Press Releases

Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation which would posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 13 U.S. military servicemembers who were killed in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021.  Congressman Rouzer (R-NC) joined Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) in introducing this legislation in August.

The legislation will award the Congressional Gold Medal to Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Sgt. Nicole Gee, Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Cpl. Daegan Page, Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, Cpl. David Lee Espinoza, Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola, Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, Hospitalman Maxton Soviak and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss. 

"Yesterday the House passed legislation, which I was proud to co-sponsor, to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 13 U.S. servicemembers that lost their lives helping evacuate Americans and our allies from Afghanistan," said Rep. Rouzer.  "Even in the face of great danger, these brave troops carried out their mission by helping Americans and many Afghan allies and their families get out of the country.  I look forward to the Senate passing this bill soon in honor of these fallen servicemembers' selflessness and heroism.”

“I’m proud the House passed my bill that would award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 13 brave men and women who were taken far too soon. Their sacrifice for our country and its allies will never be forgotten and I’m encouraged by the overwhelming bipartisan support for this legislation, which had 325 cosponsors,” said Rep. McClain.“I urge the Senate to quickly pass this bill so we can properly honor these fallen servicemembers.”

Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Steve Scalise (R-LA) Elise Stefanik (R-NY) Rick Allen (R-GA), Mark Amodei (R-NV), Don Bacon (R-NE), Jim Banks (R-IN), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Mo Brooks (R-AL), Larry Bucshon (R-IN), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Kat Cammack (R-FL), Jerry Carl (R-AL), Andre Carson (D-IN), Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Ben Cline (R-VA), Tom Cole (R-OK), Rick Crawford (R-AR), John Curtis (R-UT), Warren Davidson (R-OH), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Drew Ferguson (R-GA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Chuck Fleischmann, (R-TN), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Scott Franklin (R-FL), Russ Fulcher (R-ID), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Mike Garcia (R-CA), Bob Gibbs (R-OH), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Anthony Gonzales (R-OH), Bob Good (R-VA), Lance Gooden (R-TX), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Michael Guest (R-MS),  Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Yvette Herrell (R-NM), Jody Hice (R-GA), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Richard Hudson (R-NC), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Chris Jacobs (R-NY), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Dave Joyce (R-OH), William Keating (R-OH), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Trent Kelly (R-MS), Young Kim (R-CA), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), David Kustoff (R-TN), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Robert Latta (R-OH), Al Lawson (D-FL), Blain Luetkemeyer (R-MO), Elaine Luria (D-VA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Brian Mast (R-FL), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Tom McClintock (R-CA), David McKinley (R-WV), Peter Meijer (R-MI), Carol Miller (R-WV), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Alex Mooney (R-WV), Blake Moore (R-UT), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Greg Murphy (R-NC), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Burgess Owens (R-UT), Steven Palazzo (R-MS), Gary Palmer (R-AL), Chris Pappas (D-NH), August Pfluger (R-TX), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), David Rouzer (R-NC), David Schweikert (R-AZ), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), Bryan Steil (R-WI), Gregory Steube (R-FL), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Mike Turner (R-OH), David Valadao (R-CA), Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), Filemon Vela (D-TX), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Randy Weber (R-TX), Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Roger Williams (R-TX), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Robert Wittman (R-VA), Don Young (R-AK), Andy Harris (R-MD), Liz Cheney (R-WY), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jason Smith (R-MO), Ralph Norman (R-SC), GT Thompson (R-PA), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX),  Buddy Carter (R-GA), Rodney Davis (R-IL), Mike Levin (D-CA), Tom Emmer (R-MN), Jake LaTurner (R-KS), Garret Graves (R-LA), Pat Fallon (R-TX), Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Troy Balderson (R-OH), Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon (R-PR), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) Van Taylor (R-TX), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Greg Pence (R-IN), Barry Moore (R-AL), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Fred Upton (R-MI), Ted Budd (R-NC), Byron Donalds (R-FL), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Mike Bost (R-IL), Jim Costa (D-CA), Maria Salazar (R-FL), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Julia Letlow (R-LA), Jared Golden (D-ME), Joseph Morelle (D-NY), Mike Simpson (R-ID), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Bill Johnson (R-OH), Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Cliff Bentz (R-OR), Billy Long (R-MO), Cynthia Axne (D-IA), Austin Scott (R-GA), Susan Wild (D-PA), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Scott Perry (R-PA), John Carter (R-TX), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Mike Waltz (R-FL), Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Neal Dunn (R-FL), John Rutherford (R-FL), William Timmons (R-SC), Kevin Brady (R-TX),  Matthew Rosendale (R-MN), Jodey Arrington (R-TX), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-America Samoa), John Katko (R-NY), Fred Keller (R-PA), Daniel Webster (R-FL), Danny Davis (R-IL), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Hal Rogers (R-KY), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Dean Phillips (D-MN), J. Luis Correa (D-CA), John Joyce (R-PA), David Trone (D-MD), Ron Estes (R-KS), Jim Hagedorn (R-MN), French Hill (R-AR), Dina Titus (D-NV), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Tom Tiffany (R-WI), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Richard Neal (D-MA), Pete Stauber (R-MN), Michael Burgess (R-TX), Al Green (D-TX), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-Northern Mariana Islands), Frank Lucas (R-OK), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Michael Cloud (R-TX), James Comer (R-KY), Ami Bera (D-CA), Mike Johnson (R-LA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), David Scott (D-GA), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Nikema Williams (D-GA), Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), Brian Babin (R-TX), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Kay Granger (R-TX), Bill Posey (R-FL), Ken Buck (R-CO), Colin Allred (D-TX), Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA), Andy Barr (R-KY), Frank Mrvan (D-IN), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Antonio Delgado (D-NY), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Kim Schrier (D-WA), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Charlie Crist (R-FL),Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Kaiali?i Kahele (D-HI), Mark Takano (D-CA), Matt Cartwright (D-PA), Dan Meuser (R-PA), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Donald Beyer (D-VA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Gerald Connolly (D-VA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Jim Himes (D-CT), Julia Brownley (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Brian Higgins (D-NY), Andy Levin (D-MI), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Grace Meng (D-NY), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Deborah Ross (D-NC), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Alma Adams (D-NC), Ron Kind (D-WI), Conor Lamb (D-PA), Tony Gonzales, (R-TX) G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Scott Peters (D-CA), Norma Torres (D-CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Chip Roy (R-TX), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Josh Harder (D-CA), Marie Newman (D-IL), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Tom Rice (R-SC), Sam Graves (R-MO), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Donald McEachin (D-VA), Tom Reed(R-NY), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Bill Foster (D-IL), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Judy Chu (D-CA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AR) cosponsored the legislation.

Click here to read the legislation.