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Authorizes the creation and presentation of a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal honoring Charles B. Rangel, directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike the gold medal and give it to his children after presentation, and permits the Mint to produce and sell bronze duplicates to cover costs. The United States Mint may charge production costs to its Public Enterprise Fund and must deposit proceeds from duplicate sales into that fund; the medals are declared official national (numismatic) items.
Charles Bernard Rangel was born June 11, 1930, in Harlem, New York City, and was raised mainly by his mother Blanche Mary Wharton Rangel and his grandfather Charles Wharton, with an older brother Ralph, Jr., and a younger sister Frances.
Rangel dropped out of high school at 16 and enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving as an artillery operations specialist in the all-Black 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division from 1948 to 1952 during the Korean War.
During the Battle of Kunu-ri near the Yalu River, Rangel and his unit were encircled by Chinese forces and were ordered to withdraw.
Upon receiving the withdrawal order, then-Private First Class Rangel was injured by shrapnel from Chinese shells that struck his back.
Despite serious injuries and being behind enemy lines, Rangel led his unit of an estimated 40 men through a mountain pass to safety in the middle of the night.
Primary direct effects are ceremonial and administrative: Rangel’s children will receive the gold medal; the Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Mint will design, strike, present, and account for the medal(s); the Mint Public Enterprise Fund will be charged for production costs and replenished by proceeds from selling bronze duplicates. Numismatic collectors, museums, and the general public may purchase duplicates. There are no new regulatory obligations for states, localities, or private businesses beyond purchasing duplicates if desired; the bill does not create ongoing programmatic responsibilities. Fiscal impact is expected to be minimal to the Treasury’s appropriations because the Mint is authorized to use its self-funded Public Enterprise Fund and must cover costs through sales rather than requiring new appropriations.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (text: CR S3317-3318)
Last progress June 10, 2025 (8 months ago)
Introduced on June 10, 2025 by Charles Ellis Schumer
Updated 3 days ago
Last progress June 5, 2025 (8 months ago)