risk of inconsistent or politically driven decisions.
Families of the deceased may view withholding honors as politically motivated, causing additional distress to families and contributing to public controversy over the politicization of military honors.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Removes Ashli Babbitt's eligibility to receive military funeral honors under 10 U.S.C. § 985 due to her January 6, 2021 actions.
Official title: Address the ineligibility of Ashli Babbitt for military funeral honors.
Introduced March 17, 2026 by Ruben Gallego · Last progress March 17, 2026
Declares that Ashli Babbitt is ineligible for military funeral honors under 10 U.S.C. § 985 because her participation in the January 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol—specifically crawling through a broken window into a barricaded door leading to the House Speaker’s Lobby—constitutes illegal actions that disqualify her from those honors. The measure removes eligibility for the specific ceremonial benefit on the basis of those disqualifying actions.