[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9991-9992]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING DIA DE PORTUGAL

                                  _____
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 11, 2014

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my colleagues Mr. 
Nunes of California, Mr. Cicilline of Rhode Island, Mr. Valadao of 
California, Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas, Ms. Lofgren of California, and 
Mr. Honda of California to recognize Dia de Portugal. On this day, we 
celebrate the heritage of the Portuguese people and underscore the 
importance of the strong relationship between the United States and 
Portugal.
  From California to Massachusetts and Rhode Island to Hawaii, 
Portuguese Americans have made positive contributions to our 
communities for many years. According to the U.S. Census, more than one 
million individuals living in the United States are of Portuguese 
ancestry. These vibrant Portuguese communities are a reflection of the 
ties that bind our two nations.

[[Page 9992]]

  Since the founding of our nation, the United States has had few 
allies as reliable as Portugal, which was among the first countries to 
recognize the United States following the Revolutionary War. The oldest 
continuously operating U.S. Consulate in the world is located in Ponta 
Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. U.S. Secretary of 
State John Kerry recently said, ``The strong partnership between our 
two countries is more vital than ever.'' We wholeheartedly agree.
  Mr. Speaker, on this Dia de Portugal, we reaffirm our commitment to 
strengthening the economic, cultural, and security relationship between 
Portugal and the United States, and we join with the people of Portugal 
and our Portuguese American constituents in wishing everyone a joyous 
Dia de Portugal.

                          ____________________