Congress honors World War II Pacific defenders with a gold medal.
H.R. 9473 — Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Congressional Gold Medal Act · Filed by Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) · 66 cosponsors · Introduced Jun 25, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill lets Congress give a gold medal to U.S. and Filipino soldiers and civilians. They fought to defend Bataan, Corregidor, and other Pacific places. The fighting was from December 8, 1941 to August 15, 1945. The medal will be kept at the Smithsonian Institution. The U.S. Mint can make and sell bronze copies to pay for it.
Who it affects
This honors veterans and civilians who fought in World War II. Both American and Filipino people who defended these places are recognized. The public can see the medal at the Smithsonian and learn history.
One thing to notice
The medal honors U.S. service members and Filipino soldiers equally. This recognizes Filipino contributions to World War II that are often forgotten.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
66 cosponsors: 35 Republicans, 31 Democrats.
- Jun 25, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jun 25, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on House Administration and House Committee on Financial Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- Bataan — A place in the Philippines where soldiers fought in World War II.
- Corregidor — An island near the Philippines where soldiers fought in World War II.
- Smithsonian Institution — A group of museums in Washington, D.C. that keeps important things from history.
- U.S. Mint — The government place that makes coins and medals.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jul 1, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,707 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 2026-09-23.
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