{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/after-passing-the-house-hirono-duckworth-royce-lieu-bill-to-honor-chinese-american-wwii-veterans-heads-to-presidents-desk", "After Passing the House, Hirono, Duckworth, Royce, Lieu Bill to Honor Chinese-American WWII Veterans Heads to President\u2019s Desk", "2018-12-19", "2018", "2018-12", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Mazie Hirono", "H001042", "www.hirono.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 19, 2018\n\t\t\t After Passing the House, Hirono, Duckworth, Royce, Lieu Bill to Honor Chinese-American WWII Veterans Heads to President's Desk \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON,\r\nD.C.\r\nThe U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senator\r\nMazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) to recognize the contributions of more than 18,000\r\nChinese-American World War II veterans with the Congressional Gold Medalthe\r\nhighest civilian honor that Congress can bestow. The\r\nChinese American World War II Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act was introduced by Senators Hirono and Tammy\r\nDuckworth (D-Ill.), and Representatives Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and Ted Lieu\r\n(D-Calif.), and passed the Senate earlier this year. The bill now awaits the\r\nPresident's signature. More\r\nthan 18,000 Chinese Americans served our country during World War II, while\r\nalso facing discrimination here at home, Senator Hirono said. Like\r\nother minority service members, their contributions were not appropriately\r\nrecognized during or immediately after World War II. The passage of the Chinese\r\nAmerican World War II Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act goes a long way to\r\nright that wrong and express our gratitude for Chinese American veterans'\r\ndistinguished service.   Despite\r\nfacing outright discrimination, more than 18,000 brave Chinese Americans\r\nvolunteered to risk their lives to protect their fellow Americans during World\r\nWar II, Senator Duckworth said. I'm proud my colleagues from both\r\nsides of the aisle have chosen to recognize this brave group of Veterans'\r\nunwavering commitment and honor them with a Congressional Gold Medal.   The\r\nUnited States remains forever indebted to the bravery and sacrifice that the\r\nChinese American veterans of World War II displayed. From the Flying Tigers, to\r\ntheir service in the Pacific and across Europethese heroes answered the call\r\nof duty when our nation needed them the most and are worthy of recognition, Rep.\r\nRoyce said. To these brave veterans of World War II, thank you for your\r\nsacrifice. We are a grateful nation, and we honor your service by working to\r\nbuild a better world.  I'm\r\nproud to have co-led the introduction of this bill to award Chinese American\r\nWWII veterans with the Congressional Gold Medal, Rep. Lieu said. We\r\nwill finally have the chance to honor the service and sacrifice of Chinese\r\nAmericans who fought for the U.S. in WWII. By proudly serving their country,\r\neven in the face of the shameful Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese American\r\nveterans exemplified patriotism and demonstrated a deep commitment to the\r\nUnited States. As a veteran, I'm grateful to have worked on this legislation,\r\nalong with Rep. Royce, and Sens. Duckworth, Cochran and Hirono, to honor the\r\nlives and legacies of these WWII heroes.  The\r\nheartfelt considerations for this group by House Lead Co-sponsors Rep. Ed Royce\r\n(CA) and Rep. Ted Lieu (CA) and Senate Lead Co-sponsors Sen. Tammy Duckworth\r\n(IL), Thad Cochran (ret.) (MS), and Mazie Hirono (HI) mark a significant\r\nmilestone for the nearly 20,000 Chinese American Veterans, Samantha Cheng,\r\nProject Director, the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project, said.\r\nThese Veterans and their families, as well as surviving family members of our\r\ndeparted, deem this recognition a most high honor from a grateful nation.   \"Having\r\nCongress approve the Congressional Gold Medal for Chinese American Veterans of\r\nWorld War II is momentous and the timing truly historic, Davace Chin,\r\nNational President of Chinese American Citizens Alliance, said. This\r\nmonth, as the nation reflects on the 75th Anniversary of the Magnuson Act,\r\nwhich ended 61 years of discrimination towards Chinese Americans, it is\r\npoignant and bittersweet. Tens of thousands of Chinese American men and\r\nwomen enlisted at a difficult juncture in American history, when the Chinese\r\nExclusion Act was still in effect. We are grateful and appreciative for\r\nCongress's recognition of service and sacrifice made by Chinese American\r\nveterans.\"  We\r\ncommend Congress for honoring the dutiful service and role of the Chinese\r\nAmerican Veterans of World War II with the Congressional Gold Medal, Ed\r\nGor, past president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, said.   Senators\r\nHirono and Duckworth originally introduced the measure in May 2017 with former\r\nSenator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). The bill collectively awards a Congressional\r\nGold Medal to Chinese-American Veterans of World War II, which includes\r\nindividuals of Chinese ancestry who served honorably in active duty at any time\r\nduring the period December 7, 1941, and ending December 31, 1946 under the\r\ncommand of the Armed Forces. Last\r\nCongress, Senator Hirono successfully passed S.1555,\r\nthe Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act,\r\nwhich awarded the Congressional Gold Medal collectively to the over 260,000\r\nFilipino and Filipino-American soldiers who responded to President Roosevelt's\r\ncall-to-duty and fought under the American flag during World War II. Senator\r\nHirono, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), and Congressional leaders\r\npresented the Congressional Gold Medal to Filipino World War II veterans in\r\nOctober 2017. ###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/after-passing-the-house-hirono-duckworth-royce-lieu-bill-to-honor-chinese-american-wwii-veterans-heads-to-presidents-desk"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8555473759770393, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}