[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 173 (Thursday, October 31, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6340-S6341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 397--CELEBRATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PASSAGE 
   OF THE MIKE MANSFIELD FELLOWSHIP ACT CREATING THE MIKE MANSFIELD 
                           FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

  Mr. TESTER (for himself and Mr. Daines) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                              S. Res. 397

       Whereas the distinguished tenure of Mike Mansfield as 
     Majority Leader of the Senate spanned 16 years, making him 
     the longest serving Majority Leader in the history of the 
     Senate;
       Whereas Mike Mansfield served as the United States 
     Ambassador to Japan from 1977 to 1988, the longest tenure of 
     any United States ambassador anywhere in the world;
       Whereas, while serving as Ambassador, Mike Mansfield was 
     fond of reminding the people of the United States and Japan 
     that the ``U.S.-Japan relationship is the most important 
     bilateral relationship in the world, bar none'';
       Whereas, in 1994, through the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Act 
     (Public Law 103-236; 108 Stat. 428), Congress authorized the 
     Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program to build a corps of Federal 
     Government employees (in this preamble referred to as 
     ``Mansfield Fellows'') knowledgeable about the language, 
     culture, economy, and politics of Japan, so as to enhance 
     mutual cooperation and understanding between the United 
     States and Japan;
       Whereas the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of 
     the Department of State provides financial support to make 
     possible the deployment of Mansfield Fellows and their 
     families to Japan, and the Government of Japan provides 
     generous in-kind support, including a 2-month home-stay and 
     language training;
       Whereas the first cohort of Mansfield Fellows, recruited 
     from across the Federal Government, began their service in 
     Japan on September 1, 1996;
       Whereas the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program has created a 
     robust network of officials from the Governments of the 
     United States and Japan with deep understanding of the 
     economic, political, and strategic dimensions of the United 
     States-Japan relationship who work together to advance the 
     mutual interests of the United States and Japan;
       Whereas Mansfield Fellows have served in 52 ministries and 
     agencies of the Government of Japan, dozens of Diet offices, 
     and more than a dozen private sector companies and 
     nongovernmental organizations in Japan;
       Whereas alumni of the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program are 
     currently employed throughout the Federal Government, 
     including the House of Representatives and the Senate, the 
     Departments of State, Commerce, Defense, Energy, 
     Transportation, and the Treasury, the Office of the United 
     States Trade Representative, the Federal Aviation 
     Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as 
     well as serving in the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine 
     Corps;
       Whereas, every day, Mansfield Fellows are drawing on their 
     experience to enhance United States-Japan bilateral relations 
     and

[[Page S6341]]

     to strengthen United States-Japan cooperation around the 
     world to tackle common global challenges;
       Whereas, on April 29, 2015, the Prime Minister of Japan, 
     Shinzo Abe, declared before a Joint Session of the United 
     States Congress that the United States and Japan have forged 
     ``an alliance of hope'' resting on a foundation of shared 
     democratic values and common interests; and
       Whereas the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program has been a 
     cornerstone of United States-Japan cooperation and has made 
     important contributions to strengthening security, economic, 
     and cultural ties between the 2 allies: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) celebrates the 25th anniversary of the passage of the 
     Mike Mansfield Fellowship Act (Public Law 103-236; 108 Stat. 
     428) creating the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program;
       (2) remembers the contributions of Senator Mike Mansfield 
     and his wife Maureen to the United States Senate and to the 
     United States-Japan alliance;
       (3) thanks more than 150 alumni of the Mike Mansfield 
     Fellowship Program for bringing the expertise garnered during 
     their time in Japan back to the United States Government to 
     advance the interests of the United States;
       (4) conveys its appreciation to the people of Japan for the 
     warm welcome they have given to each class of Mansfield 
     Fellows;
       (5) commends the Government of Japan for opening its doors 
     to Mansfield Fellows and for providing steadfast and generous 
     support to the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program; and
       (6) encourages the Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
     Affairs of the Department of State and the Government of 
     Japan to sustain their support for the Mike Mansfield 
     Fellowship Program, which in turn strengthens the ``alliance 
     of hope'' and the important work of the program to further 
     peace, stability, and prosperity in the world.

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