Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Mr. Speaker, this month our nation pays tribute to the contributions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, including immigrants, refugees, and natives. More than 13 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, representing a diverse community of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, make their homes in the United States. Their unique contributions enhance the moral fabric and character of our great country.

The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community is a fast- growing minority group in the United States. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are making valuable contributions to every aspect of American life--from business to education to science to the arts. For example, there are now more than 900,000 AAPI-owned small businesses across the country.

As we celebrate the significant progress made by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, it is right for us to honor the memory of great leaders of the AAPI community who have passed away recently, and by far one of the greatest was our own Congressman Bob Matsui, who despite imprisonment in an internment camp during World War II, never lost faith in our country, and went on to become a national champion for all of America's seniors. We miss Bob dearly, but the voters of California have blessed us by sending his wife, the Gentlelady from California, Ms. Doris Matsui, to carry on his wonderful legacy in this body.

In memory of Bob Matsui and other great figures in the history of our nation, it is only fitting that this year's theme for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is ``Liberty and Freedom for All.'' In my own district, we have our share of emerging leaders from the Asian community, including my friend Shing-Fu Hsueh, the mayor of West Windsor, who is a model public figure. Like Bob Matsui, Shing-Fu Hsueh is a believer in the American ideal, that anyone--regardless of religion, race, or gender--can realize their dreams for themselves and their children. Unfortunately, the faith of every member of New Jersey's Asian community in that American ideal has been sorely tested recently.

You see, on the very eve of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, two talk show hosts--whose program airs on one of the largest stations in New Jersey--made a most obnoxious, insulting, and despicable series of anti-Asian statements.

Last month, these shock jocks verbally demeaned Mr. Jun Choi, a Korean-American running for mayor of Edison, New Jersey, mockingly asking their listeners ``Would you really vote for someone named Jun Choi?'' They then preceded to say that ``Americans'' should govern our towns, counties, and country--as if Jun Choi, Shing-Fu Hsueh, and the thousands of other hard-working, tax-paying, and participating people of Asian heritage are not real Americans.

I could cite even more examples from this outrageous broadcast but I refuse to demean this House by repeating some of the other language that these two radio racists used. I'm extremely disappointed that the management of the radio station in question, 101.5 FM, has not issued a written public apology to Jun Choi and the entire Asian community. In my judgment it is the absolute minimum they should do, and I also believe the station management should pledge never again to allow such racist rants to be aired on their station.

Mr. Speaker, as the Asian Pacific American community continues to contribute to our society and grow in influence--poltically, economically, and culturally--I am pleased to say that Americans like Jun Choi, Shing-Fu Hsueh, and Doris Matsui are indeed taking leading roles in our self-governing country.

Mr. Speaker, as I rise today to recognize Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, one word comes to mind when I think of the people to whom we dedicate this month--and that word is persistence.

From the transcontinental railroad to academy-nominated films, Asian Pacific Americans have helped shape this Nation in incredible ways.

In fact, as many may know, the backbone of our country's railroad system was built with a labor force that consisted of 80 percent Chinese Americans, who prepared the foundation of our railroad tracks by dangling over cliffs with a mere rope tied to their waists on mountains that rose over 7,000 feet.

In literature, we have the contributions of scholarly elites such as Maxine Hong Kingston and Amy Tan, who have opened our eyes to the different practices of the Far East.

In fitness, we are exposed to the discipline of the world of martial arts with disciplines ranging from Tai Chi to Judo. Finally, in philosophy, we are introduced to the idea of Confucius, Sun Tzu, who wrote The Art of War, and Feng Sui to guide our lives.

Not to mention the Chinatowns of our nation, with cuisines ranging from India, Thailand, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, that has transformed our taste buds with some of the best and most diverse Asian dishes--but more importantly shown the diversity of the continent.

But this wonderful list of Asian contributions did not come without a price. Thousands of Chinese Americans died under dangerous working conditions while building the transcontinental railroad, yet when the railroad was finally completed, they were not even allowed to be a part of the official photograph that documented those involved with the construction. Their names were not mentioned anywhere in news articles, and their faces quickly forgotten in American history.

Chinatowns were created out of necessity as a form of protection from discrimination and a need for survival. Stereotypes that bias our perceptions today came to form as a result of Asian Americans being restricted to specific low-level jobs as deemed appropriate by the majority of the time.

Various anti-immigration laws during the early 1900s ensured racial offenses against Asian Americans were abundant and legal. Our nation should never forget the atrocious

violations we imposed on the Japanese Americans during WorId War II as we shunned them from society as a result of their ethnicity.

Mr. Speaker, despite all the hardship and adversity that Asian Americans have faced during their time in the United States, the persistence and resilience of Asian Americans have allowed them to flourish into the leading minority group they are today.

I encourage my colleagues to learn from the history of Asian Americans in the United States, so that we may avoid the civil rights violations and discriminatory practices that hurt ethnic communities in the name of national security.

I would also like to encourage the future generations of Asian Americans to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors. Persist in your dreams of a fair America, persist in your desires for an equal America, and persist in your fight for an America that is as dedicated and tolerant of you as your ancestors have been with us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the contributions of Asian Pacific Islander Americans, APIA. I would like to thank my colleagues for recognizing Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Thanks to the late Representative Frank Horton from New York and my good friend, Secretary Norman Mineta, along with Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga, May is designated as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month to celebrate and honor the contributions of the APIA community.

In the past year, the APIA community has lost extraordinary community activists, advocates, leaders, and long time friends, such as Fred Korematsu, Dr. John B. Tsu, K. Patrick Okura, Iris Chang, and my colleague and friend Congressman Bob Matsui.

As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), I feel privileged to represent a community that is growing exponentially and exceedingly diverse in culture, ethnicities, and language. Today, there are over 12 million APIAs living in the U.S. and representing 4.5 percent of the total U.S. population. By the year 2050, there will be more than 33 million APIAs living in the U.S. My home state of California has both the largest APIA population--4.6 million--and the largest numerical increase of APIAs since April 2000.

I am proud to be a member of the APIA community, because we continue to serve as positive contributors to our many communities by investing in education, business, and cultural opportunities for all Americans.

APIAs continue to build clout and power in all sectors of society. For example, APIAs had a purchasing power of $296.4 billion in 2002, up 152 percent from 1990. APIAs in California had the most buying power-- $104.1 billion--but APIA buying power is growing fast in places like Nevada, Georgia and North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, as we honor the 40th anniversary of the Immigration Nationality Act of 1965 and the 30th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1975 this year, we need to remember that our country was founded and created to protect our freedom and civil liberties. And, as a nation of immigrants we must embrace our diversity.

Embracing diversity also means we need to do a better job of disaggregating data and information about the APIA community. The APIA community is often misperceived as a monolithic racial group and is often seen as the model minority. Aggregating such a large and diverse group makes it difficult to understand the unique problems faced by the individual ethnicities and subgroups, such as the Southeast Asian Americans, who are refugees that fled their home countries during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The APIA community continues to fight for our civil rights and against any injustices as Americans. Even after the internment of the Japanese Americans during World War II, we as a community did not grow embittered, or cowed by discrimination; instead, we progressed and moved forward.

In closing, this Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we take pride in our history, accomplishments, and the promise of our future as we continue to pave the way for a better tomorrow in the name of ``Liberty and Freedom for All.''

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 280) celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 280.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 280 celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The resolution honors the immense contributions that Asians and Pacific Islanders have made to our Nation.

This month, May, is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and the theme is ``Freedom For All--A Nation We Can Call Our Own.''

Today, more than 14 million native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and Asians call America their home nation. This legislation is a fitting tribute to our Asian and Pacific Island friends and neighbors. I thank the House leadership, particularly the Majority Leader for scheduling this meaningful resolution today.

Congress first observed this commemoration in 1978 as Asian Pacific American Heritage week during the first 10 days of May. Then, in 1992, Congress expanded the commemoration to designate the entire month of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The first 10 days of May include two important historical dates, May 7, which in 1843 marked the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States, and May 10, the date in 1869 on which the first North American transcontinental railroad was completed.

The railway was built heading east from Sacramento, California, and west from Omaha, Nebraska, and converged in Utah thanks to the hard work of thousands of laborers, most of whom were Chinese immigrants.

Mr. Speaker, as the war on terrorism continues today, I also wish to recognize the service that more than 300,000 Asian and Pacific veterans have made throughout American history. From the Army's courageous First and Second Filipino Regiments that General Douglas MacArthur sent to spy behind Japanese lines in World War II, to the indescribable bravery of today's soldier heroes like Marine Lance Corporal Victor Lu and Army Specialist Thai Vue, who have lost their lives in the past year in Iraq.

Asian and Pacific Americans have indeed sacrificed so much for our cherished liberty and freedoms. I know that all Members of the House join me in commending the selflessness of these veterans and active duty soldiers.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairman of our Committee on Government Reform, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) for his hard work on House Resolution 280.

I am pleased to be a cosponsor of the resolution, and I urge all of my colleagues to support its adoption.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I introduced House Resolution 280 to honor the immeasurable contributions of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans to our Nation. I want to specifically thank our distinguished Majority Leader for scheduling this resolution during May, which the Congress has designated as ``Asian Pacific American Heritage Month'' since 1978. '

The month of May is important to Asian and Pacific Islander Americans because of two key events. The first occurred on May 7, 1843, when the first Japanese immigrants to the United States arrived. The second important event took place on May 10, 1869, a day known as ``Golden Spike Day,'' as the first North American transcontinental railroad was completed. The Central Pacific Railroad, which was built heading east from Sacramento, California, and the Union Pacific Railroad, built west from Omaha, Nebraska, met near the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Ever since, the country could be traversed by rail from coast to coast. This momentous accomplishment was made possible by thousands of rail workers, the majority of whom emigrated from China.

Like Black History Month in February, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month was established by an act of Congress. A former member of this body, Frank Horton of New York, led Congress to first establish ``Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week'' through Public Law 95-419 in 1978. Each year, the Week was to begin May 4 to include the important dates of May 7 and May 10. Then, in 1992, Congress expanded the commemoration to designate the entire month of May as ``Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.'' I am pleased the House is celebrating this significant designation today.

The Census Bureau revealed last year that 5 percent of the total U.S. population is of either Asian, native Hawaiian or other Pacific island heritage. As an example of their achievements, half of Asian-Americans over age 25 have earned a college degree, the highest proportion of college graduates of any ethnic group in the U.S. The corresponding rate for all American adults is 27 percent.

In addition, as the War on Terror continues, it is relevant to recognize the more than 300,000 Asian and Pacific Americans who have served our Nation in the armed forces. Asian and Pacific American service men and women are fighting on foreign soil today, and their sacrifices should be deeply respected. Indeed, they have performed with incredible valor during our Nation's history.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2005 is being celebrated in numerous settings from community festivals to school events across the country. This year's theme--Freedom for All--A Nation We Call Our Own-- is very appropriate to the more than 14 million U.S. residents of Asian and Pacific island heritage who call America home.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of House Resolution 280.