SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION ELAINE CHAO: Vice President
Pence has a distinguished career serving our country, first
as a member of Congress from Indiana for six terms,
and then as governor.
I've gotten to know the vice president and his lovely wife,
Karen, during this administration.
And it's easy to see why the president selected him
as his running mate.
Vice President Pence is a calm, sure, and steady influence
and presence, unfazed by the most difficult challenges
that Washington has to offer.
He is respected everywhere for his integrity and humility.
And he is a conservative who nonetheless
is willing to listen to those who disagree with him.
His love of family, his pride in his parents' success
as hard-working small business owners,
is a familiar story to many Asian-Pacific Americans.
And the faith that guides his life
is a daily reminder that as Americans and public servants,
we are all part of something larger than ourselves.
We are so grateful and so honored
to have the vice president with us today.
He's a leader who appreciates the value of diversity
and the contributions that Asian-Pacific Americans
and other communities are making to the cultural and economic
strength of our country.
So please join me in welcoming Vice President Mike Pence.
[APPLAUSE]
VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: Don't go away.
[INAUDIBLE]
Well, thank you so much.
I'm very humbled by that warm introduction and very grateful
for the presence of so many great Americans
at this special gathering on behalf of the First Family
and the President of the United States.
Welcome to the White House.
[APPLAUSE]
And would everyone join me in thanking
the 18th Secretary of Transportation, Secretary
Elaine Chao--
her distinguished career in public service?
[APPLAUSE]
She is a role model for millions.
And I just am so grateful, so grateful, to be
able to welcome you here and welcome this outstanding group
to the White House to join a celebration of Asian
American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
It is great to have you all here.
[APPLAUSE]
Let me also say I was in the back room listening
to another friend of mine who you heard from today
and is another great member of this community,
and now is the head of the Center of Medicaid and Medicare
Services and a Hoosier.
Seema Verma, thank you so much for being here.
You're a great example.
[APPLAUSE]
And I bring greetings from the President of the United
States, President Donald Trump.
And I bring the president's gratitude
for all that Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders
do every day to enrich the life of this nation.
[APPLAUSE]
This room is living proof that people
of Asian-Pacific descent, from Indonesia to India,
from the Solomon Islands to South Korea, from every nation
in between-- you are an indispensable part
of the American story.
And your communities have contributed
leaders like those two standing next to me
in every facet of American life.
In addition to Secretary Chao and Seema Verma,
we have a room filled today with leaders
from the Asian-American community
and Pacific Islander communities across America.
And give yourselves a round of applause
for building a stronger and more prosperous America.
[APPLAUSE]
You know, my wife, Karen, and I just traveled the Asian-Pacific
on President Trump's behalf last month.
And throughout my trip, I saw firsthand
the immensely varied and vibrant cultures
that call that region home.
It made me all the more grateful that those cultures
and their people and so many others
from the continent of Asia and islands of the Pacific
have come here and made such a profound impact
on the United States of America.
It's really why we're all here today.
Since 1978, when President Jimmy Carter
signed a joint resolution passed by the Congress,
this has been a time here at the White House where we celebrate
the contribution of Asian-Americans and Pacific
Islanders throughout the country's history.
And President Donald Trump is proud to continue
this tradition tonight.
[APPLAUSE]
Earlier this month, the president issued a proclamation
declaring, and I quote, that "Asian-Americans and Pacific
Islanders have distinguished themselves in every area
of American life."
And today, we honor all those who've
helped to shape the nation that we love
and the country that we know today.
For the better part of our nation's history,
the people of Asia and the Pacific
have come to America in search of a better life and a brighter
future.
And now our history books are literally
filled with the names of trailblazers.
And today, Americans of Asian and Pacific
Island descent are the fastest-growing group
in America.
More than 20 million Asian-Americans
and Pacific Islanders now call the United States their home.
And they make a difference in the life of our nation
every single day.
In our economies; in our churches;
in our charities; in our universities;
in homes all across the country; communities, large and small;
and in government offices at every level,
Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders
are contributing every day to everything
that makes America thrive and will make America great again.
[APPLAUSE]
Now, it's particularly meaningful for me
to be with you all today because while my people came
from across the other ocean, the Atlantic Ocean,
my grandfather was an immigrant to this country.
My great-grandmother, as the legend in our family,
remembers--
walked my grandfather across the street and up a hill
and looked west to the Ox Mountains in Ireland.
And she said to my grandfather, who's
a young man, that you need to go to America because there's
a future there for you.
And my grandfather went as a young man--
didn't see or speak to his mother for another 25 years.
But it was extraordinary for me to literally grow up
on the footstool of the American dream.
That Irishman's brogue still rings in my ears
as I expect the accents of the parents and grandparents
and great-grandparents of those that are gathered here today
still ring in your ears and in your hearts.
It's that story of America, coming from the east
and coming from the west, bringing the best--
our children and grandchildren here-- and then building
a great life.
That's the story of my little family.
And that's the story of the families
that are gathered here.
And we're celebrating it tonight.
So let me simply say President Trump is firmly
committed to strengthening the Asian-American and Pacific
Islander communities in the years ahead,
to seeing to it that your forebears, the confidence
that they had in America, becomes
your reality on an increasing basis
because your success is America's success.
And this president wants you and every American,
no matter the background, to accomplish more,
to climb higher, to make tomorrow even better than
today.
The truth is that Asian-Americans
and Pacific Islanders are an integral part
of America's past.
But they're even a bigger part of America's future.
So today, I say with confidence our future is bright,
brighter than ever before, for Asian-Americans and Pacific
Islanders.
I know with your help, we will make America great again.
Thank you for joining us to celebrate
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
And God bless you all.
[APPLAUSE]