Former Wyoming US Senator Alan Simpson To Receive Presidential Medal Of Freedom

President Joe Biden will present the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to 17 people, including former Wyoming US Senator Alan Simpson

Biden’s honors list, which the White House shared first with The Associated Press, includes both living and deceased honorees from the worlds of Hollywood, sports, politics, the military, academia, and civil rights and social justice advocacy.

The Democratic president will present the medals at the White House next week.

Simpson served with Biden in the US Senate from 1979-1997 and has been a prominent advocate for campaign finance reform, responsible governance and marriage equality.

Biden himself is a medal recipient. 

President Barack Obama honored Biden’s public service as a longtime U.S. senator and vice president by awarding him a Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2017, a week before they left office.

The honorees who’ll receive medals from Biden “have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive accomplishments in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities, and across the world, while blazing trails for generations to come,” the White House said.

The honor is reserved for people who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal public or private endeavors, the White House said.