Norton Reintroduces Bill to Permanently Remove Confederate Statue of Albert Pike
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today reintroduced her bill to permanently remove the statue of Confederate General Albert Pike near Judiciary Square and authorize the Secretary of the Interior to donate it to a museum or a similar entity. Norton said that Pike, a Confederate general who served dishonorably and was forced to resign in disgrace, represents the worst of the Confederacy and has no claim to be memorialized in the nation's capital. Norton’s bill was passed by the House Committee on Natural Resources in the 116th Congress.
"This Administration’s decision to restore and reinstall the Albert Pike statue is morally objectionable and an affront to the mostly black and brown residents of the District of Columbia,” Norton said. “Pike served dishonorably. He took up arms against the United States, misappropriated funds, and was ultimately captured and imprisoned by his own troops. He resigned in disgrace after committing a war crime and dishonoring even his own Confederate military service. I've long believed Confederate statues should be placed in museums as historical artifacts, not remain in parks and locations that imply honor.”
Norton’s introductory statement follows.
Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
On the Introduction of the Albert Pike Statue Removal Act
August 8, 2025
Today, I introduce the Albert Pike Statue Removal Act, which would require the removal of the statue of Confederate General Albert Pike from federal land near Judiciary Square in the District of Columbia. This week, the National Park Service announced that the statue, which was illegally torn down in 2020, is scheduled to be reinstalled this year. This bill would also authorize the Secretary of the Interior to donate the statue to a museum or similar entity. In the 116th Congress, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed this bill by voice vote.
Pike, a Confederate general who served dishonorably and was forced to resign in disgrace, represents the worst of the Confederacy. Soldiers under his command were found to have mutilated the bodies of Union soldiers and he was ultimately imprisoned after his fellow Confederate officers reported that he had been misappropriating funds. Adding to the dishonor of taking up arms against the United States, Pike dishonored even his Confederate military service. He has absolutely no claim to be memorialized on federal land in the nation’s capital.
Even those who do not want Confederate statues removed will have to justify affording Pike any honor considering his dishonorable history.
However, I oppose destroying Confederate statues because I believe they should be moved to more appropriate settings, like museums, to avoid erasing an important part of history from which Americans must continue to learn.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
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