[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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