Congress to Award Gold Medal to American Hostages and Victims of October 7th Attacks

This bill, officially titled the October 7 Gold Medal Act, is a straightforward piece of legislation designed to provide national recognition to the American citizens who were victims of the brutal Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, in Israel.

In short, Congress is authorizing the creation and presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to honor the suffering, sacrifice, and courage of the American hostages and victims. This is a purely commemorative act—it doesn't change any laws or create new programs, but it is a high-level recognition of the events and the people affected. The bill’s findings section (Section 2) lays out the grim details of the attack, including the 1,200 people killed and the 251 people taken hostage, including at least 30 Americans killed and 12 Americans taken hostage.

The Highest Honor for Sacrifice

Under Section 3, the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate are tasked with arranging the presentation of the Gold Medal on behalf of Congress. Think of this as the highest civilian honor the country can bestow, recognizing the immense suffering endured by those held captive and the ultimate sacrifice made by those who died. The Secretary of the Treasury is responsible for the actual design and striking of the medal, including deciding on the appropriate emblems and words.

Once presented, the original medal won't just go into a dusty government vault. The bill specifies that it will be displayed for research and public viewing at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This ensures the recognition becomes a permanent part of the national historical record.

How They’re Paying for It

If you’re wondering where the money for this comes from, the bill has a self-funding mechanism built in. The initial costs of creating the Gold Medal are authorized to be drawn from the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund (Section 6). This fund essentially acts like the Mint’s operating budget.

To ensure taxpayers aren't on the hook, Section 4 authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to produce and sell duplicate versions of the medal, but these will be made of bronze. The catch is that the price of these bronze duplicates must be set high enough to cover all costs associated with their production—labor, materials, machinery, and overhead. Crucially, all the money generated from selling these duplicates goes straight back into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund (Section 6), effectively replenishing the funds used to create the original Gold Medal. This is a common, smart approach for funding these kinds of national honors.

In short, this Act is about making sure the American victims of the October 7th attacks receive the highest possible recognition for their ordeal and resilience, using a standard, cost-recovery approach to fund the medals themselves.