[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 7 (Monday, January 13, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E27]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        KOREAN AMERICAN DAY 2020

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GRACE MENG

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 13, 2020

  Ms. MENG. Madam Speaker, as the representative of Queens, where so 
many Korean Americans call home, I wish everyone a Happy Korean 
American Day. New York State has the second largest number of Korean 
Americans in the country. Every day in Queens, I see the vibrant 
influence of Korean Americans in my congressional district.
   Over 117 years ago, Koreans arrived on our U.S. shores. Since then, 
Korean Americans have enriched every facet of American history, 
culture, and cuisine. Whether in the entertainment industry or 
academia; whether in medicine or public service--Korean Americans have 
made and continue to make immeasurable contributions to this nation.
   In fact, over 70 years ago, a Korean American became the first Asian 
American to win an Olympic gold medal, and later became the first 
American to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in platform diving. 
Since the 116th Congress, we have the first Korean American Democratic 
Member of Congress. We also now have the first Korean American NASA 
astronaut. And in January 2019, I was proud that Jin Park, the first 
Dreamer Rhodes Scholar and one of my constituents, joined me as my 
guest at the State of the Union Address.
   Fighting for issues that matter to Korean Americans is a personal 
one. After all, half of my family are Korean American; my two boys are 
half-Korean American. Even as we celebrate the admirable history, 
contributions, and of course the incredible foods of Korean Americans, 
we cannot ignore the critical issues like human rights, immigration, 
health care, and education, which impact Korean Americans.
   On human rights, I introduced the H.R. 1771, the Divided Families 
Reunification Act, which would require the U.S. Secretary of State and 
the U.S. Special Envoy on North Korea Human Rights Issues to prioritize 
helping Korean American families reunite with family members in North 
Korea. The Korean War was a heart wrenching event that not only split 
the peninsula in two, it tore families apart. I am thrilled this bill 
passed out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in October 2019, and 
it is now awaiting consideration before the full House of 
Representatives.
   On immigration, Koreans make up the highest number of Dreamers from 
non-Latin American countries. I am fighting for a path to citizenship 
for those individuals, including Korean Dreamers, who have known this 
country as their only home. In June 2019, I was proud to cosponsor and 
vote for the House passage of H.R. 6--the American Dream and Promise 
Act of 2019, which would finally provide a pathway to citizenship for 
Dreamers like Jin Park.
   I am also proud to cosponsor the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2019, 
which would close the loophole in the 2000 Child Citizenship Act. 
Today, there are 35,000 adult international adoptees who are in the 
U.S. without citizenship and are at risk of deportation. This includes 
thousands of Korean adoptees who are undocumented in New York.
   On health, while Asian Americans only make up 6 percent of the U.S. 
population, our community makes up more than 50 percent of hepatitis B 
virus cases in the nation. This is a tragedy. That is why, as Co-Chair 
of the Congressional Hepatitis Caucus, I secured almost $40 million in 
federal funds for the CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis to eliminate 
this deadly disease.
   On education, over 40 percent of Asian Americans are in community 
colleges. That is why I introduced the Community College Student 
Success Act which would improve graduation rates at under-resourced 
public community colleges with high percentages of low-income and 
minority students. And in the most recent federal funding bill that was 
signed into law, I secured nearly $4.5 million grant funding for 
institutions that have a significant number of Asian American students. 
After all, everyone deserves their best chance at a quality education, 
no matter their background.
   Madam Speaker, on these and so many other important issues, it is 
important to recognize and continue the fight. I am excited to 
celebrate Korean American Day with all the Korean Americans in Queens, 
and across our nation.

                          ____________________