Trump signs Wounded Knee memorial bill into law

President Trump has signed the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act into law, legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, according to KXLG. The law places 40 acres at the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre into restricted fee status to be held jointly by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Rounds said the legislation ensures the land will be preserved for future generations and allows the history of Wounded Knee to continue to be told. The bill was first introduced in June 2023 and later reintroduced in January 2025. It passed unanimously in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and cleared the full Senate on Dec. 11, according to KXLG. Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Ryman LeBeau and Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out previously testified in support of the bill.