Last night, during consideration of the Department of Homeland Security spending bill for Fiscal Year 2012, I, along with my colleague Representative Judy Chu, offered an amendment on the House Floor to remove language that targets immigrant integration grants.  Every year, immigrant integration grants provide funding to local churches, schools, and community centers across the nation to prepare legal permanent residents for citizenship through English lessons and American history and civics lessons.  I was pleased that my colleagues unanimously accepted our amendment, recognizing that these grants have bipartisan support and are important to our nation.  After the vote, I made the following statement:

Yesterday’s vote on the debt limit was a complete farce and political theater at its worst. There isn’t one budget proposal that does not require raising the debt ceiling. The Republican Budget that just passed the House requires that the government take on nearly 10 trillion dollars in debt over the next decade, which is a whopping 4 trillion dollars more than what our “People’s Budget” alternative requires. I challenge Republicans to prove they are serious about not raising the debt limit by proposing a budget that does not require additional borrowing. Until they do, all the world – at least in Washington – continues to be a stage.

Last week, I reintroduced the Reuniting Families Act (RFA), a bill aimed at fixing the problems in our family-based immigration system that separate spouses, children and their parents, who have played by the rules for years. Studies have shown that lengthy waits waste precious government resources and can discourage potential applicants from using legal channels to join their families in the United States. Our family-based immigration system has not been updated in 20 years, leaving nearly 6 million people stuck in perpetual waiting, which is both unproductive and inexcusable. Five-year separations are quite common; so are 20-year estrangements from siblings and elderly parents. Waits are so long that families receiving visas often find that their children have to reapply as adults and go to the back of the line.

With so much happening in Congress over the past few months, many of you have called, and written in with questions about how my work in Washington will affect our district. The ongoing budget debate presents a perfect time for you, the constituents of California’s 15 th District, to make your voice heard. Considering the effect that this budget will have for years to come, I believe it is very important that a substantive discussion occur between neighbors, friends, families, and elected officials. This is why I am hosting a Telephone Town Hall on May 12, 2011 at 6:30pm PDT. I would like to invite you to participate, and ask me your questions personally on one of the most important issues of our day: the budget.

Last week, I co-authored an Op-Ed in the Capitol Hill publication Roll Call on the budget debate and the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ budget proposal that I helped draft. I want to make sure all of you had an opportunity to read it:

On May 5, Congressman Honda (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Immigration Taskforce, will introduce the Reuniting Families Act (RFA). Honda will discuss various aspects of the bill. Diverse leaders from the immigrant rights community will also speak about the impact our outdated immigration system has had on immigrant communities and the urgency to pass comprehensive legislation that reunites families and is good for America.

Thanks to the efforts of Representatives Norm Mineta and Frank Horton, and Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga, our country first officially recognized APA Heritage Month in 1977. The month of May offers all Americans an opportunity to celebrate, honor and reflect upon the many accomplishments and contributions of the AAPI community.”

The first settlement of an AAPI community in this country dates to 1763, when Filipinos escaped imprisonment aboard Spanish galleons and established a community near New Orleans.  From the time of this first settlement, AAPIs have encountered various barriers and discrimination. Rather than be intimidated by systematic discriminatory acts, the AAPI community has forged ahead and made significant contributions to the United States.  

Today, the AAPI community is one of the fastest growing and most diverse racial groups in the U.S. AAPIs will play an increasingly critical role in contributing to the economic, political, and social developments of the country.  

The contributions of AAPIs need to be recognized and remembered as part of U.S. history. Notable among these are the building of the transcontinental railroad, the courage of the 442^nd Regimental Combat Team and the Filipino veterans, the first elected Indian American in Congress - Dalip Singh Saud, the exploitation of garment workers, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and three appointed Asian American Secretaries in the Obama administration.

While the AAPI community has made great strides, there are certain segments of the population, including Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders, who continue to encounter systematic barriers and have been deprived of access to the American dream. We must ensure everyone receives an equitable opportunity to succeed. I look forward to continuing our work together to advance issues that affect the AAPI community.

I recently introduced the Strengthen and Unite Communities with Civics Education and English Development (SUCCEED) Act– which helps new Americans integrate into the social and economic fabric of this country, through English language education and civics instruction.

According to the latest Census figures, nearly 20% of our population, close to 55 million people, speaks a language other than English at home. Altogether, 8.6% of this population speaks English ‘less than very well.’ While the English language learner population is often characterized as solely immigrant, the reality is that the native-born English language learner population nearly doubled between 2000 and 2005 and is increasing at a higher rate than the immigrant population. Better preparing this workforce will unite and strengthen our country.

Over two years ago, I proposed a commission to examine how education finance can be reformed to achieve equity.   And on the evening of April 21, 2011, the U.S. Dept of Education’s Equity and Excellence Commission will hold one of its first events in Silicon Valley.  The Equity Commission represents an important step in the fight to obtain educational equity (not parity) for each child. 

At a critical time in history, this Equity Commission is built to act.   I am dedicated to proposing and passing legislation based on recommendations of the commission and have no doubt that together, we can transform the education system to better serve the learning needs of each child.  Our children deserve nothing less.

I invite you to join me and other educators on April 21 in San Jose.  More details to follow.

Please download the flyer here.

Budgets are more than collections of numbers. They are a statement of our values. The Congressional Progressive Caucus budget is a reflection of the values and priorities of America’s working families. The “People’s Budget” charts a path that keeps America exceptional in the 21st century, while addressing the most pressing problems facing the nation today. Our budget eliminates the deficit, stabilizes the debt, puts Americans back to work and restores our economic competiveness. The CPC budget does this by listening to the American people.