Caucus Aims to Preserve and Enhance Appreciation for America’s Dutch Roots

Hoekstra, Van Hollen to Announce Founding of Congressional Caucus on the Netherlands: Caucus Aims to Preserve and Enhance Appreciation for America’s Dutch Roots

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., is set to announce the founding of the Congressional Caucus on the Netherlands at the annual Netherland-America Foundation (NAF) Awards Dinner at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 12, 2006 in Washington, D.C.

The Caucus will seek to preserve and enhance the existing relationship between the United States and the Netherlands by educating members of Congress and their staffs on the importance of the relationship between the two countries. The group will also provide a medium for discussion on issues affecting the relationship and highlight Dutch contributions to the United States and the global community.

Hoekstra was born in Groningen, the Netherlands, and immigrated to Holland, Mich. with his family at 3 years old. He is the only active member of Congress who was born in the Netherlands.

"I am deeply proud of my Dutch roots and feel privileged to represent in Congress the region with the largest concentration of Dutch-Americans in the country," Hoekstra said. "The Caucus will help to ensure that my fellow colleagues remain appreciative of America's Dutch heritage and the importance of the strategic relationship that exists between the two nations."

Read the full story on the website of the Royal Netherlands Embassy.