On the recordJune 25, 2019
Today I am proud to introduce the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2019. I want to thank my returned Peace Corps volunteers; Joe Kennedy and Donna Shalala, the co-chairs of the Peace Corps Caucus; as well as Mr. Graves, Mr. Sires, Mrs. Radewagen, and Ms. Shalala for their support as original cosponsors. Like successive generations of young Americans, my wife, Patti, and I answered President John F. Kennedy's call and served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia from 1966 to 1968. This foundational experience inspired our lifetime of service that continued into State government in California, the Clinton administration, and now the United States Congress. Since the establishment of the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 230,000 Americans have volunteered and have served in 141 countries around the world. When the Africans fought for their independence, the Peace Corps volunteers came, and they were there to assist in the transition in countries throughout that continent. They were there as teachers, community development, and agriculture, and so that tradition carried on in countries all around the world. Today there are some 8,000 Peace Corps volunteers in 65 countries.…
