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“ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S3032 on May 3, 2010.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, each May, since 1978, we have honored the rich heritage and countless accomplishments of the many Asian Pacific Americans in our country. I am delighted to recognize Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and to pay tribute to the struggles and enormous contributions of Asian Pacific Americans to our Nation's history and culture.
May was chosen for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month to commemorate both the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in 1843, and also the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, which was constructed in large part by Chinese laborers.
``Lighting the Past, Present, and Future'' is the theme for this year's celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This phrase recognizes both the plight and extraordinary achievements of the Asian Pacific American community as they have forged ahead to become a successful and vital segment of American society.
Currently, Asian Pacific Americans constitute one of the fastest growing minority communities in the United States, and California is home to the greatest number of Asian Pacific Americans. There are over 15 million Asian Pacific Americans in the Nation, with more than 5 million living in California. In addition, there are thousands of Asian Pacific Americans currently serving in our Armed Forces, defending our country and securing freedom abroad.
With this wealth of diversity, our State is enriched by many famous ethnic enclaves such as San Francisco's Chinatown and Japantown, Westminster's Little Saigon, Los Angeles's Historic Filipinotown and Long Beach's Little Cambodia. As the Asian Pacific American community has grown, these historic neighborhoods have become vibrant centers of cultural exchange and learning.
The Asian Pacific American community has enthusiastically answered the call to public service, and as a result, we see more Asian Pacific Americans in government leadership. Throughout my career, I have worked with many extraordinary Asian Pacific American leaders, in particular Senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, two longtime stalwarts of the Senate. Joining my colleagues this year in Congress was Representative Judy Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to the House of Representatives, becoming the 12th Asian Pacific American elected official currently serving in Congress. In addition, Dr. Steven Chu was appointed as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, the first Asian Pacific American to hold the position. A new generation of leaders has emerged, who will no doubt continue to lead not only their community, but the Nation to new heights.
This past year has also meant many firsts for the Federal bench: two Asian Pacific American nominees, Ed Chen and Lucy Koh, for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, where there has never been an Asian Pacific American district judge; the confirmation of the first Chinese American woman to be a district court judge, Dolly Gee; and the confirmation of the first Vietnamese American district court judge, Jacqueline Nguyen. I recommended Magistrate Judge Chen and Judge Nguyen to President Barack Obama, as well as Professor Goodwin Liu for appointment to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, confident that their strong legal backgrounds and unique perspective will be valuable additions to the Federal courts.
As we celebrate the rich and diverse Asian and Pacific Islander cultures during this month, we are not only recognizing many notable achievements, but we are also reminded of the struggles and sacrifices endured to live and experience the American dream.
The Senate has worked on a number of major pieces of legislation this session, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which I proudly voted for and the President signed into law in March. In addition to providing health care to 2.3 million uninsured Asian Pacific Americans nationwide, the bill will provide subsidies to Asian Pacific American small businesses, close the Medicare ``doughnut hole'' for all Asian Pacific American seniors, and provide more resources and strong data collection provisions that will help address racial and ethnic health disparities. In a community where 52 percent of Asian Pacific Americans delay or forgo routine and preventative treatment due to the high cost of medical care and where cancer is the leading cause of death, access to quality medical care is vital.
This is a great beginning to health care reform and I look forward to continuing the work with my Federal medical insurance rate authority bill. My legislation would create a rate authority that would oversee premiums charged by the health insurance industry and provide a safeguard for Americans against soaring premium increases. Access to affordable medical care is a necessity of life that I will work hard to protect for all Americans.
In the Asian Pacific American community where about 60 percent of the population is foreign-born, immigration reform is a central and important issue. For example, although Asians and Pacific Islanders make up about 39 percent of all family sponsored immigrants, they represent nearly half the backlogs in family reunification visas. I recently cosigned a letter with Senator Barbara Boxer to President Obama, urging his continued support for fixing our broken immigration system. As we address immigration reform, it is imperative that we support effective solutions and a commonsense approach that would keep families together, while improving the state of our economy.
At such an unprecedented moment in the Nation's history, there is no doubt that these are only two of the many challenges that the Asian Pacific American community will be faced with in the upcoming year. However, Asian Pacific Americans are a resilient people and their accomplishments this year alone are a testament of their remarkable spirit and important role in the history and culture of the United States.
I am proud to honor the tremendous strength, character, and courage of Asian Pacific Americans during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and am confident that they will only continue to surpass these challenges and further add to the vibrancy of the American landscape.
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