[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 79 (Tuesday, May 7, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H2879-H2880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 STANDING WITH THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Steel) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. STEEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn the unacceptable and 
insensitive actions of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.
  One week ago, the board proclaimed April 30, 2024, as Jane Fonda Day. 
Black April, which the Vietnamese community has commemorated on April 
30 for decades, is a deeply meaningful day because it marks the fall of 
Saigon.
  Instead of standing with the Vietnamese civilians and American 
soldiers who were displaced, tortured, brutalized, and killed during 
and after the Vietnam war, Jane Fonda allied herself with the Communist 
Viet Cong.
  For some reason, the board chose to honor someone with a history of 
such disdain for innocent Vietnamese and American veterans on the 
somber anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
  By elevating Hanoi Jane over the Vietnamese community, Americans who 
sacrificed their lives, and the loved ones they lost to communism, the 
board has offended the freedom-loving Vietnamese Americans who bear 
such tragic and painful memories of the Vietnam war.
  I call on the board to rescind this awful proclamation immediately 
and unequivocally stand with the Vietnamese community.


                 Commemorating Vietnam Human Rights Day

  Mrs. STEEL. Mr. Speaker, as the co-chair of the bipartisan 
Congressional Vietnam Caucus, I rise today to commemorate Vietnam Human 
Rights Day.
  The district I represent includes Little Saigon, which is home to the 
largest population of Vietnamese anywhere in the world outside of 
Vietnam. Many of my Vietnamese constituents are first-generation 
Americans, like me. The stories they tell of fleeing communism to find 
freedom in the United States are both tragic and inspiring. Many of 
them still have families in Vietnam, where the human rights situation 
continues to be cause for grave concern.
  The Communist government there routinely oppresses its own people, 
arresting and detaining journalists and critics simply for expressing 
themselves.
  I am proud to join my Vietnam Caucus co-chair, Lou Correa, to 
introduce a resolution condemning the Vietnamese Government, calling 
for the release of political prisoners, standing

[[Page H2880]]

with the Vietnamese people, and urging the administration to take 
immediate action to pressure the Vietnamese Government to respect human 
rights.
  I welcome all of my colleagues to join me and the Vietnamese-American 
community as we continue working to ensure human rights for all people.

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