Today marks America’s national day to recognize our brave veterans and military retirees. Every November 11 since 1919, Americans observe this important day to celebrate America’s veterans for their willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

The history of Veterans Day, first known as Armistice Day declared by President Woodrow Wilson in November 1919, began in the aftermath of World War I. The war officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, but the ceasefire between the Allied nations and Germany took place seven months earlier, specifically, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m. In 1926, Congress made each November 11 an official holiday. Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of the military in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, and at the urging of veterans service organizations, the Act of 1938 was amended to replace the word "Armistice" with "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, I want you to know that the needs of our veterans have been one of my top priorities. The Democrat majority passed significant legislation to proved historic budget increases for veterans such as expanding and improving access to health care, education, employment, funeral services for all veterans.  It has been my honor to support the following legislative initiatives to help veterans and their families.

• As a member of the House Appropriation Committee, I have worked with my colleagues to create landmark budgets worthy of our nation’s veterans. Since the 2007, Congress had provided a 60% increase in VA discretionary funding, adding nearly $23 billion for veterans’ health care and services.

• Congress successfully secured advance appropriations for the VA for the first time, providing a stable and uninterrupted source of funding for medical care for veterans one year in advance.

• Congress voted to provide an additional three years of VA health care eligibility for returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans (for a total of five years).

• We passed laws to improve and expand the VA’s ability to care for returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury, while also addressing the rising instances of post-traumatic stress.

• The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill is the greatest overhaul of the G.I. Bill in over 20 years, covering the cost of a college education at a public university. This fall, nearly 300,000 veterans are enrolled in college as a result of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill and more than $2.9 billion in education benefits have been paid to veteran students.

• The Veterans’ Benefits Act of 2010 reauthorizes the VA work-study program and provides on-the-job training for veterans in the energy sector, by awarding competitive grants to three states that boast a diverse energy industry and have the ability to carry out such a training program.

• The Veterans’ Benefits Act of 2010 increases burial and funeral benefits and plot allowances for veterans who are eligible for a burial at a national cemetery or who died in a VA facility from $300 to $700.

• Further, parents whose child gave their life in service to our country would be allowed to be buried in a national cemetery with that child when their veteran child has no living spouse or children.

I cannot thank our veterans enough for their patriotism, and unrelenting, unselfish service to help keep our country safe and free. Please join me in honoring our brave uniformed current and retired service members who have fought to protect our principles of freedom and democracy and keep us safe.

Construction machinery roared in the background Tuesday as Congressman Mike Honda (D-San Jose) met with U.S. Department of Transportation Undersecretary Roy Kienitz, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) and representatives of the Valley Transportation Authority, Caltrain and the Mineta Transportation Institute for a press conference in Milpitas concerning the Silicon Valley Bay Area Rapid Transit expansion.

Over the past year, Congress has worked on behalf of everyday Americans to repair the damage of a “Wall Street first” approach, irresponsible tax policies, and excessive spending. As we continue the recovery process from one of the worst economic periods in history, the so-called “Bush” tax cuts are set to expire, sparking much debate in Washington.

On September 9^th, 2010 in a historic ruling, U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Philips declared that the U.S. military’s ban on openly gay service members violates the Constitution, under both the 1^st Amendment’s free speech clause as well as the 14^th Amendment’s due process clause. I see this as a major triumph for LGBT individuals, and fully endorse the District Judge’s ruling. Whenever anyone serves our country, regardless of their race, sex, socio-economic status, religion, or sexuality, we should honor their service, not force them to hide their identity in shame.

It is often said that small businesses are the engine of the American economy. They provide the growth, employment and investment opportunities that make this country great. Over the past year, however, I’ve been hearing from many small businesses owners who have become frustrated with the lack of availability of credit to help expand their businesses. Even during hard times, these entrepreneurs want to hire more hard-working Americans, increase their services and grow their businesses. Unfortunately, several obstacles have made this difficult, resulting in a dramatic drop of small businesses loans since the financial crisis in 2008 under President Bush.

The Department of Defense (DoD) announced that September 27^th through October 4^th is Absentee Voting Week. During this week, DoD’s goal is to promote military and overseas voting awareness, and to encourage those that have yet to request or receive an absentee ballot to go to http://www.FVAP.gov and fill it out as soon as possible.

Are you one of the 13.7 million young adults without health insurance? On September 23, 2010, one of the key elements of the historic Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act took effect, making healthcare available to young adults up to age 26.  Young adults, such as recent college graduates who have not yet found jobs, work in jobs without health benefits, or were denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions will be allowed to stay on their parents’ plan until their 27^th birthday.

Madam Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 4347, “The Department of Interior Tribal Self-Governance Act.”  This legislation gets us much closer to fulfilling our special nation-to-nation relationship with Native American people and tribes in our country.  HR 4347 includes critical amendments to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act that essentially allow for greater self-governance by Indian tribes; it directs the Secretaries of the Departments of Interior and Health and Human Services to implement criteria that makes it possible for more tribes to learn about and eventually enter into self-governance compacts or agreements to administer whole programs currently performed by the

Today, in recognition of his monumental efforts to empower those in poverty, the House of Representatives voted to award Dr. Muhammad Yunus with one of the highest civilian awards in the United States, the Congressional Gold Medal. It is a privilege to honor the efforts of Dr. Yunus, who through the Grameen Bank, has brought hope and opportunity to millions of lives. His economically feasible model of extending loans to those in poverty has been lauded worldwide and serves as an inspiration to groups helping the poor everywhere.

I want to take this moment to congratulate my fellow Americans of Hispanic and Latino descent as we kick off celebrations for this year’s National Hispanic Heritage Month, starting this week and extending to October 15.  Each year, Americans observe this important month by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, México, the Caribbean and Central and South America.  With a population of 48.4 million (U.S. Census, 2009), Hispanic Americans represent the largest minority group in the U.S.; their contributions have been and continue to be an integral part of our nation.