Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Dia de Portugal. It is a national Portuguese holiday celebrating the anniversary of Portugal as a nation. It is the equivalent of their Fourth of July. The story of the Portuguese Americans, I think, is also a part of the American story. Why? Because the American story is one of immigrants past and immigrants present. I think it is the secret sauce of America. Every generation of immigrants coming to this country for over 200 years add value to our country. My district in California is home to generations of the Portuguese diaspora, the majority of them coming from the Azores Islands off the coast of Portugal out in the middle of the Atlantic. As the co-chair of the Portuguese Caucus and a proud descendant of Portuguese immigrants, the traditions and values that my family took from the Azores have always been a part of who I am. This year, it is particularly meaningful to celebrate Dia de Portugal because it is the 50th anniversary of what they call the Carnation Revolution. That is a revolution that occurred in Portugal in the mid- 70s when they transitioned from a dictatorship to a full-fledged democracy. Now a contributing member of the European Union, Portugal is one of America's longest and strongest allies. It was one of the first to recognize the United States as an independent Nation after the Revolutionary War and it is also an original member of NATO.…”