Buffalo Soldiers Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2025

S. 2487 would award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Buffalo Soldier regiments, which were all-Black cavalry and infantry units established by Congress in 1866. These regiments, originally six but later consolidated into four (the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments), served in the United States Armed Forces until the military was desegregated in 1951. The legislation seeks to recognize the approximately 40,000 African American soldiers who served in these units and their contributions to the nation despite facing racial discrimination.

If enacted, the bill would authorize the Speaker of the House and President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to these regiments. The physical medal would be designed by the Secretary of the Treasury and then presented to the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian Institution, where it would be displayed and made available for research. The costs for the medal would be paid from the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. The bill aims to honor the Buffalo Soldiers' service in various conflicts including the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, as well as their role in protecting national parks and western frontier settlements.