The bill prevents military honors for those tied to the January 6 attack to uphold legal and disciplinary standards, but it also creates a case-by-case congressional power that risks politicizing honors and upsetting families.
Service members will not be required to provide military honors for individuals disqualified because of illegal participation in the January 6 attack.
Reinforces that military honors are reserved for those whose conduct meets legal and disciplinary standards, supporting institutional integrity.
Creates a precedent for Congress to disqualify individuals from receiving honors on a case-by-case basis rather than through uniform, predictable standards.
Families of the deceased may view withholding honors as politicized, causing distress and increasing public controversy around military honors.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Declares Ashli Babbitt ineligible for military funeral honors under 10 U.S.C. § 985 because of her actions during the January 6, 2021 attack.
Introduced March 17, 2026 by Ruben Gallego · Last progress March 17, 2026
Disqualifies Ashli Babbitt from receiving military funeral honors under the cited federal statute because of her participation in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. The measure states that her actions — including entering a restricted area by crawling through a broken window into the House Speaker’s Lobby — constitute illegal conduct that makes her ineligible for honors provided under 10 U.S.C. § 985. The change applies only to this named individual, does not create new funding or programs, and would take effect on enactment. It is a narrowly targeted, symbolic statutory disqualification rather than a broad change to military benefits or honors policy.