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Representatives Michelle Steel (CA-45), Lou Correa (CA-46), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), and Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced the formation of the Congressional Vietnam Caucus for the 118th Congress, where they will serve as co-chairs.
“As a proud first generation American, I am honored to represent the voices of the Vietnamese American community by becoming co-chair of the Vietnam Caucus,” said Rep. Steel. “In the 118th Congress, I am looking forward to finding bipartisan solutions to challenges facing the Vietnamese community including shaping U.S. policy to push Vietnam to respect human rights, religious liberty and the free press. For the first time, Orange County will have two bipartisan co-chairs, representing one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the nation. We will always work to ensure every American is empowered to live their own American dream. Let’s get to work!”
“As one of the representatives of the largest Vietnamese-American communities in the United States, I’ve worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Vietnamese Americans here in Orange County, and across the country,” said Rep. Correa. “I’ve represented Orange County’s Little Saigon for 25 years, and for the first time this year, the Vietnam Caucus will have two co-chairs representing Orange County. As we head into the 118th Congress, I’m ready to get to work alongside my co-chairs to enrich the lives of every American, and every Vietnamese-American, and to prioritize conversations about human, religious, and political rights violations abroad.”
“I look forward to continuing the constructive, bipartisan work of the Congressional Vietnamese Caucus with the addition of two new leaders in the 118th Congress,” said Rep. Lofgren. “The City of San Jose has the largest Vietnamese population of any city outside of Vietnam, and my local community has been undoubtedly changed for the better by the Vietnamese-American families that made the area home. As our Caucus stresses the importance of communities like San Jose’s, we will also continue the fight against Hanoi’s violations of human, religious, and political rights.”
“The Congressional Vietnam Caucus works to ensure that human rights protections and significant advances in the rule of law are essential components of any US-Vietnam engagement, especially as Vietnam seeks to fully participate in the global economy,” said Rep. Smith. “U.S. policies must press for the freedoms and rights desired by the overwhelming majority of the Vietnamese people, not support the privileged elite of the Communist Party who too often get away with egregious human rights violations.”
Historically, the Caucus has served as a bipartisan hub of members focused on bilateral United States-Vietnam relations, including conversations regarding human, religious, and political rights violations. The Caucus will also prioritize issues that are important to Vietnamese-American communities across the United States. Representatives Lofgren and Smith will return as bipartisan co-chairs, and they will be joined by Representatives Correa and Steel for the first time as additional co-chairs.
