Celebrating 90 years of United States-Polish diplomatic relations, during which Poland has proven to be an exceptionally strong partner to the United States in advancing freedom around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 266) celebrating 90 years of United States- Polish diplomatic relations, during which Poland has proven to be an exceptionally strong partner to the United States in advancing freedom around the world, 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 resolution under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am in strong support of House Resolution 266, which celebrates 90 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Poland. I wish to thank my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from the State of Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) for his authorship and introduction of this bill that enables the House to join the Senate in marking this significant anniversary and reaffirming our friendship with an important ally.

It is remarkable to think that it has been only 20 years since Poland began to emerge from a period marked by war, Communist rule and occupation. On June 4, 1989, the good people of Poland voted in semi- democratic parliamentary elections. They resulted in a landslide victory for opposition candidates fielded by the Solidarity trade union over the ruling Communists. The new government moved swiftly to re- establish democratic practices and a free market economy.

This election marked a turning point in the region, as other Soviet satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe regained their freedom by the end of 1989. Poland undertook internal reforms that enabled its rapid integration into the Euro-Atlantic community. Indeed, 2009 marks the fifth anniversary of Poland's membership with the European Union and the 10th anniversary of its accession to NATO. Poland has since been playing an active role in the international community, helping to secure peace and stability through its contributions to civilian and military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In addition, Poland has been a strong ally of the United States. This year we are marking 90 years of diplomatic relations, with the United States being the first country to recognize the newly independent Second Polish Republic in January 1919. This was particularly fitting given the key role played by President Woodrow Wilson in demanding that an independent Poland be included in the Treaty of Versailles.

Since that time, there has continued to be a close friendship between our two peoples and countries. The estimated 10 million of our fellow Polish Americans who comprise 3 percent of the U.S. population have made considerable contributions to the cultural, economic, social, and political fabric of our great Nation. I welcome the planned visit by Vice President Biden to Poland later this month, as it provides an excellent opportunity to affirm our strong bilateral relationship.

I strongly support this resolution and urge my colleagues to do the same.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman, the author of this piece of legislation, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I have no further speakers and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 266, which celebrates 90 years of U.S.-Polish diplomatic relations and the fact that Poland has proven to be a strong partner for the United States in advancing freedom around the world.

Poland has come a long way since throwing off the yoke of Communism 20 years ago. In fact, it was only 2 months ago that Poles celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first free and democratic parliamentary elections in their country, held in 1989, which followed decades of Communist rule and Soviet domination of Poland. The election, in fact, helped provide the inspiration for the peoples of other Central and Eastern European nations to subsequently free themselves from the shackles of the Communist regimes in their countries.

Today, Poland is a free and democratic country and a full and valued member of a number of international organizations, including the European Union and NATO. Through NATO, Poland is a full ally of the United States and, in that role, has significantly contributed to the United States-led efforts to fight global terrorism.

This resolution, Mr. Speaker, celebrates the 90th anniversary of the U.S.-Polish diplomatic relations. It congratulates the Polish people on their great accomplishments as a great democracy, and it expresses appreciation for Poland's partnership with the United States.

Given the specific intent of the resolution before us today dealing with the importance of our relationship with our ally, Poland, I would like to comment on the recent decision by President Obama to cancel the long-range missile defense project with Poland. We could debate the recent decision to cancel the long-range missile defense project in Poland, a decision with which many of us, obviously, disagree. In light of the history of Eastern Europe over the past century, and of Poland, in particular, we should exercise care in the ways that we arrive at decisions that have great consequence to our allies in that region.

In this instance, the decision to cancel the missile defense project was communicated to Polish officials only the night before it was announced. The decision was also announced on the 70th anniversary of the invasion of the Soviet Union of Poland in 1939. What an insult. In light of the timing of the decision, and given that Russian troops invaded Georgia last year, should we have been surprised when our Polish allies reacted with alarm at the suddenness of the announcement? I think not.

In short, Mr. Speaker, our relationship with Poland requires skillful handling and needs to take into account what Poland has experienced over the past 100 years in order to avoid sending unintended and potentially damaging messages to such a close ally.

Mr. Speaker, I support the resolution before us today.

I reserve the balance of our time.

Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks), a member of the Armed Services and Judiciary Committees and the co-Chair of the House Missile Defense Caucus.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 266, which celebrates 90 years of the United States-Polish diplomatic relations, during which Poland has proven to be an exceptionally strong partner to the United States in advancing freedom around the world. I support this resolution because Poland is an important ally, partner, and friend to the United States.

My home town of Houston, Texas has a strong connection with Poland. Texas has long been an important destination for Polish people immigrating to the United States. In 1818 a handful of Polish immigrants arrived in Texas seeking refuge from turmoil in Europe. Immigration from Poland increased in the 1850s as severe weather, economic hardship, a food shortage, and disease spurred people to seek better fortunes elsewhere. Texas received another wave of Polish immigrants in

the 1870s on the heels of political turmoil in Poland.

According to the Texas State Historical Association Houston there were 55,000 people of Polish descent in Houston in 2000. Aspects of the Polish culture are important to Houston's heritage and are celebrated in our annual Polish Festival and Polish Film Festival. Houston is also the home to a Polish consulate. I am proud to support this resolution as an acknowledgement of Houston's enduring ties with Poland.

The relationship between the United States and Poland was first formally established in the wake of World War I. In 1919, the U.S. and the newly-formed Polish Republic established diplomatic ties creating a formal relationship between governments that also served to symbolize the shared cultural heritage. Twenty years ago, communism fell in Poland and was replaced with a democratic government and market economy. While the relationship between the U.S. and Poland was at times difficult under communism, the spirit of mutualism and desire for cultural exchange endured. The Fulbright Educational Exchange Program began in Poland in 1959 allowing students from both sides of the Iron Curtain to maintain and grow our shared heritage.

In the 20 years since the fall of communism, Poland has also developed into a strong ally for our country. In 1999, Poland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, cementing our shared military interest. Poland has been a strong diplomatic and military ally in our struggle against terrorism across the globe by contributing troops to U.S.-led coalitions. Poland has also demonstrated its close ideological relationship with the United States through joint efforts on democratization, nuclear proliferation, human rights, Eastern European affairs, and reforming the United Nations. The United States and Poland have a strong relationship and I am proud to support this resolution celebrating the 90 years of diplomatic relations.

I thank the gentlelady, as always.

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege for me to stand here today in strong, wholehearted support of our cherished ally, the nation of Poland, and in strong support of House Resolution 266. And I want to thank Mr. Lipinski, a cherished friend of mine, for his willingness to put forth this resolution.

After the recently announced decision by the Obama administration abandoning our promised missile defense interceptors in Poland, our allies' newspaper headlines stated the situation in rather stark terms, Mr. Speaker. One Polish newspaper had the headline, ``Betrayed! The USA has sold us to the Russians and stabbed us in the back.''

Now, Mr. Speaker, it's a travesty beyond words that the United States of America, the bastion of freedom throughout the entire world, would give reason to a loyal ally like Poland to write headlines like that. Poland has strongly supported the United States diplomatically and militarily and has joined with us courageously in combating global terrorism and has contributed troops to the coalitions led by the United States of America both in Afghanistan and in Iraq.

For these reasons and so many others, Mr. Speaker, I'm honored to stand here today with my colleagues to warmly congratulate the Polish people on their remarkable accomplishments as a free nation and to express our gratitude for Poland's steadfast partnership with the United States and to affirm our clear and unwavering support for the free democratic nation of Poland.

Mr. Speaker, I would go one step further by stating that one of the best ways we could demonstrate our deep love and appreciation for the nation and people of Poland would be to prove that we mean this by extending the Visa Waiver Program to our Polish allies. We've already extended the Visa Waiver Program to 35 other allies, including other European nations like Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, and I strongly believe we should have extended this same courtesy to our allies in Poland long ago. Poland repealed its own visa requirement back in 1991 and allows Americans to travel throughout Poland without the use of a visa.

The nation of Poland has proven time and again, Mr. Speaker, its steadfast dedication to the cause of human freedom as well as its friendship with the United States, and it is appropriate that they understand that America is grateful. And I just reiterate my gratitude to Mr. Lipinski and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 266, celebrating 90 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Poland and recognizing Poland's critical role in advancing freedom and democracy across the globe. We must never forget Lech Walesa's leadership inside Poland and the Polish pope, Pope John Paul II's leadership from the outside which helped lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the wall separating the East and West and the freedom that that brought to so many hundreds of millions of people around the world.

As a Polish American, as the co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Poland, and as someone who represents part of the most Polish city outside of Poland, I'm especially proud to sponsor this resolution. I would like to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for working with me on this resolution and on other important issues.

In addition to marking the 90th anniversary of U.S.-Poland diplomatic relations, this year also marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism in Poland, the 10th anniversary of Poland's accession to NATO, and the 5th anniversary of Poland's membership in the European Union.

Ninety years ago, there were already 150,000 Polish immigrants in and around Chicago. The Polish American Association recently noted that following World War II, ``Polish Americans made up a large part of the countless families moving into Chicago suburbs, especially southwest suburbs such as Oak Lawn and Hickory Hills and western suburbs such as Berwyn and Lyons.'' These are all areas I represent, and such communities are one reason our countries are so close.

Poland's struggle against communism and its emergence as a free and democratic nation are a great chapter in the history of the 20th century. In recent years, Poland has strongly supported the United States diplomatically and militarily, helping to combat global terrorism and contributing troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution and in conveying America's thanks to the Polish people. Poland has been one of our Nation's best friends and strongest allies. We must honor this relationship and make sure that we work to continue it and work to strengthen that relationship with great respect.