[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 116 (Thursday, September 9, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND 
             INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 8, 1999

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2684) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs and 
     Housing and Urban Development, and for sundry independent 
     agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, and offices for 
     the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for other 
     purposes:

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support 
Representative Filner's amendment to provide $35.2 million for health 
care benefits for Filipino world War II veterans who were excluded from 
benefits by the Rescissions Acts of 1946. These veterans have service-
connected disability benefits and currently live in the United States.
  This is an issue of importance to the Filipino community both in San 
Francisco and around the nation. As I have testified before at previous 
House Committee hearings, one can not over emphasize the crucial role 
Filipinos played in the war. It is clear that the Philippines played a 
vital role in the outcome of the second world war. Countless Americans 
and Filipinos sacrificed their lives for their democratic beliefs. 
Historians credit the battle for the liberation of the Philippine 
Islands as the beginning of allied victory in the war. The courageous 
efforts of Filipino soldiers, scouts and guerrillas were central to 
allied victory in the Philippines, and therefore in the Pacific 
theater. Now in their time of need, they deserve our support.
  In 1941, President Roosevelt, by way of an executive order, brought 
the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines under the command of the U.S. 
Armed Forces and in 1945, soldiers known as new or special scouts came 
under U.S. military command. Because U.S. law at the time dictated that 
any person serving actively in the military and not dishonorably 
discharged would be considered a veteran for benefit purposes, these 
Filipinos would have been eligible for full veterans benefits. However, 
shortly after World War II ended, Congress passed the Rescission Act of 
1946, which revoked the full benefits eligibility of these soldiers, 
even though other Filipino soldiers who they fought side by side with, 
eventually became eligible. This Rescission Act is a scar on the 
historical record of the United States. In a time of war, we asked for 
and received the commitment of these Filipino soldiers to serve under 
U.S. authority. We should honor their military service on America's 
behalf.
  While I appreciate the complexity of our federal budget and the 
benefits issue, it should be clear that this is a moral issue and an 
equity issue. I hope you will support giving these Filipino veterans 
the benefits that they deserve and support Representative Filner's 
amendment.

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