Congress honors WWII nurses—and documents their systematic underpayment
S. 2195 — WWII Nurses Congressional Gold Medal Act · Filed by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) · 31 cosponsors · Introduced Jun 26, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill authorizes Congress to award a collective Congressional Gold Medal to the women who served as nurses in the U.S. Army and Navy during World War II, recognizing their service under dangerous conditions, discrimination, and unequal pay. The medal will be designed by the Treasury Secretary, displayed at the Smithsonian Institution and military museums, and duplicate bronze versions may be sold to cover costs.
Why we flagged it
This is a straightforward Congressional Gold Medal bill recognizing the service of WWII Army and Navy nurses. It contains no policy changes, no financial appropriations beyond medal production costs, and no hidden provisions—only a commemorative award and museum display arrangement.
What the text implies
- The bill's extensive findings section documents systemic discrimination against WWII nurses—unequal pay (50% of male counterparts), denial of military status and benefits, racial segregation of Black nurses with quotas, and lack of training before deployment. The medal serves as official congressional acknowledgment of these injustices, which may strengthen historical record and future equity argu
- By directing the Smithsonian to display the medal at military medical facilities and the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, the bill embeds recognition of female military service into institutional memory and public-facing spaces, potentially influencing how future generations understand women's military contributions.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
This is a commemorative measure that honors women who served their country under extraordinary hardship, discrimination, and unequal treatment. It carries no financial cost to ordinary citizens (medal costs are covered by Mint fund and duplicate sales), imposes no restrictions on rights or protections, and serves a legitimate public purpose of historical recognition and accountability for past injustice.
Named in the bill
U.S. Army Nurse Corps, U.S. Navy Nurse Corps, Secretary of the Treasury, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, Women in Military Service for America Memorial, U.S. Army Women's Museum, National Naval Medical Centers, National World War II Museum, United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund
Where it stands
31 cosponsors: 16 Democrats, 14 Republicans, 1 Independents.
- Jun 26, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Jun 26, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs”
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 (11,462 characters) on May 21, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 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.
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