Expressing the sense of Congress that we reaffirm the historic ties between the United States and the Netherlands by recognizing the Quadricentennial celebration of the discovery of the Hudson River and honoring the enduring values of the settlers of New Netherland that continue to permeate American society.

I want to express my deep gratitude and appreciation for the initiation of this quadricentennial celebration of the discovery of the Hudson River by a vessel which was directed by the Netherlands after hiring a British captain by the name of Henry Hudson. It is a remarkable event. The 400 years of our direct relationship with the Netherlands is something upon which we need to be most recognizing and deeply grateful.

If you look back at the history, you see in the 1600s and even earlier how the Netherlands had become one of the most open and democratic places anywhere on this planet, how the population of that country had been so integrated and so involved with people from various places around Europe but also outside of the continent, including Africa. The discovery of the Hudson River was made by the Half Moon, led by Henry Hudson--the river now bearing his name--and the ensuing settlement of the southern part of Manhattan, how that settlement came about was so similar to the way in which the Netherlands was organized back then. That settlement, again, brought in people from all over Europe and elsewhere, including Africa as well. The integration of that settlement, the diversity of that settlement led, in many ways, to the diversity and deep understanding of the growing United States of America.

We owe the Netherlands a great honor and recognition for all that they

have done. The celebration of our relationship has been going on for a long time in a very interesting way. During the 350th anniversary celebration, the Queen of the Netherlands came to the United States and spent a good deal of time here. Of course while she was here, she was highly recognized and deeply appreciated for spending time here and engaging in that 350th celebration back in 1959. Last April I had the opportunity to meet her again and to spend some time with her in Amsterdam and to deeply appreciate all the leadership that she has provided and all the others have provided that have had such a beneficial effect on the United States of America.

This quadricentennial celebration now is going on, and it is being recognized and appreciated throughout all of New York State and many other places across our country. The Prince of the Netherlands is here, and he is engaging with us in this celebration. Again, in the context of this celebration, one of the most important things for us to remember and recognize and express a great deal of appreciation for is the influence that the Netherlands has had on the development of this country, the way in which it was settled, how lower Manhattan and New York State became the most diversely populated place on this continent and, in many ways, it still is. The initiation of that came about as a result of the exemplary way in which the Netherlands conducted its organization, its leadership, its integration, its openness. We owe them a great deal, and we express that deep gratitude to them in many ways, but particularly in the context of this quadricentennial celebration, recognizing this wonderful 400-year history of the Hudson River and the very positive contributions that that made to the settlement of the city of New York and the openness of our country.

Again, I express my appreciation to the Queen of the Netherlands, to the Prince who was here and to the exemplary way in which Amsterdam and the Netherlands have opened up their examples and led us in a very, very positive way, and that relationship continues today. I express my deep appreciation to the sponsor of this legislation. I'm very happy to participate in this event.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra), a cosponsor of this measure and the ranking member of the Select Committee on Intelligence who obviously has deep roots, having been born in the Netherlands.

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

The United States and the Netherlands are strong allies. The roots of our close relationship stretch back for more than 100 years before our Nation's independence. In September of 1609, Henry Hudson explored a vast river and territory in what is now New York State while on an expedition for the Dutch East India Company. On his return from that expedition, Hudson wrote such glowing reports on the promise of the lands that he had discovered that Dutch citizens were inspired to cross the Atlantic and establish the New Netherland settlement. The values of those early Dutch settlers--values of entrepreneurship, democracy, tolerance and hard work--continue to influence our society today 400 years later.

The friendship between the young United States of America and the Netherlands was tested when America was on the brink of bankruptcy due to the financial cost incurred in its fight for independence and reached out to the Netherlands for financial support. Ultimately, the Dutch provided the United States with a loan that proved vital to ensuring the survival of our young Nation. Subsequently, in another strong sign of friendship, the Netherlands was the first European country to diplomatically recognize the new United States of America.

Many of us have grown up with the story of brave young Hans Brinker who saved the people of the Netherlands by sticking his finger in the dam to prevent a devastating flood. Well, what many people don't know is that this story was actually made famous in 1865 by American author Mary Mapes Dodge to illustrate for American children the characteristic values of bravery, resourcefulness and self-sacrifice, associated with the people of the Netherlands. In this story, Hans Brinker stood alone. However, the history of the Dutch-American relationship demonstrates our commitment that should either be in need, the other will stand by them. This commitment has truly been in evidence whenever the Dutch and Americans have fought side by side through the second World War, the Korean War, the Gulf Wars, and numerous other global efforts. Today we're working together in Afghanistan and in Iraq to prevent extremists from unleashing devastating violence against the people of those countries and our own.

I am pleased to support this resolution today, which marks the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the Hudson River and the beginning of the deep and lasting friendship between the Netherlands and the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, having no further requests for time, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Berman and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen for their efforts in bringing this resolution to the floor today. Also I want to thank the committee staffs, in particular Rick Kessler and Amanda Sloat for their efforts.

I am very proud to be a Co-chair of the Congressional Dutch Caucus with my colleague Pete Hoekstra of Michigan with whom I have worked on a bipartisan basis to further strengthen relations between the U.S. and the Netherlands. I am also very pleased to join with him in introducing this resolution.

This year we celebrate the quadricentennial of American and Dutch relations. Four hundred years ago, the Dutch ship, the Half Moon, sailed up the Hudson River. In 1776, when Dutch cannons at Fort Orange on the Caribbean island of Saint Eustace saluted visiting American warships, The Netherlands became the first nation to recognize the newly born United States of America. Over the last 400 years, our people have built an enduring and productive cultural, commercial, and strategic partnership.

The fruits of that partnership and the contributions made by Dutch Americans to the culture, prosperity, and security of this country are well known.

The Dutch helped settle and found New Amsterdam, Brooklyn, and Harlem. Their descendents rose to be Presidents of the United States and to build the great fortunes that helped America attain its stature as the most prosperous and powerful Nation this world has ever known. And it is widely recognized that Thomas Jefferson used the Dutch Declaration of Independence of 1689 as a guide when writing the American Declaration of Independence.

On issues of security, Dutch and American troops have stood ``shoulder to shoulder'' in combat and have partnered in global peacekeeping and stabilization efforts in Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The close cooperation and free and open communication resulting from our ties have strengthened our ability to confront with confidence the major challenges that the world faces today. Not only the stubborn, enduring challenges such as the unresolved crisis in Darfur or the efforts to establish a lasting peace in the Middle East, but also the warming of the planet and the ongoing threat of international terrorism. In the days and years ahead, the close historical bonds between the Dutch and Americans will be called upon to address these and other global challenges. Our continued cooperation will be key to our success.

The strength of our alliance and the endurance of our friendship have made both our countries stronger and the world more secure. I stand proudly today to honor and celebrate that friendship on the occasion of its 400th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 178) expressing the sense of the Congress that

we honor, commemorate and celebrate the historic ties of the United States and the Netherlands by recognizing the Quadricentennial celebration of the discovery of the Hudson River and the settlement and enduring values of New Netherland which permeate American society up until today, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the concurrent resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) for introducing this resolution marking the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage up the river that now bears his name. Hudson and his crew of 20 Dutch and English sailors got as far as present day Albany before concluding that the river was unlikely to take him to India.

Though his voyage may not have led to the discovery of the Northwest Passage, Henry Hudson and the Dutch East India Company planted the seeds for the establishment of the New Netherland settlement and four centuries of American-Dutch relations. The legacy of New Netherland is plainly evident in the values such as tolerance, entrepreneurship and freedom of speech and religion which we hold so dear. This was echoed by Benjamin Franklin when he wrote, ``In love of liberty and in the defense of it, Holland has been our example.''

From our partnership in NATO to our immense trade and investment links, the bonds of friendship between our two countries today remain just as strong as when the Netherlands became the first European country to grant diplomatic recognition to the United States.

So I urge my colleagues to join me on this important anniversary by supporting this resolution and recognizing the historic ties of the United States and the Netherlands.

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

Mr. Speaker, I proudly yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank my colleague for yielding. I also would like to express my appreciation to Representative Van Hollen for working together to develop this resolution and to now move it forward on the House floor.

This honors the 400 years of friendship, a unique friendship, between the Dutch and the Americans, between the Netherlands and the United States of America. In 1609, the Dutch ship the Halve Maen, commanded by Henry Hudson, arrived in New York. That really started a phenomenal friendship, a friendship that has gone uninterrupted for over 400 years. We share so many things. We share values, freedom, tolerance, pursuit of happiness. We share a strong military relationship, and we've developed an immense economic bond between the two countries.

The Netherlands continues to be the fourth-largest investor in the United States. They also trade in the range of $73 billion per year with the United States of America. In 2008, the United States exported over $40 billion worth of products to the Netherlands. In manufacturing and finance, the Netherlands is the fourth largest investor to our country. But I think more importantly, this opportunity now in 2009 is to recognize this very, very unique relationship. Think about it; 400 years of continuous friendship during which the world has gone through one crisis after another. But there has been one thing that has been constant, and that is the commitment of America and the Netherlands to work through the differences that we have had and to always find a common bond and to always focus on those things that recognize that we have much more in common than what separates us, and that we have used these 400 years to build, to develop and to strengthen this relationship.

So it's very appropriate that this resolution come to the House floor today, that this body will recognize this unique relationship and that this body will recognize it and encourage it and say that, you know, maybe we can go forward for another 400 years. I thank my colleagues for bringing this resolution to the floor, and I encourage all of my colleagues on the House floor to vote in favor of this resolution.