[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16542]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     GERMAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, October is German-American 
Heritage Month. I am co-chair of the Congressional German-American 
Caucus with Congressman Bill Keating, and our caucus highlights German 
contributions to our country.
  It is estimated that 50 million Americans have German ancestry, and 
according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Germans are the largest single 
ethnic group in the United States.
  The caucus works to emphasize the friendship and alliance between the 
United States and Germany. We do so through an Oktoberfest networking 
event and through our support for programs like the Congress-Bundestag 
Youth Exchange internship program. The caucus also discusses timely 
topics such as trade, security, and foreign affairs and how they relate 
to our German counterparts.
  In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we have a proud German heritage. 
Frederick Muhlenberg, a German immigrant and Lutheran pastor from 
Pennsylvania, whose family also founded Muhlenberg College, was the 
first Speaker of the House following the signing of the new 
Constitution.
  The caucus has more than 100 members, and I urge all those who are 
interested in joining to do so today during German-American Heritage 
Month.

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