Congressman Faleomavaega today expressed his thanks to members of the Executive Committee for the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) for unanimously electing him on March 2, 2004 to be Vice Chair of the Caucus.  Senator Daniel Inouye, Senator Daniel Akaka, Congressman Neil Abercrombie, Congressman Ed Case, Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo, Congressman Xavier Becerra, Congressman Bobby Scott, and Congressman Mike Honda were among those who unanimously voted for Faleomavaega.

            “I am very grateful to my colleagues for their support and commitment to CAPAC,” Congressman Faleomavaega said.  “CAPAC was formed in 1994 as a congressional members’ organization to advocate on behalf of Asians and Pacific Islanders.  As a founding member, I am encouraged by the progress we have made in passing legislation that benefits our Asian and Pacific Islander community and our respective districts.”

            “During the last few years, we have expanded our general membership to include other members of Congress who have large concentrations of Asians and Pacific Islanders in their district.  One such member is Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California whose district includes San Francisco which is home to a large population of Samoans and other Asians and Pacific Islanders.  Congresswoman Pelosi is the highest ranking democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives and has been a strong advocate for Asians and Pacific Islanders.  We are pleased she is a part of our Caucus.”  

“We are also pleased that we have formed strong alliances with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC).  We look forward to supporting each other on issues that are of mutual interest and are certain that we will find strength in numbers.  First and foremost, we will focus on education, immigration, healthcare and the economy.”