Sponsors (13)
The bill corrects a historic racial injustice and formally honors Doris Miller—boosting recognition and morale—while creating a precedent that may increase administrative workload, expectations for similar retroactive awards, and modest costs.
Military personnel, veterans, and racial-ethnic minority communities: Doris Miller is formally authorized the Medal of Honor, correcting a long‑standing racial oversight and recognizing his WWII heroism.
Military personnel, veterans, Miller’s family, and the public: Upgrading the award provides symbolic closure and a morale boost by formally honoring Miller’s actions and promoting historical equity.
Military personnel and veterans: Signals the government’s willingness to reassess and correct past award decisions, potentially opening a path for similar corrective actions for overlooked servicemembers.
Department of Defense staff, federal employees, military personnel, and veterans: Authorizing a retroactive upgrade creates administrative workload and could prompt debates or contested requests around other retroactive awards.
Families of other overlooked WWII service members, racial-ethnic-minority veterans: The action sets expectations for similar retroactive corrections and may lead to dissatisfaction or pressure if comparable cases are not addressed.
Taxpayers and the Department of Defense: Implementing the upgrade and associated record/ceremonial changes will incur modest administrative costs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows the President to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Doris Miller for Pearl Harbor valor and waives statutory time limits that would block the award.
Authorizes the President to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Doris Miller for his acts of valor during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and waives any statutory time limits that would otherwise bar the award. The bill notes Miller previously received the Navy Cross and documents the racial discrimination and delayed recognition he faced before his 1942 decoration and later death in combat.
Introduced March 25, 2025 by Kweisi Mfume · Last progress March 25, 2025