ISSUE 23 — APRIL 15, 2021By Andrew Peng, Dan Hu, and Shawna Chen
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THE BIG STORY
🏛️ WHAT AAPI LAWMAKERS WANT FROM THEIR WHITE HOUSE VISIT: Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) lawmakers will sit down with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their first formal meeting in the Oval Office at 2 p.m. ET. Here’s what you need to know...
The details: Seven Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) members will attend today’s meeting, including Reps. Judy Chu (D-California), Grace Meng (D-New York), Ted Lieu (D-California), Mark Takano (D-California), and Kaiali'i Kahele (D-Hawaii). Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) will also be present.
On the agenda: AAPI lawmakers will urge Biden and Harris to take greater action against discrimination and anti-Asian hate crimes, the Wall Street Journal’s Sabrina Siddiqui reports, and discussion topics include health disparities, immigration, and data disaggregation. The CAPAC members are expected to press the Biden administration to invoke DOJ resources to further investigate last month’s deadly shootings in Atlanta as a hate crime, Axios notes.
Why this matters: Biden and Harris’ long-awaited meeting with CAPAC comes after months of frustration over the lack of appointed AAPI representation in the president’s Cabinet, coupled with mounting pressure on the federal government to dedicate more resources to confront the surge in attacks on Asian Americans.
Context: The White House and the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled new measures to combat anti-Asian violence in late March, including an expansion of the administration’s AAPI initiative and a cross-agency initiative aimed at addressing gaps in hate crimes reporting.
ON THE HILL
🕒 WHAT TO WATCH
The Senate is moving to allow floor debate on Vanita Gupta’s nomination following a deadlocked vote in the Judiciary Committee, a key procedural step that brings Biden’s associate attorney general pick closer to confirmation.
🚨 UPDATE—HATE CRIMES BILL ADVANCES IN SENATE: In a rare bipartisan effort, the Senate overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to begin debate on legislation designed to improve the tracking of anti-Asian incidents, Axios’ Shawna Chen reports. The measure was authored by Sen. Mazie Hiroro and Rep. Grace Meng.
But difficulties remain: Final passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which initially faced pushback from Republicans, hinges on whether Senate leaders can reach a deal on amendments that will receive votes. Roughly two dozen GOP amendments have been filed so far, according to Hirono, including some that "have absolutely nothing to do with the bill.”
Meanwhile... The Biden administration has formally expressed support for the Senate bill, which would expedite the Justice Department's review of bias incidents and make hate crime information more accessible to Asian American communities. The House Judiciary Committee is expected to mark up companion legislation next week, POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu notes.
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CHU’S NO BAN ACT HEADS TO HOUSE FLOOR: The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to advance CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu’s NO BAN Act to a floor vote. If passed, the measure would bar the White House from blocking immigrants from entering the U.S. based on their religion. The NO BAN Act was previously introduced during the Trump administration and is backed by Muslim civil rights groups.
Plus... The House Judiciary Committee approved a bill calling for the creation of a panel to examine the payment of reparations to the descendants of slaves; the legislation received support from the Japanese American Citizens League, Tsuru for Solidarity, former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, and survivors of Japanese American incarceration.
📡 ON OUR RADAR—STRICKLAND'S FIRST 100 DAYS: Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Washington) talks her biracial identity and AAPI solidarity after the Atlanta shootings in POLITICO’s Recast newsletter. More from Rishika Dugyala, Teresa Wiltz, and Brakkton Booker.
🔥 EX-DUCKWORTH AIDE TAPPED TO LEAD AAPI OUTREACH: Biden has picked former Obama administration official Erika Moritsugu to serve as senior liaison to the AAPI community in an attempt to address concerns from Asian American lawmakers, the White House announced Wednesday. Moritsugu has extensive experience on Capitol Hill and previously served as the general counsel for Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
More: It’s unclear what Moritsugu’s responsibilities will entail, but her position is separate from the role held by the White House Office of Public Engagement’s Howard Ou, who has been responsible for communicating with national AAPI groups thus far.
ANOTHER WAVE OF NOMINEES: Biden intends to nominate John Tien as deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, C.S. Eliot Kang as assistant secretary for international security and non-proliferation, and both Faisal Amin and Radhika Fox for senior roles at the Environmental Protection Agency, the White House says.
THE CHINA INITIATIVE: On Friday, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC delivered a petition to President Biden with nearly 30,000 signatures urging the administration to put an end to the Trump-era “China IInitiative,” which they alleged has led federal agencies to racially profile Asian American and Asian immigrant scientists in an effort to prosecute links to the Chinese government.
⚖️ ICYMI—MEET BIDEN’S JUDICIAL PICKS: AAPI advocacy groups are applauding Biden for nominating four Asian American judicial candidates, including the first potential Muslim federal judge in U.S. history. The Yappie’s Dan Hu has the details here.
AAPI NATION
Here's what else is happening across America...
Nearly 60% of Asian American adults say the yearlong spike in violence is fueling mental distress, a new poll finds. Seven Chicagoans speak to the Sun-Times’ Pat Nabong about the “trauma upon trauma.”
8 in 10 AAPI women want their elected officials to better understand the AAPI community’s unique perspectives, according to new data from a survey by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.
Asian American Instagram pages are bringing attention to anti-Asian racism—at the cost of circulating graphic imagery—Vox’s Terry Nguyen writes.
The nonprofit AAPI Progressive Action is now the “AAPI Victory Alliance” and plans to form a think tank dedicated to Asian American issues, the Washington Post’s Amy Wang and Colby Itkowitz report.
POLITICO's Mohana Ravindranath and Darius Tahir explain how the coronavirus vaccine campaign overlooks Asian Americans.
Asian families in Boston are choosing to keep their children learning from home at rates higher than any other racial group, in part due to fear of anti-Asian bullying. Nationwide, almost 7 in 10 Asian American K-12 students were still learning online in February.
The Asian American Federation is slamming the New York Police Department after a Gothamist/WNYC investigation found that the department fails to accurately classify and report data on anti-Asian hate crimes.
The Illinois House has passed legislation sponsored by state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview); it would require public schools to teach a unit on Asian American history.
VICE has apologized after publishing altered photos of Cambodians killed under the Khmer Rouge regime, which spurred condemnation from the Southeast Asian Freedom Network and 18 Million Rising.
Finally... Asian American activists joined Axios for a virtual event on pan-Asian identity, highlighting the impacts of AAPI erasure and the need for visibility. Watch the event here.
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