[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6965-6966]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, each May, since 1978, we have 
honored the rich heritage and countless accomplishments of the many 
Asian Pacific Americans in our country. I am delighted to recognize 
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and to pay tribute to the 
struggles and enormous contributions of Asian Pacific Americans to our 
Nation's history and culture.
  May was chosen for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month to 
commemorate both the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in 1843, 
and also the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, which 
was constructed in large part by Chinese laborers.
  ``Lighting the Past, Present, and Future'' is the theme for this 
year's celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This 
phrase recognizes both the plight and extraordinary achievements of the 
Asian Pacific American community as they have forged ahead to become a 
successful and vital segment of American society.
  Currently, Asian Pacific Americans constitute one of the fastest 
growing minority communities in the United States, and California is 
home to the greatest number of Asian Pacific Americans. There are over 
15 million Asian Pacific Americans in the Nation, with more than 5 
million living in California. In addition, there are thousands of Asian 
Pacific Americans currently serving in our Armed Forces, defending our 
country and securing freedom abroad.
  With this wealth of diversity, our State is enriched by many famous 
ethnic enclaves such as San Francisco's Chinatown and Japantown, 
Westminster's Little Saigon, Los Angeles's Historic Filipinotown and 
Long Beach's Little Cambodia. As the Asian Pacific American community 
has grown, these historic neighborhoods have become vibrant centers of 
cultural exchange and learning.
  The Asian Pacific American community has enthusiastically answered 
the call to public service, and as a result, we see more Asian Pacific 
Americans in government leadership. Throughout my career, I have worked 
with many extraordinary Asian Pacific American leaders, in particular 
Senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, two longtime 
stalwarts of the Senate. Joining my colleagues this year in Congress 
was Representative Judy Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected 
to the House of Representatives, becoming the 12th Asian Pacific 
American elected official currently serving in Congress. In addition, 
Dr. Steven Chu was appointed as Secretary of the U.S. Department of 
Energy, the first Asian Pacific American to hold the position. A new 
generation of leaders has emerged, who will no doubt continue to lead 
not only their community, but the Nation to new heights.
  This past year has also meant many firsts for the Federal bench: two 
Asian Pacific American nominees, Ed Chen and Lucy Koh, for the U.S. 
District Court for the Northern District of California, where there has 
never been an Asian Pacific American district judge; the confirmation 
of the first Chinese American woman to be a district court judge, Dolly 
Gee; and the confirmation of the first Vietnamese American district 
court judge, Jacqueline Nguyen. I recommended Magistrate Judge Chen

[[Page 6966]]

and Judge Nguyen to President Barack Obama, as well as Professor 
Goodwin Liu for appointment to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, 
confident that their strong legal backgrounds and unique perspective 
will be valuable additions to the Federal courts.
  As we celebrate the rich and diverse Asian and Pacific Islander 
cultures during this month, we are not only recognizing many notable 
achievements, but we are also reminded of the struggles and sacrifices 
endured to live and experience the American dream.
  The Senate has worked on a number of major pieces of legislation this 
session, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 
which I proudly voted for and the President signed into law in March. 
In addition to providing health care to 2.3 million uninsured Asian 
Pacific Americans nationwide, the bill will provide subsidies to Asian 
Pacific American small businesses, close the Medicare ``doughnut hole'' 
for all Asian Pacific American seniors, and provide more resources and 
strong data collection provisions that will help address racial and 
ethnic health disparities. In a community where 52 percent of Asian 
Pacific Americans delay or forgo routine and preventative treatment due 
to the high cost of medical care and where cancer is the leading cause 
of death, access to quality medical care is vital.
  This is a great beginning to health care reform and I look forward to 
continuing the work with my Federal medical insurance rate authority 
bill. My legislation would create a rate authority that would oversee 
premiums charged by the health insurance industry and provide a 
safeguard for Americans against soaring premium increases. Access to 
affordable medical care is a necessity of life that I will work hard to 
protect for all Americans.
  In the Asian Pacific American community where about 60 percent of the 
population is foreign-born, immigration reform is a central and 
important issue. For example, although Asians and Pacific Islanders 
make up about 39 percent of all family sponsored immigrants, they 
represent nearly half the backlogs in family reunification visas. I 
recently cosigned a letter with Senator Barbara Boxer to President 
Obama, urging his continued support for fixing our broken immigration 
system. As we address immigration reform, it is imperative that we 
support effective solutions and a commonsense approach that would keep 
families together, while improving the state of our economy.
  At such an unprecedented moment in the Nation's history, there is no 
doubt that these are only two of the many challenges that the Asian 
Pacific American community will be faced with in the upcoming year. 
However, Asian Pacific Americans are a resilient people and their 
accomplishments this year alone are a testament of their remarkable 
spirit and important role in the history and culture of the United 
States.
  I am proud to honor the tremendous strength, character, and courage 
of Asian Pacific Americans during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 
and am confident that they will only continue to surpass these 
challenges and further add to the vibrancy of the American landscape.

                          ____________________