Congress honors Pearl Harbor hero Doris Miller with aircraft carrier naming
H.R. 10817 — U.S.S. Doris Miller Act of 2026 · Filed by Debbie Dingell (D-MI) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Oct 15, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill expresses Congress's sense that the Secretary of the Navy should name a future aircraft carrier after Doris 'Dorie' Miller, a Black sailor who heroically manned anti-aircraft guns during the Pearl Harbor attack despite lacking training, and later became the first Black sailor to receive the Navy Cross. The bill honors Miller's acts of valor and aligns with the Navy's 2020 announcement to name a Ford-class carrier after him.
Why we flagged it
This is a non-binding sense-of-Congress resolution honoring a deceased military hero and recommending a naming decision. It carries no legal force, appropriations, or policy change—only symbolic recognition and public acknowledgment of historical service.
What the text implies
- Formal congressional recognition may strengthen the Navy's political commitment to follow through on its 2020 announcement, making reversal or delay more difficult.
- The bill's detailed recitation of Miller's biography and racial significance establishes a public record affirming the historical importance of breaking racial barriers in military service.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
This is a non-binding resolution honoring a decorated Black military hero and acknowledging historical discrimination in the Navy. It carries no direct cost to citizens and serves public accountability by formally recognizing Miller's contributions and the Navy's commitment to naming a carrier after him.
Named in the bill
U.S. Navy, Secretary of the Navy, Doris 'Dorie' Miller, U.S.S. West Virginia, U.S.S. Liscome Bay, Ford-class aircraft carrier, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Representative John Dingell, Sr.
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 2 Democrats.
- Oct 15, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Oct 15, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Armed Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (2,222 characters) on Oct 21, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,388 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-21.
“Congress honors Pearl Harbor hero Doris Miller with aircraft carrier naming” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr10817 Report an error
The week in bills
One email, Sunday: what Congress passed, what it changed, and who paid.
One link arrives to confirm the address. It is used for this email and nothing else, and every issue carries an unsubscribe link.