[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 23, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3298-S3299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           FILIPINO VETERANS

  Mr. SALAZAR. Madam President, I come to the floor this afternoon to 
speak again on behalf of S. 1315, the Veterans' Benefits Enhancement 
Act.
  At the outset, I wish to commend Senator Akaka for his leadership in 
the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, as well as the ranking member, 
Senator Burr, for having brought together a package, which is a good 
one, which is now on the floor of the Senate. I hope our colleagues 
come together tomorrow to pass this important legislation for the 
veterans of America.
  The bill expands eligibility for traumatic injury insurance; extends 
eligibility for specially adapted housing benefits for veterans with 
severe burns; increases benefits for veterans pursuing apprenticeships 
or on-job training programs; and a whole host of other benefits that 
are needed for the veterans of America. It is especially crucial at 
this time because of the fact that we have so many returning veterans 
from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
  This is legislation that will help not only those veterans but the 25 
million veterans we have here in America. I am proud to be a cosponsor 
of this legislation. I urge my colleagues to fully support it.
  The issue of debate, which has, frankly, kept this legislation from 
receiving a unanimous consent vote in the Senate has been the issue of 
the treatment for veterans benefits of the Filipino warriors from World 
War II. I wish to remind our colleagues there were 470,000 Filipino 
veterans that volunteered and served to preserve the freedoms of the 
world during World War II; that approximately 200,000 of them were with 
the Philippine Commonwealth Army, with the Philippine Army Air Corps, 
and the Philippine Army Offshore Patrol.
  Today, there are about 18,000 of those warriors who now live in the 
United States of America. In my view, we cannot forget the sacrifices 
these Filipino warriors made as they fought side by side with American 
troops in World War II. They constituted the vast majority of the 
80,000 soldiers who defended the Bataan Peninsula during the Japanese 
invasion. They constituted the vast majority of the soldiers who were 
forced on the Bataan Death March. The provisions in this legislation 
that deal with the benefits for Filipino veterans--and most of them are 
in their late seventies and eighties--are provisions we should support 
in the Senate.
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the order from 
President Franklin Roosevelt, dated July 26, 1941, concerning his order 
placing the Philippine Army under the control of the United States 
Department of Defense.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

        The Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt

     Military Order Placing Land and Sea Forces of Philippines 
         Under United States Commands, July 26, 1941
       Under and by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
     Constitution of the United States, by section 2(a)(12) of the 
     Philippine Independence Act of March 24, 1934 (48 Stat. 457), 
     and by the corresponding provision of the Ordinance appended 
     to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, 
     and as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United 
     States, I hereby call and order into the service of the armed 
     forces of the United States for the period of the existing 
     emergency, and place under the command of a General Officer, 
     United States Army, to be designated by the Secretary of War 
     from time to time, all of the organized military forces of 
     the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines: 
     Provided, that all naval components thereof shall be placed 
     under the command of the Commandant of the Sixteenth Naval 
     District, United States Navy.
       This order shall take effect with relation to all units and 
     personnel of the organized military forces of the Government 
     of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, from and after the 
     dates and hours, respectively, indicated in orders to be 
     issued from time to time by the General Officer, United 
     States Army, designated by the Secretary of War.

  Mr. SALAZAR. Madam President, in that statement and order by 
President Roosevelt, this is what he said, on July 26, 1941:

       Under and by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
     Constitution of the United States, [by the corresponding laws 
     concerning the Constitution] . . . of the Commonwealth of the 
     Philippines, and as Commander in Chief of the Army and the 
     Navy of the United States, I hereby call and order into the 
     service of the Armed Forces of the United States for the 
     period of the existing emergency, and place under the command 
     of a General Officer, United States Army . . . all of the 
     organized military forces of the Government of the 
     Commonwealth of the Philippines . . .
       This order shall take effect with relation to all units and 
     personnel of the organized military forces of the Government 
     of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. . . .

  By this order, President Roosevelt harnessed the men and women of the 
Philippines, who served in the Armed Forces and helped our forces 
during

[[Page S3299]]

that great conflict, to be part of our warrior force that defended and 
preserved the freedoms of America during that great world war.
  So I honor and I appreciate the leadership of Senator Akaka and 
Senator Inouye and Senator Stevens, who have come to the floor and have 
spoken, from their unique historical perspective, about this being a 
matter of justice for the Filipino veterans who so helped secure the 
place of America across the world as a beacon of hope and freedom for 
generations to come.
  I think we, as a Senate body, can do no less than to honor the 
sacrifice of these great veterans--part of the greatest generation--by 
making sure we adopt the provisions of this bill as they have been 
presented by Senator Akaka in his bill.
  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I speak today in support of S. 1315, the 
Veterans' Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007.
  Our service men and women as well as their families make enormous 
sacrifices for our freedom. In return, Congress has an obligation to 
spend the money and create the programs necessary to provide quality, 
comprehensive health care services, mental health counseling, 
disability compensation, pay increases, better education benefits, and 
more. That responsibility grows daily with so many of our troops 
fighting overseas.
  I am proud of what this Congress has accomplished to date. We passed 
a Defense authorization bill that will enhance wounded soldiers' health 
care and rehabilitation benefits as well as streamline the physical 
evaluation process. Last year, this Congress provided the largest 
increase in veterans' spending in this country's history. This 
February, the Senate passed and President Bush signed the economic 
stimulus package that would provide stimulus checks to more than 
250,000 disabled veterans and to the survivors of disabled veterans. We 
passed a housing stimulus package on April 10 that had several benefits 
for veterans including increased limits on the VA Home Loan program and 
authorization for the VA to provide increased adapted housing grants to 
disabled veterans.
  As a member of the Budget Committee, I am happy to report that this 
year's budget puts us on track to provide our veterans adequate support 
in the coming fiscal year. The resolution would provide $48.2 billion 
to help ensure that the Veterans Health Administration within the 
Department of Veterans Affairs can provide the highest quality care for 
all veterans.
  But our work is far from done. S. 1315 contains several critical 
benefits improvements to ensure that veterans young and old have what 
they need to provide for their families and lead full, productive 
lives. Provisions in S. 1315 would improve life insurance programs for 
disabled veterans, expand the traumatic injury protection program for 
active duty servicemembers, extend for 2 years the monthly educational 
assistance allowance for apprenticeship or other on-the-job training, 
and provide individuals with severe burns specially adapted housing 
benefits. These are important benefits and services that mean a great 
deal to the nearly 500,000 veterans living in Maryland and to veterans 
around this country.
  But, for 8 months now, members of the minority party have kept the 
Senate from even debating S. 1315 because they oppose a provision in 
the bill that would extend certain VA benefits to elderly Filipino 
veterans, residing in the Philippines, who fought alongside U.S. troops 
during World War II. Drafted by our Government, hundreds of thousands 
of Filipino soldiers served with honor in some of the most dire 
circumstances of the war. These Filipino veterans were promised 
veterans' status and were even considered United States veterans until 
that status was taken from them by Congress in 1946. Restoration of 
that status rights a wrong committed decades ago. And it is a 
correction we don't have many more years to make. We should grant these 
former soldiers full status and the limited pension rights contained in 
this bill so that they can live out their remaining years in dignity 
and peace.
  I know that some Senators may disagree with me on this issue. That is 
their right. But I regret that they have made it so hard for us to 
consider this important bill. I hope the Senate will be able to vote on 
final passage soon. We owe that much and so much more to this Nation's 
veterans.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Casey). The Senator from Wyoming is 
recognized.

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