Native News Online: Remove the Stain Act of 2025 Reintroduced: Confronting a Shameful Chapter in American History

The Remove the Stain Act of 2025 will be reintroduced by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D–MA) and Jeff Merkley (D–OR), along with Representative Jill Tokuda (D–HI), on Thursday, according to Sen. Warren’s Senate office. 

The Remove the Stain Act is a historic effort to address a long-standing injustice stemming from one of the darkest moments in U.S. military history—the Wounded Knee Massacre. This legislation aims to rescind twenty Medals of Honor awarded to U.S. soldiers for their role in the 1890 massacre of hundreds of Lakota men, women, and children at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

"We cannot be a country that celebrates and rewards horrifying acts of violence against Native people," said Sen. Warren. "Congress must recognize how shameful this massacre was and take an important step toward justice for the Lakota people."

“We must acknowledge our history and take concrete steps to right historic wrongs from America’s darkest chapters,” said Sen. Merkley. "Moving forward together as a nation demands we remember, reflect on, and work to rectify the abhorrent massacre of hundreds of innocent Lakota men, women, and children at Wounded Knee. This horrific injustice is not deserving of our nation’s highest award for military valor, and our long-overdue bill helps finally set the record straight by revoking these medals.”

“The massacre of hundreds of unarmed Lakota men, women, and children at Wounded Knee was a crime against humanity, and honoring the perpetrators with the Medal of Honor adds insult to that deep wound. The Remove the Stain Act is about facing the truth, no matter how painful,” said Rep.Tokuda. “I’m proud to introduce this bill to revoke medals that should never have been given, because healing begins with honesty—and the Lakota people deserve nothing less.” 

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Read the full article here.

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