Congress names individual in statute to deny military funeral honors.
S. 4126 — A bill to address the ineligibility of Ashli Babbitt for military funeral honors. · Filed by Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) · Introduced Mar 17, 2026
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What it does
This bill explicitly declares that Ashli Babbitt, who was killed during the January 6, 2021 Capitol breach, is ineligible for military funeral honors. It codifies her disqualification by reference to federal law governing funeral honors eligibility, citing her participation in the insurrection as the disqualifying conduct.
Why we flagged it
The bill serves no regulatory or appropriations function. It is purely symbolic — a legislative statement naming a specific individual for exclusion from honors. It does not change law or eligibility criteria; it adds a name to the record.
What the text implies
- Sets a precedent for Congress to name individuals in statute for symbolic purposes, potentially opening the door to similar naming provisions for other controversial figures.
- Raises constitutional questions about whether legislative naming of individuals for exclusion from benefits constitutes an unconstitutional bill of attainder (a law that punishes a named individual without trial).
- May invite future legislative efforts to name other January 6 participants or political figures in statute, fragmenting eligibility rules across multiple bills rather than relying on uniform criteria.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill has no direct effect on ordinary citizens' rights, protections, or access to government services. However, it represents a legislative judgment about who deserves public honor, raising questions about whether Congress should be naming individuals in statute for symbolic exclusion rather than relying on existing eligibility criteria.
Named in the bill
Ashli Babbitt, U.S. Senate, Mr. Gallego (sponsor), 10 U.S.C. § 985, House Speaker's Lobby, January 6, 2021
Where it stands
- Mar 17, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
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 (1,048 characters) on Jul 2, 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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