[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E255-E256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE PEACE CORPS ON ITS 65TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 24, 2026

  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
extraordinary impact the Peace Corps has made on international 
communities and American citizens alike. This month, on its 65th 
anniversary, we honor the Peace Corps and the dedicated volunteers who 
have served their country and helped better communities around the 
globe.
  On October 14, 1960, then-Senator John F. Kennedy announced in a 
speech at the University of Michigan an innovative new idea--the 
establishment of an American organization that would send volunteers 
abroad to foster mutual understanding, build relationships, and develop 
educational, economic, and agricultural opportunities in underserved 
communities. Soon, the Peace Corps was born, and the first group of 
volunteers left for Ghana on August 28, 1961.
  Throughout its history, the Peace Corps has continued to send 
dedicated and talented Americans across the globe to assist in health, 
education and economic development as well as partake in other 
progressive projects to help those in need throughout the world. Peace 
Corps volunteers represent the best of the United States and the 
undimmed potential of ``soft power'' initiatives that help make our 
world a better place. Through emersion in and supportive engagement 
with host communities, Peace Corps volunteers help to show the world an 
uplifting side of the United States that values peace, prosperity and 
progress not just in this country, but throughout the world. I have 
long been a supporter of this program, including supporting increased 
funding for it--and I hope, we can provide an increase in FY 2027--as 
well as cosponsored legislation introduced by my good friend, 
Congresswoman Betty McCollum, to award a Congressional Gold Medal to 
Peace Corps volunteers to recognize the dedication and devotion and 
spirit of public service that has guided their hard work and sacrifice.
  Although President Kennedy first established the Peace Corps by 
Executive Order and is rightly associated with it, there had been 
earlier proposals for an international service organization. And I want 
to point out the role that former Wisconsin Congressman Henry S. Reuss 
played. In fact, before Kennedy's Michigan speech, Representative Reuss 
created a proposal for what he referred to as a ``Point Four Youth 
Corps,'' an idea that later evolved into the Peace Corps, and he 
spearheaded the House legislation to authorize this program.
  Since its inception, Peace Corps volunteers have gone above and 
beyond in fulfilling their mission through community-based development. 
More than 240,000 volunteers, 6,577 of them Wisconsinites, have devoted 
themselves to service in six different sectors, including agriculture, 
economic development, education, environment, health, and youth 
development.
  In the Peace Corps Act, Congress declared it the policy of the United 
States to ``promote world peace and friendship through a Peace Corps . 
. . available to interested countries and areas men and women of the 
United States qualified for service abroad and willing to serve, under 
conditions of hardship if necessary'' to help ``promote a better 
understanding of the American people on the part of the peoples served 
and a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the American 
people''. Sixty-five years later, the Peace Corps is as relevant as 
ever and probably even more needed.
  By living alongside the community they serve, volunteers develop 
lifelong friendships

[[Page E256]]

and cultural skills that reflect positively on the program, the 
community, and the United States. Returned volunteers have come back 
changed and gone on to do great things in their communities here at 
home, including serving as Members of Congress.
  This program has strengthened food security, improved health 
outcomes, and empowered the next generation in over 140 countries 
across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Pacific Islands, and 
I am honored to join in celebrating its 65th anniversary.

                          ____________________