Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2773, the Recovering America's Wildlife Act. I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan, Congresswoman Dingell, and Chairman Grijalva for their leadership in moving this critical legislation through our Natural Resources Committee and to the Floor.

The world is in the middle of an extinction crisis and, unfortunately, my state is at its center. As a result of climate change, invasive species and other environmental stressors, our islands have earned the unfortunate distinction of becoming the endangered species capitol of the world. Of the 1,225 endangered species listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, nearly 500 are found in Hawaii. Just last year, nine more of Hawaii's endemic species were officially reclassified as extinct.

The Recovering America's Wildlife Act will provide $1.3 billion in support to states, territories and tribes to address wildlife conservation. The estimated $60 million in annual funding to Hawaii will be essential to my state's ability to save our imperiled biodiversity and will increase the chance that species like the `l`iwi (a Hawaiian Honeycreeper), `Ope`ape`a (the Hawaiian Hoary Bat) and Kahuli (Hawaiian tree snail) survive.

I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this legislation. Mahalo.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues to recognize and honor the selfless service of the Japanese Americans who served our country in World War II with the famed 100th Infantry Battalion of Hawaii, or the One Puka Puka.

This year, the fabled 100th celebrates its 80th anniversary. The battalion was composed of 1,400 Americans of Japanese ancestry whose loyalty was questioned by our government following the attacks on Pearl Harbor and much worse. Although much of the U.S. public looked upon them with disdain and skepticism, these soldiers simply persevered. Their story is one of patriotism, tenacity, and courage.

Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor, and when anti-Japanese hysteria was at its peak, these young men raised their hands and demanded the right to defend America.

With the support of U.S. military officers and others in Hawaii and elsewhere, the Federal Government eventually created an all-nisei, or second-generation Japanese-American Army unit, the 100th Infantry Battalion.

Just before their deployment in August of 1943, the men of the One Puka Puka selected the motto ``Remember Pearl Harbor'' to reflect their anger at the attack on their country.

Although the cloud of racism and underlying uncertainty hovered over these brave Americans, their performance was nothing less than exemplary. In September 1943, the 100th arrived in North Africa, but soon transferred to central Italy, where it faced heavy combat. It eventually became known as the Purple Heart Battalion because of its high casualty rate.

One of its members and casualties was Captain Spark Matsunaga, who suffered grievous injuries in a mine field. He later became a Member of this hallowed House and, after that, a United States Senator, inspiring generations, including me, who was privileged to serve 3 years on his staff. His own story is just one of countless we can and should remember.

In August, 1944, and after a year of combat, the battalion integrated with the Japanese Americans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. They then continued to fight through Italy and France. The men of the 100th spent 20 months in Europe and fought in six campaigns across Italy and France. They received six Distinguished Service Crosses and earned three Presidential Unit Citations. Along with the 442nd, the 100th Infantry Battalion is recognized as the most decorated American unit in our history for its size and length of service.

The lineage and honors of the 100th and 442nd live on today and are preserved by the 100th Battalion, 442d Infantry, U.S. Army Reserve. Today, the unit is staffed with reservists from Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and Saipan. These men and women carry on the legacy of the soldiers that endured so much before them 80 years ago.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to groups like the Nisei Veterans Legacy and the Military Intelligence Service Education Society of Hawaii, and others, for keeping the 100th Battalion's legacy alive. They have all been critical in recognizing the sacrifices of our Japanese Americans to defend a country that questioned their loyalty.

On the walls of the National Japanese American Memorial, not far from our U.S. Capitol, the late Senator Spark Matsunaga's words still ring true today: ``We believed a threat to this Nation's democracy was a threat to the American Dream and to all free peoples of the world.''

Today, we renew our debt of gratitude to the Japanese Americans of the One Puka Puka. May they live forever in our hearts and minds.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues, including my colleagues kindly speaking here today from Maryland and Illinois, in strong support of House passage of S. 1760, introduced by my colleague Senator Mazie Hirono, and passed unanimously by the Senate.

This critical measure, companion legislation to H.R. 3406, which I co-introduced in the House with its principal sponsor, my colleague and partner, Congressman Kaiali'i Kahele, will designate the new community- based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs, now literally rising out of the ground at Kalaeloa in Hawaii, and known to date as the Advanced Leeward Outpatient Healthcare Access, or ALOHA project, as the Daniel Kahikina Akaka Department of Veterans Affairs Community-Based Outpatient Clinic.

Daniel K. Akaka was many things throughout his long and full 93 years of life: teacher, Member of this House from 1977 to 1991, the first U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry from 1991 to 2012, beloved mentor to generations, and on and on. Of all of these, he was a deeply proud veteran, having served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Second World War, deploying to the Western Pacific in support of the critical island-hopping campaign, which won the Pacific war.

Senator Akaka carried his pride and passion and commitment to our Nation's veterans into his work in Congress. As member and chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, he produced an unmatched record of progress on healthcare, compensation, and other benefits for veterans, including crafting the new veterans' GI Bill in Congress to ensure more education benefits for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

In this Asian-Pacific Heritage Month, it is fitting to recognize his work focusing on specific issues affecting our Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander veterans.

The importance of the ALOHA project to our veteran `ohana, or family, throughout Hawaii and the Pacific cannot be overstated. On its projected completion in late 2023, it will bring our VA healthcare system to our veterans, relieving significant and growing pressure in Hawaii on that system, increasing healthcare access for Hawaii's over 110,000 veterans and more, and alleviating significant and growing logistical and capacity challenges at Tripler Army Medical Center and the Spark M. Matsunaga Medical Center.

I cannot think of a more deserving and appropriate individual to grace this facility and those who work and are healed there with his name and his still living, breathing spirit, than Daniel Kahikina Akaka.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this measure so that it may be sent directly to the President for his consideration and enactment.

``Mahalo nui loa.'' ``Thank you very much.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the life of Richard Roy Kelley, M.D., a true ``keiki o ka aina,'' ``a child of the land,'' son of Hawaii, just lost to us at age 88.

Doc Kelly was born to Hawaii's original hoteliers, Roy and Estelle Kelley, founders of Outrigger Hotels and Resorts. He grew up in their Waikiki hotels, graduated from Stanford and Harvard, and practiced in Honolulu before helming Outrigger through its second generation.

On Doc's watch, Outrigger expanded throughout Hawaii and the Pacific into a world-famous iconic beach resort brand; success for any life.

But Doc Kelley did far more. He pioneered true cultural tourism in ``Ke Ano Wa'a,'' or ``the Outrigger Way,'' through which the entire lifeblood of each property embraces and embodies its special values and place. He led the World Travel and Tourism Council and advised our own Travel and Tourism Council. And he endlessly loved Hawaii and his `` 'ohana,'' ``family,'' and never stopped giving back.

Richard ``Doc'' Kelley, an amazing and unforgettable life. From all of us to you and yours, mahalo, and aloha.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1908, the Ka'ena Point National Heritage Area Act. I wish first to recognize and say ``mahalo,'' or thank you, to my partner in our Hawaii congressional delegation, Representative Kaiali'i Kahele, who co- introduced this bill with me.

Our bill directs the U.S. Department of the Interior to study whether Ka'ena Point, a treasured wilderness area on the western tip of the island of O'ahu, should be designated as a national heritage area, or NHA. The 3-year study would evaluate whether Ka'ena Point holds invaluable resources that reflect our country's heritage and are worthy of conservation and special recognition nationally. Such a designation would also offer critical support to our local community in Hawaii to conserve the area for present and future use.

I am certain that Ka'ena Point is a perfect candidate for NHA designation. It houses a rich cultural and environmental history. It is the location of one of Hawaii's most sacred places, a leina a ka `uhane, a leaping place of souls where, according to native Hawaiian tradition, the spirits of the recently deceased leap from this realm to the next.

As one of the last few remaining and easily accessible wilderness areas on O'ahu, the sand dunes of Ka'ena Point are home to a number of endemic and endangered species, such as the Hawaiian monk seal, laysan albatross, and the ohai flower.

Our bill will ensure the full collaboration of the local community in preserving the traditions and pristine nature of Ka'ena Point. The community, our local organizations, fishers, hikers, and neighborhood groups, will be fully

engaged throughout the study process and, if the area is eventually designated as an NHA, will be integral partners in the area's management.

Finally, I also thank the chairs and ranking members of my full Committee on Natural Resources and Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, and our staffs for your understanding and support of our proposal.

And yes, to the ranking member, I look forward to showing you Ka'ena Point as soon as you can come out.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1931, the Japanese American Confinement Education Act, as well as H.R. 6434, the Japanese American World War II History Network Act, which we will consider later today.

I am honored and humbled to cosponsor these measures, and I sincerely thank my colleagues from California, Representatives Matsui and Obernolte, for their work in crafting both pieces of legislation to ensure that the inexcusable injustices faced by our Nation's Japanese American community during World War II are never forgotten.

The memory of World War II evokes one of the darkest periods of our history as a country, the mass internment of Japanese Americans. Over the course of the war, our Federal Government forcibly relocated and incarcerated about 120,000 Japanese Americans, the majority of whom were U.S. citizens, in barbed wire enclosed camps.

H.R. 1931 and H.R. 6434 both strengthen our ability, if not necessity, to tell what happened in these confinement sites, and to ensure that future generations learned what happened so it never occurs again.

I urge my colleagues to honor and remember the Japanese Americans who were incarcerated at still-infamous sites like Manzanar, Tule Lake, where my wife's uncle and aunt, simple truck farmers from Sacramento, were interned, Heart Mountain, and the Honouliuli Internment Camp in Honolulu by voting ``yes'' on both H.R. 1931 and H.R. 6434.

Madam Speaker, as a proud member of the Appropriations Committee, I rise in strong support of this measure.

I especially highlight section 165, directing $403 million in emergency funding to the Department of Defense's urgent response to contamination of the city of Honolulu's drinking water from fuel leaks from our military's Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility at Pearl Harbor.

Red Hill is a 250-million-gallon, World War II-era facility located only 100 feet directly above the major aquifer providing drinking water to some 500,000 residents, of which some 100,000 are military families served by the Navy's water system and are drawing from this aquifer.

Obviously, contamination of this aquifer from Red Hill fuel leaks would be catastrophic, most directly to general public health, but also to fundamental military readiness. And yet, that is exactly what happened last November when likely tens of thousands of gallons of fuel did leak from Red Hill into the aquifer and then through the Navy water system to thousands of homes, businesses, and military operations. People got sick, pets died, lives were disrupted, schools and businesses closed, and some 3,500, mainly military, families remain displaced. Overall public confidence in our military remains shattered.

Since then, our military, with their partners in State and Federal Government, has focused immediately on remediating contamination, restoring safe drinking water, and returning families to their homes. Our military has expended hundreds of millions on these efforts to date, with hundreds of millions more imminent and billions eventually required to implement Red Hill alternatives.

This measure's $403 million of emergency funding is critical to sustain the immediate effort to stabilize and defuel Red Hill, return our families to their homes, and restore public confidence in safe drinking water.

I deeply appreciate the commitment of my chair and committee; our Senate counterparts; the administration; and my Hawaii colleague, Senator Schatz, to the inclusion of this critical emergency funding.

Mahalo.

Madam Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 2930, the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act, which I cosponsored, especially as it ensures we fully include Native Hawaiians in all aspects of cultural heritage repatriation.

The STOP Act reauthorizes and makes important improvements to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) to protect the cultural patrimony of our Indigenous communities, including Native Hawaiians, the indigenous peoples of our country who originate in Hawaii. This bipartisan effort, spearheaded by Chair Teresa Leger Fernandez and Ranking Member Don Young of our House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples, on which I also serve, will assist our efforts to ensure the survival of Native artifacts for generations to come.

I also wish to memorialize for the record our committee discussions assuring that Native Hawaiians are directly involved in all cultural heritage repatriation processes mandated by Congress under NAGPRA, including full and direct presence on the NAGPRA Review Committee.

Religious practices of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians are an integral part of their culture, tradition and heritage. They also serve as a basis of Native identity and value systems. Congress has established a long-standing policy under the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA) of 1978 (Pub. L. No. 95- 341) and other legislation (25 U.S.C. Sec. 1996) to protect and preserve the inherent right of freedom to believe, express and exercise the traditional religions of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians.

Under NAGPRA, a review committee that consists of seven members is appointed by the Secretary of the Interior and tasked with several responsibilities, including consultation with Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations, working with the Secretary to develop regulations to carry out NAGPRA and making recommendations regarding future care of repatriated cultural items. At least two of these members must be traditional Indian religious leaders. The use of ``traditional Indian religious leader'' in NAGPRA (25 U.S.C. 3006) is consistent with the policy described in AIRFA (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1996) and includes and should continue to include all traditional Native American religious leaders, including Native Hawaiians, as defined by the term ``Native American'' found at 25 U.S.C. Sec. 3001.

Ensuring the eligibility of any American Indian, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian traditional religious leader to be nominated to serve on the NAGPRA Review Committee is critical to full implementation of the letter and spirit of NAGPRA and the preservation and safe return of our precious indigenous cultural heritage.

Mahalo.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month and to share our collective recommitment to end domestic violence.

Each October, we remember all those lost to and scarred by domestic violence, a tragic continuing scourge that cuts across all boundaries. Long after we have said goodbyes, long after physical wounds have healed, the psychological and social consequences continue and magnify. Domestic violence truly touches each and all of us.

Tragically, COVID-19 has magnified this challenge. In my home state of Hawaii, the Domestic Violence Action Center saw hotline calls increase by 188 percent from February 2020 to 2021. Survivors are further cut off from activities that allow them to escape an abusive environment, such as work or school, and domestic violence organizations face challenges in reaching survivors or providing services.

I am incredibly grateful for the service of the domestic violence organizations in my Hawaii, such as the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the some twenty other domestic violence organizations that provide services to survivors and their families, along with each and all of their dedicated workers and volunteers. I am also grateful for our local first responders and law enforcement, who have taken actions to better equip themselves to recognize and respond to domestic violence.

There is so much work to be done still in raising awareness and educating our communities about domestic violence. But for now, for anyone experiencing, witnessing or suspecting domestic violence, please call or text a local or national helpline. They are not alone.

Mahala and aloha.

Madam Speaker, each year our country recognizes October as Filipino American History Month, a time for all Americans to celebrate the incredible past, present and future of our fellow citizens whose heritage lies in the great country of the Philippines.

I am especially humbled to do so as the Representative of Hawaii's First Congressional District, where some 195,000 Filipino Americans live, more than any other of our 435 districts throughout the country. With Hawaii's Second Congressional District with the second largest Filipino Americans population, at about 175,000, our Fil-Am community in Hawaii stands at 370,000. In total, fully a quarter of all Hawaii residents are Filipino Americans, by far the largest percentage of any state or territory.

We observe Filipino American History Month in October because the first recorded arrival of Filipinos in the continental United States took place on October 18, 1587, when the ``Luzones Indios'' came ashore from the Manila-built galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza in Morro Bay, California. And in 1906, 115 years ago, the first fifteen sakada (contract laborers) arrived in Honolulu from the Philippines aboard the SS Doric, marking the first sustained immigration into our country and the humble beginnings of Fil-Ams in Hawaii. Today our Fil-Am community numbers some four million throughout our country, now the second largest of our Asian American groups.

Hawaii Fil-Ams in particular have been trailblazers in politics and government, the military, business and entrepreneurship, journalism, popular culture, music and the arts and more.

Peter Aduja became the first Fil-Am elected to public office in the United States when he was elected to the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives in 1954.

Alfred Laureta became the first-ever federal judge of Filipino ancestry. He was born in `Ewa, graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and was later nominated and confirmed by our own Senator Daniel Inouye in July 1978.

Benjamin Menor became the first Fil-Am higher court judge as associate justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court.

Ben Cayetano was the first Filipino American governor of a state in our union.

Major General Antonio Taguba was the second Filipino American promoted to general officer rank in the United States Army.

Eddie Flores Jr. bought the first L&L Drive-Inn on Liliha Street in Honolulu in 1976, turning it into a national franchise.

Carolina Dizon Wong was the first Filipino American woman to obtain an M.D. degree.

Ines Cayaban was the first Filipino American graduate of the School of Public Health, Nursing and Social Work at the University of Hawaii. She received the prestigious Jefferson Award in 1986 for her service to Hawaii.

Francisco Flores Trinidad Jr., of Honolulu, better known by his pen name ``Corky,'' was an award-winning editorial cartoonist of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin who became the first Asian editorial cartoonist syndicated in the U.S.

A loyal veteran of the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment that fought alongside our troops in the Philippines during World War II, Domingo Los Banos was Hawaii's first Filipino American school principal.

Roy Macaraeg became the first Fil-Am to become a general officer in the history of Hawaii's citizen soldier ranks.

In Hawaii, we also regularly honor the over 250,000 Filipinos who answered the call to protect and defend America and the Philippines in the Pacific theater. In 2016, President Obama signed into law the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act to bestow Congress's highest honor upon those veterans.

Each and all of these lives of achievement are but a small sampling of a broader community that has achieved so much and contributed so much to the rich fabric of our country. And the story of Filipino Americans is still in its early chapters.

Why, however, is it important that we take the time to recognize groups like Filipino Americans? To that, I respond that the story of Filipino Americans, and to an extent, the stories of all of our various ethnic groups, is the story of America. From very humble beginnings, they have risen through hard work, sacrifice, commitment to advancing the next generations and mutual support to achieve so much already. That well describes Filipino Americans overall, that and embracing the responsibilities and opportunities of America while honoring and treasuring the rich heritage of their ancestral homeland.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the ways that Asian Americans, including Filipino Americans, have been disproportionately affected by health and social situations. Filipino American nurses, despite making up just 4 percent of the nurse workforce, have accounted for about 25 percent of COVID-19 related deaths among all nurses. This is telling sign of the sacrifices they are making for our country.

Sadly, this community is not receiving the respect it deserves and facing senseless discrimination. As of August of this year, more than 9,000 Anti-Asian incidents have been reported since the pandemic began, with many

being Filipino America. All of us must work to stop this hatred.

And yet, as always, we have seen a resilient community persevere through all. In my own district, I have joined my friends for community clean up days at the Filipino Community Center to help protect and promote their heritage. With my colleagues in the House, I have reintroduced our Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, which seeks to reunite Filipino soldiers with their children.

All of this is why I recently joined my friend and colleague Congresswoman Young Kim in introducing H. Res. 724, a bipartisan resolution to express support for the designation of October as Filipino American History Month. We urge our colleagues' support to promote an ongoing appreciation of the contributions of Filipino Americans to our country and the rich diversity of our Nation.

To Fil-Ams everywhere, Maraming Salamat Po and Dios Ti Agngina, congratulations. I truly look forward to partnering with them on their next proud chapters.

Madam Speaker, last Friday, my colleague, Congressman Kaiali`i Kahele (Hawaii--Second), and I gathered here on Capitol Hill with leaders of our Native Hawaiian community and partners in the advancement of Native Hawaiians everywhere to recognize the centennial of the enactment, on July 9, 1921, of a truly revolutionary law, the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, to honor the times and memory of its author, Hawaii Delegate to Congress Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalani`anaole, and to reflect on and commit to the path still ahead.

That afternoon, we came together on the East grounds of the Capitol, directly outside the House chamber where Kuhio served for almost two decades, to share our mana'o (thoughts) on this momentous day. I would like to share here my own remarks on behalf of all throughout our Hawaii who I am privileged to represent:

To my colleague and friend, Congressman Kahele, our

incredible guests that are here with us today, and our

friends and `ohana watching everywhere, Aloha.

As I stand with you today, I have so many conflicting

thoughts and emotions.

We are here on hallowed grounds that for centuries now have

stood for the very best of humanity, and yet we are also on

ground that at a bare minimum tolerated the overthrow of the

Hawaiian Kingdom.

We are on grounds that have advanced equality, opportunity,

compassion and justice, and yet have sanctioned so much trial

and tragedy for our indigenous peoples.

We are on grounds where just one year ago, we gathered to

bid aloha to one of the great icons of the civil rights

movement, my colleague John Lewis, and yet it is this very

ground from which was launched an attack on our Capitol and

democracy by our own fellow citizens.

This land is riddled with contradictions. As it was when

Prince Kuhio came to Congress as the first Native Hawaiian to

serve almost 120 years ago.

Kuhio spoke then of the urgency and despair of a people

facing extinction in their own land. That was no idle

concern. It had in fact happened to other indigenous peoples

throughout our country and world; their peoples and cultures

are simply no more.

There were then just perhaps 40,000 Native Hawaiians. The

life expectancy of Native Hawaiians was but thirty years.

They were increasingly not living on the land as had dozens

of generations before them, but in the tenements of Honolulu

in dire circumstances.

And yet, Kuhio entrusted his people to this still-new

country, a country of promise but that had not shown it was

deserving of that trust. And he devoted his next two decades

toward advancing his people and to prove that his trust had

not been misplaced.

As Congressman Kahele has said, the Hawaiian Homes

Commission Act, signed one hundred years ago today, was his

singular accomplishment. But what was Prince Kuhio's legacy?

What did it all add up to?

History is fickle. We're all judged by our successes and

failures, our achievements and our shortcomings (of course

always in hindsight and without the context of the times).

But I would make these three observations about Kuhio,

looking back from the distance of history and as someone who

is not Native Hawaiian.

First, he was exactly the right person for his time and

place. Not just for Native Hawaiians, but for all of us whose

ancestors and lifeblood lay then and now in Hawaii.

Second, the Kanaka Maoli did not, unlike many of their

brothers and sisters, fade from this Earth. Native Hawaiians

now number in the hundreds of thousands throughout our

country and world, proudly reclaiming and perpetuating their

history and culture and contributing alongside all others who

seek a better path forward.

Third, Kuhio, as the first Native Hawaiian leader to step

forward onto the national stage, exemplified what proud,

principled and capable Hawaiian leadership is, setting the

standard for so many of us who followed down the road he

paved.

But history is never complete, and the Hawaiian Homes

Commission Act is a perfect example. As one Kanaka Maoli

leader noted recently, the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act was

beautifully conceived but did not deliver in its

implementation. In that the Act is its own story, and now we

must turn the page toward better chapters.

Today, I follow and support Congressman Kahele in finding

and forging that next chapter. For yesterday's achievements

are just tomorrow's foundations, and yesterday's failures are

just tomorrow's opportunities.

I am so deeply humbled with the responsibility--for all of

us wherever we are for whom Hawaii is and always will be our

true home--to partner with you in these next chapters of

renewed opportunity and hope. Thank you. Mahalo.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2662, the IG Independence and Empowerment Act, of which I am a cosponsor.

The work of our Inspectors General throughout government in providing an independent, objective and professional review and assessment of legal compliance and waste, fraud and abuse is critical to the overall functioning of government and to ensuring public trust and confidence in government. Equally, efforts to weaken, politicize, influence and cow our Inspectors Generals are direct threats to smooth government functioning, efficient and effective use of taxpayer dollars and the public trust and cannot be tolerated.

Chair Maloney's bill takes some of the best recommendations from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency to ensure Inspectors General independence, increase transparency and improve the effectiveness of one of our government's major checks mechanisms. This much-needed bill will improve the work of our Inspectors General community, which is even more critical now as we expend literally trillions of dollars in emergency COVID-19 relief.

I especially appreciate that this bill includes elements of Congressman Cooper's Inspectors General Independence Act, which I also cosponsored and which was endorsed by my Blue Dog Coalition last Congress because of its focus on issues related to fiscal responsibility, good governance and national security.

I also appreciate the Committee's support of the amendment submitted by Congresswoman Bourdeaux, Chair of the Blue Dogs Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility and Government Reform, which ensures that Inspectors General and their staffs receive sufficient training on the remedies available to them, specifically suspension or debarment, to fully address identified private sector government contracting waste, fraud or abuse.

This is a solid and much-needed improvement for one of our federal government's most valuable communities, and I urge its passage.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues to recognize and honor . . . a stamp.

A stamp just issued by the U.S. Postal Service that, with stunning simplicity, remembers, recognizes and honors one of the most remarkable and inspirational stories in the whole of our country's history.

A story of tragedy, perseverance and triumph that is so quintessentially American, that goes so deeply to our essence, that offers the most fundamental lessons that we must never forget.

And that is the point of this stamp: that we never forget the story of the Japanese American soldiers of World War Two and their famous motto which is its own lesson: Go For Broke.

For many of us, the story is well known and has instructed and inspired our own lives. But for a growing number of our fellow citizens of our country and world it is not, and so permit me a brief retelling.

The story originates in Japan in the late 1800s when largely rural poverty and lack of opportunity drove emigration to the United States, mainly Hawaii and the West Coast, until the Exclusion Act of 1924 ended any substantial further immigration. This first generation, or lssei, were excluded by reason of their race and origin from citizenship, yet they worked and sacrificed and persevered to provide a better life for their children, the second generation, or Nisei, born American citizens.

As World War Two loomed, Americans of Japanese Ancestry were beginning their third generation, or Sansei, in substantial communities, yet they remained largely marginalized because of race. In my Hawaii, they constituted over one third of our population, yet largely still labored on plantations or worked in small businesses. The same was true on the West Coast, from Washington through Oregon to San Diego. Some Nisei saw war with Japan coming and sought to enlist in our armed services, but they were largely denied out of race and suspicion and sought to prove themselves through service in the guard or, in Hawaii, the Varsity Victory Volunteers.

Pearl Harbor changed everything. Infamously, over one hundred thousand Japanese were interned for their race, an indelible stain on our national fabric. And after years of Japanese Americans pushing to be allowed to prove their loyalty by enlisting and fighting, the military finally relented with the 100th Infantry Battalion (the One- Puka-Puka), the 442nd regimental Combat Team (``Go For Broke''), the Military Intelligence Service and the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion.

The rest, as they say, is legend. The 100th and 442nd, after enduring great discrimination and great kindness in mainland training camps where Jim Crow was still very much alive, and even as their parents and brothers and sisters were incarcerated by their government, shipped out and fought their way with the U.S. Army from Africa up through Sicily and Italy and the Rhone and into France and the famous Battles of the Yosges and the Bulge and then into German itself where they liberated the concentration camps of the Third Reich. When it was all over, they had lost so many comrades and had become the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in our nation's history.

But it was not just for their wartime service that they are remembered, but their faith in and dedication to their country upon their return, itself marked even after all that by racism and discrimination. Many of them went on to careers in public service, like U.S. Senator and Medal Of Honor winner Daniel Inouye and U.S. Senator Spark Matsunaga, and many more in other professions and careers and back in their communities where they quietly fought for the principle that the American dream belonged to all Americans.

What an American story, and for all this we honored them in 2010 with our Congressional Gold Medal. But was that enough; would it all be remembered?

Three Japanese American women in California who themselves had been incarcerated--Fusa Takahashi, Chiz Ohira and Aiko King--thought not, and in 2005 they launched Stamp Our Story to convince the U.S. Postal Service to issue a stamp in honor and remembrance of the Japanese American soldiers of World War Two. Sixteen long years later, through continued advocacy led in Congress by my Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and my colleagues here now and before--especially U.S. Congressman Mark Takai, himself a Japanese American veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, tragically lost to us--this beautiful and moving stamp, impeccably designed by Antonio Alcala, was issued just weeks ago.

The design is taken from a 1944 photograph in the field of 442nd Private First Class Shiroku `Whitey' Yamamoto, a Nisei born and raise in the plantation village of Ninole on the Hamakua Coast of my home island of Hawaii. His service included the famous rescue of the Texas Lost Battalion in the Vosges, when the 442nd's casualties far exceeded the number of their mostly white comrades rescued. Legend has it that the motto ``Go For Broke''--or in our pidgin go fo broke--originated in Hawaii gambling slang for going big against all odds. The soldier's face speaks of fatigue, of questions, but above all of Gaman, of perseverance through great adversity to a better place. Such a fitting tribute, so appropriate. And made possible by so many, including colleagues who are here with me today to contribute their own thoughts.

Mdam Speaker, we are all grateful for the opportunity to remember and retell the American story of the Japanese American soldiers of World War II and to celebrate the lessons of their service and lives through their stamp.

To close, I'd like to recite the 442nd's special song:

Four Forty Second Infantry

We are the boys of Hawai`i nei

We will fight for you

And the red, white and blue

And will go to the front

And back to Honolulu-lu-lu

Fighting for dear old Uncle Sam

Go for broke we don't give a damn!

We will round up the huns

At the point of a gun

And the victory will be ours!

Go for broke! Four Four Two!

Go for broke! Four Four Two!

And victory will be ours.

Mahalo.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues for so many to recognize and honor a stamp just issued by the U.S. Postal Service that, with stunning simplicity, remembers, recognizes, and honors one of the most remarkable and inspirational stories in the whole of our country's history.

It is a story of tragedy, perseverance, and triumph that is so quintessentially American, that goes so deeply to our essence, and that offers the most fundamental lessons that we must never forget. And that is the point of this stamp, that we never forget the story of the Japanese-American soldiers of World War II and their famous motto, which is its own lesson: ``Go for broke.''

For many of us, the story is well-known and has instructed and inspired our own lives. But for a growing number of our fellow citizens of our country and world it is not. So permit me just a brief retelling.

As World War II loomed, Americans of Japanese ancestry were beginning their third generation, or nisei, in substantial communities, yet they remained largely marginalized because of their race. In Hawaii, they constituted over one-third of our population, yet largely still labored on plantations or worked in small businesses. The same was true on the West Coast, from Washington through Oregon to San Diego.

Some nisei saw war with Japan coming and sought to enlist in our armed services, but they were largely denied out of race and suspicion, and sought to prove themselves through service in the Guard or in Hawaii, the Varsity Victory Volunteers.

Pearl Harbor changed everything. Infamously, over 100,000 Japanese were interned for their race, an indelible stain on our national fabric. After years of Japanese Americans pushing to be allowed to prove their loyalty by enlisting and fighting, the military finally relented with the 100th Infantry Battalion; the 442nd in the military intelligence service; and the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion.

The rest, as they say, is legend. The 100th and 442nd fought their way through Sicily, through France and Italy, and ended up with the highest number of decorations for their length of service in the history of our military. We honored them in 2010 with our Congressional Gold Medal.

But was that enough?

Would it all be remembered?

Three Japanese-American women in California, who themselves had been incarcerated--Fusa Takahashi, Chiz Ohira, and Aiko King--thought not, and they fought a 16-year effort to gain approval of this beautiful stamp from the U.S. Postal Service, impeccably designed by Antonio Alcala. It was issued just weeks ago.

The design is taken from a 1944 photo in the field of 442nd Private First Class Shiroku ``Whitey'' Yamamoto, a nisei born and raised in the plantation village of Ninole on the Hamakua coast of my home island of Hawaii.

It is such a fitting tribute, so appropriate. To look into his eyes, Mr. Speaker, you see fatigue; you see commitment; but most of all, you see gaman, perseverance through great adversity to a better place.

No better fitting tribute could be issued at this point than this stamp. I am so honored to stand with my colleagues to honor the issuance of this stamp in memory of the Japanese-American soldiers of World War II.

I am honored to be joined by my colleagues here today who will speak also, many of whom labored long and hard with the rest of us towards the issuance of this stamp.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), who is the second vice chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Kahele).

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

Madam Speaker, each year we come together to recognize May as Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Month, in celebration of the critical participation of our Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities in our national story.

Over the past year, the pandemic has highlighted the harsh disparities that too many in the AANHPI community face across several issues, including access to health care, education and more. Our nation has also seen an unprecedented rise in hate-driven violence against Asian Americans. As Congressman from Hawai'i, the state with the highest percentage of Asian Americans in our country, I stand in full solidarity with all in the AANHPI community in confronting, condemning and overcoming this desecration of that story.

My own mentor, U.S. Congressman and Senator Spark Matsunaga, understood that the way forward amongst all peoples was not through violence or discrimination, but through peace, education and understanding. He and his generation of Asian Americans in the World War II era prevailed through extreme hardship to live the belief that peace and equality are not just ideas and aspirations but achievable reality.

In my home state of Hawai'i, we have been blessed with so many AANHPI leaders whose actions continue to guide us. Senator Matsunaga's legacy lives on in the U.S. Institute of Peace, which he created through an act of Congress in 1984. Congresswoman Patsy Mink's Title IX legislation is the foundation of equal opportunity in our schools. The songs Queen Lili'uokalani wrote are beloved memorials to the perseverance of Hawaiian culture. This July, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the enactment of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana`ole's Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, which helped return the Native Hawaiian people to the land that holds such deep ancestral, cultural and spiritual significance. Through these leaders and their successors, we see that despite generations of hardship and trial, AANHPI communities are standing strong and have led the charge to make our country better.

To AANHPIs everywhere and especially the close to 80 percent of my own constituents whose heritage lies in Asia and the Pacific, I am truly honored to elevate your voices in the halls of Congress and understand that a single month of remembrance is not enough. There is far more to be done, as a community, as a state and as a nation.

This May, in our 29th year of observing AANHPI month, I urge all of my fellow Americans to listen to the lessons of our past so we may act in the present to pave the way for our future.