Congress honors Tuskegee Airmen with zero-cost memorial authorization
H.R. 9849 — Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Act of 2026 · Filed by Shomari Figures (D-AL) · 52 cosponsors · Introduced Jul 22, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill authorizes Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., a nonprofit organization, to build a commemorative monument on federal land in Washington, D.C. to honor the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. The organization must raise all funds privately—no federal money can be used—and must follow federal rules for commemorative works. Any leftover donations go to the Interior Department or National Park Foundation for future memorial maintenance.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole function is to authorize a nonprofit to construct a memorial to a historical military unit on federal land, with no federal funding and full compliance with existing commemorative works law.
What the text implies
- The bill references the Commemorative Works Act (40 USC ch. 89), which imposes a 7-year construction deadline and requires the Secretary of Interior or GSA to approve the design and location—these procedural gates are not restated here but are binding.
- Excess funds deposited with the National Park Foundation become available for other memorial maintenance under federal process, meaning private donations may ultimately support unrelated memorials.
- The bill does not specify a location within D.C. or its environs, delegating site selection to Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. and federal agencies, which could create future disputes over prime real estate.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill imposes no cost on taxpayers (federal funds explicitly prohibited), honors a historically significant military unit, and creates a public memorial accessible to all citizens. The only beneficiary is the nonprofit organization managing the fundraising and construction, which is a legitimate public-interest use.
Who stands to gain
- Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (nonprofit organization managing fundraising and construction)
Named in the bill
Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., District of Columbia, U.S. Army Air Forces, Secretary of the Interior, General Services Administration, National Park Foundation, House Committee on the Budget
Where it stands
52 cosponsors: 34 Democrats, 18 Republicans.
- Jul 22, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jul 22, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Budget and House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period…”
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 (2,564 characters) on Aug 20, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 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 2026-10-20.
“Congress honors Tuskegee Airmen with zero-cost memorial authorization” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr9849 Report an error
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