[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 78 (Thursday, May 22, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E829-E830]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL 
                               YEAR 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. LORETTA SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 21, 2014

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4435) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2015 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense and for military 
     construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
     such fiscal year, and for other purposes:

  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr Chair, for the past year, the 
House Armed Services Committee has conducted an ``Oversight of the Asia 
Pacific Rebalance.'' This initiative was brought forth by the 
collective leadership of Chairman Buck McKeon and Ranking Member Adam 
Smith. I would also recognize Chairman Randy Forbes and Congresswoman 
Colleen Hanabusa for their great efforts on this critical committee 
engagement,

[[Page E830]]

culminating in their legislative contributions to the NDAA we consider 
here today.
  Without question, the Asia Pacific Rebalance constitutes one of 
America's most important military and security policies. The Chairman 
and I both represent districts in a state with vast ties to the Asia 
Pacific--whether political, security, military, economic, cultural, 
social and even people-to-people exchange. We also have a vibrant Asian 
American community in our state that is an embodiment of our 
relationship with this critically important region.
  It is within this context that I wish to raise an important issue and 
one that I feel is central to the Asia Pacific Rebalance. Let me be 
clear that I feel this issue is both germane to the jurisdiction of 
this committee and our consideration of the NDAA on the Floor.
  As you and our colleagues on this committee are well aware, more than 
200,000 young women and girls from throughout Asia and the Pacific, but 
mainly from Korea, were forced to become sex slaves during World War II 
by the Imperial Armed Forces of Japan. For over 70 years, these women 
endured unspeakable and nightmarish ordeals and have yet to receive a 
formal apology.
  There are those who believe that the Comfort Women issue is a 
controversial historical dispute that is not germane to our committee's 
jurisdiction or the NDAA. I fundamentally disagree. As a case in point, 
during President Obama's recent Asia trip a couple of weeks ago, he 
specifically brought up the Comfort Women issue. At a joint press 
conference with Korean President Park Geun-Hye, President Obama stated 
that what happened to the Comfort Women was ``terrible and egregious,'' 
that these ``women deserved to be heard and respected'' and that 
``there should be an accurate and clear account of what happened.'' 
President Obama made these remarks in the context of U.S.-Korea-Japan 
relations and the Asia Rebalance.
  The Comfort Women survivors are dying by the day. Of the over 200,000 
survivors less than 100 are still alive today. As a matter of valuing 
women's rights and human rights, these Comfort Women survivors deserve 
the dignity of a formal apology by the Japanese Government. I further 
urge Japan to follow the recommendations set forth in H. Res. 121 that 
was authored by my friend and colleague, Representative Michael Honda 
and passed the House on June 30, 2007. Proper resolution to this issue 
yields the benefit of closer U.S.-Korea-Japan trilateral relations 
which is critical to countering the North Korean nuclear threat and 
enhancing security ties with our allies.
  Mr. Chair, I wish to reiterate the importance of this issue to our 
committee, our constituents, our state, our nation and our allies. I 
urge my colleagues to also offer expressions of support for the Comfort 
Women survivors.

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