Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2609) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish the Acquisition Review Board in the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, every year, the Department of Homeland Security invests billions of dollars on major acquisition programs to execute its critical missions. It acquires systems vital to homeland security, including ships for the U.S. Coast Guard and baggage screening systems for the Transportation Security Administration.

However, DHS' acquisition activities are on the Government Accountability Office's ``High Risk List'' because of management and funding concerns. In fact, according to GAO, only 10 of the 24 major acquisition programs have approved schedule and cost goals and are on track to meet those goals.

Given these challenges, it is critical that DHS review its major acquisition programs for proper management, oversight, and accountability.

This bill, the DHS Acquisition Review Board Act of 2019, seeks to strengthen the role of the Acquisition Review Board, or ARB, to improve acquisition outcomes within the Department of Homeland Security. The ARB has the potential to help ensure that DHS does not pursue programs that it can't afford or that do not meet established cost, schedule, and performance thresholds.

Mr. Speaker, the enactment of H.R. 2609 is one mechanism within the Department to help ensure that programs are on time, on budget, and in line with the Department's mission.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas for that fine piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close after the gentleman from the State of Texas (Mr. Crenshaw) closes.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2609 has the potential of fostering accountability and uniformity within the Department's acquisition programs.

A version of this legislation was passed by the House by a voice vote in the 115th Congress, and I urge my colleagues to do the same again today.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2590) to require a Department of Homeland Security overseas personnel enhancement plan, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2590, the DHS Overseas Personnel Enhancement Act of 2019.

A key feature of how the Department of Homeland Security carries out its border security mission is the deployment of personnel abroad to help ensure that threats are identified and addressed before they ever reach our borders.

For our part, Congress has a role to play to ensure the Department has the right policies and resources to keep Americans safe, both at home and abroad.

H.R. 2590 builds on the existing Federal mandate that requires DHS to have a 3-year strategic plan for overseas deployment of DHS personnel. The mandate enacted in 2017 was authored by the chairman of the Committee of Homeland Security, Representative Thompson.

H.R. 2590 would strengthen the strategic plan by requiring DHS to provide regular congressional briefings about overseas personnel. Following the first briefings, DHS would be required to submit a strategic plan to enhance the effectiveness of its overseas personnel deployments to Congress.

Subsequent briefings would track DHS efforts to enhance the effectiveness of its personnel in foreign locations.

During committee markup of this bill, Democrats offered amendments to ensure that DHS prioritizes efforts to mitigate the risks and counterintelligence threats facing DHS personnel living overseas. As amended, it requires DHS to report on foreign efforts to influence our personnel and maintain practices to guard against these threats, including counterintelligence and cyber threats.

Pushing our borders out to mitigate threats to the homeland before they ever reach our shores is an important endeavor and one we should all support. Providing the basic information in H.R. 2590 will help Congress better understand who DHS is deploying overseas and to what end and how we can best support components with overseas missions.

I would note that DHS has yet to provide Congress with a 3-year strategy required by statute and requested by Chairman Thompson years ago. I hope that we do not have to wait much longer before receiving this strategy and additional information about how DHS is using its workforce overseas.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank my colleague from New York (Mr. Katko) for this fine piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers. I am prepared to close after the gentleman from New York closes as well, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, by passing H.R. 2590 today, Congress can ensure that our borders are being pushed out to mitigate threats to the homeland and that DHS overseas personnel are being deployed effectively and efficiently.

I would also add that this measure was passed by the House in the 115th Congress by a vote of 415-0. I hope that my colleagues will lend their support and join me in passing this legislation again today.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that, I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, if I may call your attention to this poster here to my right. This is a photo of brave Americans out of Orange County who have made the ultimate sacrifice since 9/11. Among them are Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor, Army Ranger Sergeant Tyler Holtz, and right here in the middle is a picture of Corporal Jose Angel Garibay, a Dreamer and a marine without status who joined the Marine Corps and made the ultimate sacrifice in 2003. Later on, he was given American citizenship posthumously. This is a Dreamer, Jose Angel Garibay.

I want to also take a moment to talk about another Dreamer, Police Officer Germain Martinez Garcia, who grew up in southern Illinois. In the words of his police chief:

Germain is a part of our community. He's a good citizen.

He's a good person, and we need him.

He is a Dreamer.

Two other Dreamers are two brothers, John and James, who both grew up in L.A. They are both Dreamers. They joined the U.S. Army last year, and they are out in basic training right now. These two want nothing more than to defend our country, and today's legislation will ensure that these bothers, John and James, can come home to the United States after serving our country.

Another Dreamer, Gloria, grew up in the center of my district, Santa Ana. She is a Dreamer who attended Harvard and is now getting her Ph.D. at Claremont University.

All these are Dreamers, and for the life of me, I don't understand how these individuals do not add to the greatness of America.

Dreamers have been vetted. Dreamers are hardworking. They pay taxes; they follow the law; and many, many of them are defending our country all over the world.

Mr. Speaker, let's give Dreamers the opportunity to earn the American Dream. I ask for a vote of ``aye'' on H.R. 6.

Madam Speaker, today I wish to honor the achievements of Chancellor Raul Rodriguez and his well-deserved retirement. Through his dedication and passion, his influence has spread through our communities.

Chancellor Raul Rodriguez has dedicated the last nine years of his career to the Rancho Santiago Community College District. The district covers one quarter of the land area in Orange County. There, Mr. Rodriguez oversees and inspires more than 80,000 students and 4,000 employees.

Chancellor Raul Rodriguez began his educational career with a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Liberal Studies from Bowling Green University in Ohio and a master's degree in School and Applied Psychology from Fairfield University. He then received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has spent the last 24 years as a community college CEO, various administrative positions throughout the state, and most recently as Chancellor.

Currently, Chancellor Raul Rodriguez serves as the Immediate Past Chair of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges and the Regional Accreditor for community and technical colleges. Chancellor Rodriguez has served as Team Member or Chair on various visits to ACCJC colleges as well as the Chair and Vice-Chair of ACCJC. He is an active member of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Rotary Club of Orange, and the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Ana.

Today we celebrate not only his decades-long successful career but his future. I applaud Chancellor Raul Rodriguez's passion and contributions to serve the community and ask my colleagues to join me in honoring and recognizing Chancellor Raul Rodriguez.

Madam Speaker, I wish to recognize the Santiago High School softball team who recently won their first League Championship in school history and made it all the way to the CIF Southern Section Division 6 title game.

Santiago High School's softball team truly had a storybook season, with an overall regular season record of 23-1. This is the best record in the school's nearly 60-year history.

Additionally, Santiago High School went 9-1 in league play, clinching their first Garden Grove League Title. This was a moment of great pride for the school. The team began their extraordinary run through the CIF Southern Section Division 6 softball tournament as the number one seed and dominated their way through the playoffs.

Their coach, Melissa Adams, reached her 100th win during the 2nd round of the playoffs becoming the first Santiago High School softball coach to reach 100 wins.

Melissa and her coaching staff, Tony Adams and Manuel Cruz, led the team through an outstanding playoff run that led to their first title game in school history. While the team made a valiant effort, they fell just short of the title with a 3-2 loss.

The Santiago High School softball team has truly been a dominating force on the softball field this season and have so much to be proud of. With only four seniors graduating, they will truly be a force to be reckoned with next season as they make a run for a Garden Grove League dynasty. The team is truly a special group of young women and I am proud to recognize all of their accomplishments.

Madam Speaker, I wish to recognize the Hector Godinez Fundamental High School softball team who recently won their first CIF Southern Section Championship in school history.

On Saturday, May 18, the softball team clinched their first ever title, defeating El Segundo High School by a score of 15-1, becoming the CIF Southern Section Division 4 Champions. They won all five of the CIF games by five or more runs, making a dominating run to the championship.

It has been a truly outstanding season for both Godinez Fundamental High School softball and the City of Santa Ana. Their head coach, Ed Medina, has been the coach since the school opened in 2007 and was named the 2019 Orange County Softball Coach of the Year. His assistant coaches are Clarissa Castellanos, Kevin Pola, and Selene Pola.

In 2017, they made it to the CIF-SS Semi Finals and in 2018, they made it to the 2nd round of playoffs. This season, they outdid themselves with an overall regular season record of 21-4. They won the Golden West League Championship, with an undefeated record of 10-0 in their first year in the league. This is their fourth league championship in a row, previously winning three Orange Coast League Championships in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

The Hector Godinez Fundamental High School softball team has truly been a dominating force on the softball field this season, especially during the playoffs. They have six graduating seniors and many more returning, and I am confident they will be a force to be reckoned with in the 2020 High School softball season. The team is truly a special group of young women and I am proud of all their accomplishments. Congratulations again on being the 2019 CIF Southern Section Division 4 softball champions.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Nativo Lopez, a long-time voice for the Mexican American community in Southern California and a champion of

immigrant rights. Mr. Lopez passed away on Sunday, May 20th.

Mr. Lopez grew up in Los Angeles County in a family that had lived in the United States for six generations. He studied Spanish literature at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Nativo Lopez was best known for changing the political landscape in Orange County. His determination and ability to organize volunteers, workers, people who had never been active in politics, led the start of the Orange County blue wave. Nativo began advocating and organizing at an early age. At the age of 13, he joined picket lines to protest funding cuts at a community center in East Los Angeles. As an 18-year- old at Excelsior High School, he and his brothers led a walkout of more than 200 Mexican American students to raise awareness for educational reform.

As a young professional, Mr. Lopez was a court interpreter in Los Angeles County. Mr. Lopez founded a Santa Ana chapter of Hermandad Mexican National, a group that provides services to and protects the needs and rights of Spanish-speaking immigrants. Nativo Lopez led Hermandad Mexicana for more than 30 years. His passion for ensuring that immigrant workers and their families, with or without documents, were treated with dignity and respect often sparked controversy, but his commitment to the cause never wavered.

In 1985, his name made national news when he helped more than 500 Santa Ana families stage a successful rent strike. Mr. Lopez won a seat on the Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Trustees in 1997. One of his most influential efforts was his creation of Assembly Bill 60, allowing unauthorized immigrants to apply for driver's licenses. Mr. Lopez was soon recognized as the undisputed champion of immigrant rights in Southern California.

Unfortunately, his life was cut short by cancer. Nativo Lopez leaves behind a legacy in fighting for civil rights, immigration rights, educational access, and community empowerment through civic engagement.

Madam Speaker, Mr. Lopez is truly a legend in the history of Latino leaders in Orange County and Los Angeles. His dedication and passion to serving the Hispanic community are truly unmatched. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the life of Nativo Lopez and his lifelong dedication to serving our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Hannah Karanick, 13, of Anaheim, California, who was named one of America's top 10 youth volunteers of 2019 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards during the program's 24th annual national award ceremony on May 9 in Washington, D.C.

Selected from a field of more than 29,000 youth volunteers from across the country, Hannah has earned the title of National Honoree, along with a personal award of $5,000, an engraved gold medallion, a crystal trophy for her school, and a $5,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation for a nonprofit charitable organization of her choice.

An eighth-grader at Orangeview Junior High School, Hannah established a ``closet'' at her former elementary school that provides new clothing, laundry products, toiletries, quilts and school supplies to students there whose families can't afford to buy such necessities. Her

project was sparked by a boy at her school who never had a backpack and wore the same clothes every day. ``He was funny and smart, but he was often teased for his hygiene and his clothes, and I saw his eyes fill up with tears many times,'' said Hannah.

When the boy and several other students ended up living with Hannah's family as foster kids, ``I watched their grades soar and their attitudes turn around,'' she said.

Since her family couldn't take every child in need into their home, Hannah had to find another way to help. After meeting with the principal of her old school and sending an opinion poll to its staff members, she decided to create a closet at the school where students could discreetly obtain basic necessities.

She asked friends and family members to help her buy supplies, and then began obtaining items from the congregation of a local church. Nearly 50 children benefited from ``Hannah's Helpful Hands'' closet in its first three months. ``I am disappointed that I can't help more kids at this point,'' said Hannah, ``but I am committed to expanding the program!''

Madam Speaker, Hannah Karanick has not only done important work in support of people in need--but has also shown her peers that young people can, and do, create meaningful change. I commend this young volunteer for all she's contributed to her community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the City of Garden Grove's Fallen Five: Sergeant Myron L. Trapp, Officer Andy Reese, Officer Donald F. Reed, Officer Michael Rainford, and Master Officer Howard Dallies, Jr.--the officers Garden Grove has lost in the line of duty.

On October 6, 1959, Sergeant Myron L. Trapp was responding to a call involving a man who was angry about the noise from road work on his street. Trapp was trying to talk the man out of his house when a fellow officer approached the front door. The man fired his rifle through the door. He missed the first officer but struck and killed Trapp.

Officer Andy Reese, a reserve officer, was directing traffic during the Strawberry Festival on May 30, 1970 when an impatient driver sped past slow-moving traffic and hit Reese, killing him.

On June 7, 1980, Officer Donald Reed and three fellow officers entered a bar to serve a man with an arrest warrant. Reed was escorting him out the back door when the man drew and fired a semi-automatic handgun. Reed was struck in the chest and killed.

Officer Michael Rainford was conducting a routine traffic stop on a Garden Grove Freeway on-ramp while on patrol on November 7, 1980. He was killed by a drunk driver.

Master Officer Howard Dallies, Jr. pulled over a motorcyclist on March 9, 1993. As Dallies approached the motorcycle, the driver fired six shots at the officer, hitting him four times. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died from his wounds.

For the past three decades, the city of Garden Grove has honored the Fallen Five with a memorial service that brings together family, friends, and colleagues of the fallen officers, as well as community organizations and the public, to pay tribute to the lives and sacrifices of these men. This year, the theme of the Call to Duty Police Memorial is `The Thin Blue Line,' a symbol of law enforcement solidarity.

These five brave men donned the uniform and badge for the Garden Grove Police Department and they all sacrificed their lives to keep their community safe. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring these officers for their service.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Homeland Security has grown into the Nation's largest Federal law enforcement agency. More than 60,000 law enforcement officers within DHS are entrusted with securing our country as well as maintaining and safeguarding sensitive law enforcement equipment, such as firearms, ammunition, and badges.

In 2010, DHS' Office of Inspector General reported 289 firearms issued to DHS officers were lost between 2006 and 2008. By 2017, when the inspector general did a follow-up review, it found that 228 firearms, 1,900 badges, and 2,100 sensitive assets were either lost or stolen between 2014 and 2016.

Just last winter, ICE realized that it had more ammunition than it was tracking. CNN reported on 70 cases where Federal air marshals lost or misplaced their weapons, including leaving firearms in airport bathrooms.

Mr. Speaker, 4 years ago, a constituent from my home State of California, Antonio Ramos, 27 years old, was fatally shot with a 9- millimeter pistol stolen from a DHS officer. This is tragic and unacceptable, and we can do better.

The inspector general identified the absence of a Department-wide directive or policy of securing sensitive assets as a major reason for the Department's mismanagement of firearms and other equipment. Insufficient tracking and recording mechanisms and poor oversight were also factors identified.

This bill, Securing DHS Firearms Act, seeks to fix these issues by ensuring the Department has effective controls over firearms and other sensitive assets. Additionally, it requires DHS to develop reporting and record-keeping requirements for lost firearms and other assets that law enforcement personnel can adhere to.

Enactment of the Securing DHS Firearms Act of 2019 is necessary to ensure that the highly sensitive assets that help DHS officers protect our country don't fall into the wrong hands.

I first introduced this bill in the 115th Congress where it received bipartisan support and passed this House unanimously on January 9, 2018. I urge my colleagues to once again pass this commonsense legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Vidal Arroyo for being selected as the first ever Rhodes Scholar from Chapman University, a prominent research University in my district.

As one of 32 U.S. scholars selected for a Rhodes Scholarship, he will be provided all expenses for up to four years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Mr. Arroyo earned his place as a Rhodes Scholar, not only for his outstanding scholarly achievements, but for his character and commitment to his education.

I applaud Mr. Arroyo for maintaining a perfect GPA in his educational career. He has expressed his unique passion to become a new paradigm of science by striving toward his goal of creating artificial intelligence tools that are driven to treat cancer.

Mr. Arroyo comes from a humble background and is the first in his family to attend college. As a founder and President of Chapman STEMstors, he has been mentoring at-risk youth to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.

While volunteering at Children's Hospital of Orange County, he was exposed to children struggling with obesity and other diseases after being declared cancer-free; thus, motivating him to conduct research on the relationship between cancer and obesity. His passion for finding treatments for cancer is demonstrated by his drive to design artificial intelligence algorithms that can be used to personalize cancer treatment. Mr. Arroyo's contributions toward supporting and developing tools for cancer treatment could potentially impact the lives of millions around the world.

Mr. Arroyo's passion for education has been the framework of his success. As a first-generation college student, and now Chapman University's first Rhodes Scholar, he is an extraordinary inspiration to our community. For this reason, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring and recognizing the accomplishments and career of Vidal Arroyo. Go Panthers.

Madam Speaker, I would like to honor Frank Barbaro, of Orange County, a prominent attorney, humanitarian and a political legend. Mr. Barbaro passed away on April 15th.

Born in Detroit, Michigan of Italian-English-Irish parents and raised by his mother and grandmother, the family, arrived in Orange County in 1954, exactly 65 years ago, settling in the City of Garden Grove.

After attending Garden Grove High School, Mr. Barbaro attended the University of Southern California and graduated Magna Cum Laude with his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in June of 1965. In June of 1965, Mr. Barbaro was accepted to law school at the University of Southern California and graduated in 1968. During law school, Mr. Barbaro was awarded the Warner Trust Grant, he was a Bauer Fellow and received the Legion Lex Scholarship.

During college Mr. Barbaro worked as a lifeguard at the Disneyland Hotel and the Balboa Bay Club and later worked as ``Fearless Frank'' on the Disneyland Jungle Cruise as a skipper/narrator. Mr. Barbaro was Walt Disney's favorite jungle cruise narrator and allowed him to escort John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger and many other celebrities through the Jungle Cruise.

In 1977, Mr. Barbaro was one of the founding partners of Horton, Barbaro & Reilly and practiced as a partner until its dissolution in 2005. Mr. Barbaro has practiced in all areas of civil litigation. Mr. Barbaro has been involved in many high-profile cases including representing the 23,000 investors in Lincoln Savings against Charles Keating and victims of the MGM Grand Hotel Fire in Las Vegas.

Taking over from Richard J. O'Neill, Mr. Barbaro initially chaired the Democratic Party in 1977-78 at the ripe old age of 34. During these two years Mr. Barbaro ran a registration campaign for voters that resulted in a Democratic majority in Orange County for the only time in modern history. Mr. Barbaro was also responsible for the creation of the Democratic Foundation of Orange County.

Mr. Barbaro has served in many positions with the Democratic Party of Orange County or the Democratic Foundation of Orange County. He returned to the role of Chairman of the DPOC from 2003 until 2013, becoming the longest serving chair in the DPOC's history. During that time, Mr. Barbaro invested his own money to bring in a professional staff and set the foundation that would lead to the Orange County ``Blue Wave'' of 2018.

Mr. Barbaro was named chair to the Orange County campaigns of many prominent elected officials, including President Barack Obama,

President Jimmy Carter, Governor Jerry Brown, Senator Edward Kennedy, Senator John Kerry, and Secretary Hillary Clinton.

Mr. Barbaro's proudest accomplishment are his two sons, Brett and Casey. His oldest, Brett, graduated from Harvard in biochemistry is working at Scripps in La Jolla mapping atoms and cells in a worldwide network to find a cure for devastating diseases. His youngest son, Casey, graduated from Stanford, attended Albert Einstein School of Medicine, graduating Alpha Omega Alpha, and is now a lead trauma surgeon at Ventura County Hospital.

Frank Barbaro is truly a legend in the history of Orange County and I am proud to honor my good friend, Frank Barbaro, a giant among men.

Madam Speaker, I would like to honor the achievements of one of my constituents, Charlotte Egan, who is celebrating her 50th year of service for the OC Health Care Agency and her well-deserved retirement.

Mrs. Egan began her career at the OC Health Care Agency as a Public Health Microbiologist Trainee in 1969, after seeing an ad for the opening in a newspaper. Since then, she has worked her way through every section of the HCA laboratory. In 1985, she was promoted to Public Health Microbiologist II in the Virology/Serology section where she served as the lead microbiologist. Mrs. Egan has played an instrumental role in the research and identification of viruses such as Influenza, Mumps, Chicken Pox, and Rubella. She has also been at the forefront of combatting outbreaks of HIV, H1N1 Influenza, and Measles. Charlotte is known for the quality and standard of her work. She served as an outstanding model to her trainees and peers. In the words of Mrs. Egan, ``Find work that you're passionate about and do it well. Serve your community with patience and have respect for patients.''

Today we celebrate not only her decades-long career, but her future beyond the laboratory. She looks forward to spending more time with her granddaughters, volunteering at the Hollywood Braille Institute and the Aquarium of the Pacific, traveling, and maybe even pursuing her dream of qualifying for a mission to the International Space Station.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize Mrs. Charlotte Egan for her commitment to excellence and dedication to serving our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate April as National Arab American Heritage Month to recognize the tremendous contributions Arab Americans have made to our great nation. Arab Americans have been, and continue to be, an invaluable part of our American life.

Arab American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of people in the United States with Middle Eastern roots as well as for the public to become informed about the history of Arab Americans in the U.S.

Arab Americans are among the most loyal and patriotic Americans and have positively impacted communities throughout America with contributions to the medical field, agriculture sector, law, business, education, the entertainment industry, politics and beyond.

While celebrating their rich cultural heritage and embracing resilient family values, strong work ethic, dedication to education, and diversity in faith and creed, Arab Americans have added strength to our democracy.

While many unfairly perceive Arab Americans as unknown or unfamiliar, Arab Americans first began to arrive on American shores in the late 1800s. About half of the estimated 3,700,000 Arab Americans living in the United States were born in the U.S., according to the 2000 U.S. Census and the Arab American Institute.

Arab Americans join all citizens in the desire to see a peaceful and diverse society, where every individual is treated equally and feels safe. Celebrating Arab American Heritage Month allows us to promote public education, awareness, and policies that are culturally competent when describing, discussing, or addressing the impacts of being Arab American in all aspects of American society.

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to represent the Arab American constituents in my district, many of whom I call friends, and to recognize the incredible contributions and heritage of Arab Americans who have helped us build a better nation.

Madam Speaker, today, I am introducing a House Resolution recognizing the accomplishments and contributions of Vietnamese Americans. I represent one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the United States, and I am proud to recognize the valuable contribution of 1.7 million Vietnamese Americans living in this nation. The United States is home to the largest number of individuals of Vietnamese descent outside of Vietnam. Currently more than 70,000 reside in California's 46th Congressional District.

In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, approximately 800,000 Vietnamese refugees fleeing persecution resettled in the United States. Today, Vietnamese Americans contribute to American society through their work in. business, education, science and technology, engineering, mathematics, literature and the arts, gastronomy, the armed forces, and public service at every level of government.

Vietnamese Americans add to the rich cultural and religious diversity of our nation. As a

member of the Congressional Vietnam Caucus, it is critical that we continue to represent and celebrate our Vietnamese families, friends, and neighbors, and recognize their significant contributions to American society.