[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9139]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            DAY OF PORTUGAL

  (Mr. CICILLINE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, today is Dia de Portugal, a time when 
Portuguese Americans and families of Portuguese descent around the 
world come together to celebrate their shared heritage and rich 
cultural traditions.
  Over the years, the United States and Portugal have shared a strong 
friendship, beginning in May of 1791 when Portugal became the first 
neutral country to recognize the new American Government and continuing 
today through the pursuit of our shared national security objectives, 
including our cooperation in the global war on terror.
  I am particularly honored to celebrate Day of Portugal because my 
district, Rhode Island's First Congressional District, has a larger 
percentage of Portuguese American constituents than any other 
congressional district in the country.
  As chair of the Portuguese American Caucus, I am proud to join my 
Portuguese American constituents in celebrating Dia de Portugal and 
working to strengthen U.S.-Portugal relations through my work in 
Congress today by fighting to maintain operations at Lajes Field in the 
Azores and working to promote better cooperation in the areas of 
agriculture, education, tourism, and health.
  I wish everyone celebrating today a Happy Day of Portugal.

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