[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               FILIPINO VETERANS EQUITY COMPENSATION FUND

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. ED CASE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 19, 2026

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, during the consideration of the Fiscal Year 
2027 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, 
the House was scheduled to vote on an amendment to eliminate the 
Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund. I opposed the proposal, and 
even though it was ultimately not offered, we must oppose any similar 
effort to do so in the future.
  In 1941, more than 250,000 Filipino soldiers responded to President 
Roosevelt's call-to-arms in the Philippines and elsewhere and fought 
bravely for the U.S. and our allies during World War II. They endured 
the horrors of the Bataan Death March and wartime prison camps. They 
waged a relentless guerrilla campaign and eventually rejoined American 
forces that eventually returned to the Philippines. Filipino soldiers 
ultimately paved the way for the liberation of the Pacific and the end 
of the Second World War.
  After sacrificing for our country, many returned home from the war 
only to be denied the benefits promised for their service. Because of 
the Rescission Acts of 1946, most Filipino World War II Veterans did 
not receive compensation on par with United States veterans for their 
service.
  To help right this wrong, in 2019 Congress passed and the President 
signed into law legislation that created the Filipino Veterans Equity 
Compensation Fund. It set up one-time payments to eligible Filipino 
veterans who aided American troops during World War II. Filipino 
veterans who were United States citizens were eligible for a one-time 
payment of $15,000, and veterans who are non-citizens were eligible for 
a one-time payment of $9,000.
  Despite efforts to make a payment to every possible beneficiary, many 
Filipinos struggled to obtain the documentation needed to prove their 
eligibility given the many decades that passed since World War II. The 
federal government has held onto these funds to allow these veterans 
who fought for our Nation every chance possible to prove their service 
and receive a payment in the final years of their lives, to ease any 
hardships they may have and to pay off a small part of the debt owed to 
them for the benefits they earned, yet were taken away from them.
  Rather than close this program, we should redouble our efforts to 
help those who struggled to obtain the document to prove their service. 
We must help and not again abandon these Filipino veterans, most of 
whom are now in their late 90s or over 100 years old.
  I strongly urge all my colleagues to oppose this misguided effort.

                          ____________________