Veterans

HR 3609, the "Remove the Stain Act," would rescind 20 Medals of Honor awarded to U.S. Army soldiers for their actions during the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, where unarmed Native Americans (including women and children) were killed. The bill directly affects the official records of these 20 soldiers by removing their names from the Medal of Honor Roll maintained by the military branches. Key provisions include requiring the Secretary of Defense to update the official rolls without requiring recipients to return their medals, and clarifying that this change does not deny any benefits to those individuals. The bill is based on findings that the massacre involved unarmed people and that awarding medals for it undermines the Medal of Honor's integrity.

HJRES 144 is a congressional disapproval resolution targeting a specific rule issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on December 31, 2025, which addressed "Reproductive Health Services" (90 Fed. Reg. 61310). This resolution directs Congress to disapprove the VA rule under Chapter 8 of Title 5, U.S. Code, meaning the rule would have no legal effect if passed. The bill directly affects the VA's implementation of reproductive health services for veterans, as it seeks to nullify the agency's existing policy. This is a procedural measure, not a substantive policy change, aimed solely at blocking the VA's rule through congressional action.

This bill prohibits critical skill pay supplements for Senior Executive Service (SES) employees working at the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Central Office (including Veterans Health Administration, Benefits Administration, and National Cemetery Administration), regardless of where they perform duties. It allows limited exceptions for SES employees primarily working at non-Central Office facilities, requiring incentives to be proportional to time spent at those locations. The bill also mandates annual reports to Congress listing VA SES employees receiving such incentives, starting one year after enactment. The policy directly affects VA senior leadership positions at the Central Office and modifies existing pay incentive rules for these roles.