John,

One hundred and thirty-five years ago, U.S. soldiers massacred hundreds of Lakota men, women, and children at Wounded Knee. Twenty of those soldiers were later awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military distinction, for their role in that slaughter. Those medals remain on the books today.

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Defense Secretary, has made sure of that. He has personally blocked all internal reviews, ordered subordinates to parrot his rejection of “woke revisions,” and refused consultation with Tribal leaders. He called efforts to revoke the medals “political correctness run amok” and buried reports from within the Pentagon that acknowledged the killings as unjustified. That kind of moral rot tells Native families that America’s highest honors still reward the murder of their ancestors.

The Remove the Stain Act would rescind the Medals of Honor awarded to those responsible for the massacre, sending a message that the United States no longer celebrates violence against Indigenous peoples. Congress can reclaim its moral authority and demonstrate that our nation can correct its own wrongs.

Passing this legislation would not rewrite history, it would confront it. It would affirm that our democracy’s strength comes from facing the truth, not hiding from it. The only way to heal is through accountability, and the only body with the power to deliver it is Congress.

Pete Hegseth’s defiance and Trump’s silence expose the moral bankruptcy of leaders who claim to defend “American values” while protecting symbols of genocide. Under Trump, the White House celebrates Confederate monuments, pardons war criminals, and glorifies violence. Their message is clear that accountability is weakness, cruelty is strength, and history is only worth preserving when it flatters power.

That is the antithesis of democracy. True patriotism demands honesty. Restorative justice demands courage. The Remove the Stain Act gives Congress a chance to prove that our highest honors reflect our highest values, not our darkest moments.

Congress must have the integrity to say that our democracy will never condone atrocity. Indigenous communities have waited generations for this act of truth and recognition. We cannot delay justice any longer.

Tell Congress to pass the Remove the Stain Act now and stand for truth, accountability, and reconciliation.

Together, we can confront the past and build a just future.

- DFA AF Team