Issue 70 • JANUARY 30, 2024
👋 Good morning, and welcome back to The Yappie’s AAPI politics briefing—your guide to the policy news and activism affecting Asian Americans + Pacific Islanders.
Happy 2024! What a year we have ahead of us. As always, thanks for being a reader.
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— Edited by Shawna Chen
THE BIG STORY
Wreckage from the wildfires on Maui, which killed nearly 100 people and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Photo: State Farm via Flickr
FEMA releases policy changes in bid to bolster emergency disaster response
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FEMA has long faced criticisms for its oft-disorganized and inequitable emergency disaster response, and in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires, FEMA faced scrutiny from residents who called the organization’s response lacking.
📃 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced plans to launch new cash assistance programs and changes to its emergency disaster aid.
The changes, outlined in a 342-page document governing the “Individual Assistance program,” aim to increase equity by “simplifying processes, removing barriers to entry, and increasing eligibility for certain types of assistance under the program.”
Getting rid of the red tape: FEMA’s changes would include cash payments of $750 to all victims of federally declared disaster, and implement new programs to fund roughly two weeks of housing in the wake of disasters.
Once they take effect in March, there will be more immediate access to emergency cash assistance, more funding for housing costs, and fewer restrictions on aid to those who already have home insurance, Grist’s Jake Bittle reports.
In the wake of the Maui wildfires, FEMA helped more than 3,000 people register for federal assistance and provided immediate payments of $700 to displaced residents to cover critical needs such as food, water, and medical supplies, TIME’s Sanya Mansoor reported.
But: Residents said the assistance was insufficient for their long-term recovery, as many had lost their homes, vehicles, jobs, and more.
One resident who lost her home in the fires said her FEMA request for housing assistance was denied, The Guardian’s Joan E. Greve and Dani Anguiano note. She was allegedly told instead to apply for a small business loan.
Of note: FEMA, as a federal agency overseen by the president, is not allowed to provide direct support until states request for the president to declare a disaster in the area.
Hawai‘i’s request for a disaster declaration came two days after the wildfires in Maui started, as the New York Times’ Eileen Sullivan reports. The delay led residents to decry failures to provide support in the critically important days immediately following the wildfires.
Under EMA’s new plan, the agency would no longer require states to submit requests for aid before it steps in to provide immediate cash assistance.
These changes could present an improvement to FEMA’s disaster relief efforts. But many Maui residents continue to struggle in the aftermath of the wildfires, which destroyed roughly $5.5 billion of capital, including homes, buildings, and agriculture in the area.
Climate change and related disasters disproportionately impact Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and many communities in Hawai‘i are still at risk for wildfires.
The state and government’s mismanagement has led many Native Hawaiians to renew calls for sovereignty so they can better govern their homelands.
— By
Katrina Pham
AAPI NATION
Joe Biden speaks at a kickoff rally for his 2020 presidential campaign. Photo: Michael Stokes via Wikimedia Commons
👉 Here’s what else is happening across America…
📋 The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee introduced its “In It Together” campaign aimed at combating misinformation among immigrants and communities of color, NBC Asian America’s Kimmy Yam writes. The campaign will launch websites translated in various languages to provide details on Democratic platforms.
“Knowing how prevalent these closed platform groups are and how much our communities rely on them … we want to empower organizers, our volunteers with culturally competent, in-language content so that they can counter disinformation,” said Sarah Lin, the committee's AANHPI engagement deputy director.
📰 The Los Angeles Times named a woman as executive editor—Terry Tang, who served as editor of the editorial page—for the first time in its 142-year history amid layoffs to reduce financial losses. Recent cuts affected recently hired journalists of color under the seniority clause. 🌾 A U.S. Department of Agriculture survey shows that the August wildfires in Hawai‘i cost Maui and Big Island producers an estimated $23 million in lost revenue, crops, property, and livestock, Honolulu Civil Beat’s Thomas Heaton writes.
4% of surveyed producers said recovery from the damage was not possible.
💲 Inflation is the primary issue for Asian voters this year, with 31% ranking it as their top priority, according to a new AAPI Data/AP-NORC poll. The results challenge stereotypical assumptions that Asians only care about education, NBC Asian America’s Sakshi Venkatraman reports.
Education and student debt came in sixth for Asian voters at 19% in comparison to 22% of U.S. adults in general.
📈 New data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed a dramatic spike in undocumented Indian immigrants crossing U.S. borders on foot—with a record 96,917 Indians in the 2023 fiscal year alone, NBC Asian America’s Kimmy Yam reports. Experts cite oppression of minority communities and visa backlogs as potential reasons, noting a growth in global migration since the pandemic. 🚨 Several propane tanks exploded near a Sikh temple in Sacramento on Monday, CBS News Sacramento’s Richard Ramos reports. No one was injured, and local law enforcement is investigating amid possible hate crime concerns.
🦺 Pepsi Guam Bottling has agreed to pay roughly $132,000 in penalties after the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that the Guam-based company exposed employees to amputation and other serious injuries.
It’s also charged with implementing a comprehensive safety and health program to protect workers moving forward.
❤️🩹 FEMA has launched a new program, named GUAM STRONG, to assist households impacted by Typhoon Mawar. The initiative works with local organizations and agencies to deploy skilled volunteers to conduct repairs including roofing, electrical work, and more. 🥰 Enjoying The Yappie? Make a donation, forward this briefing to a friend or subscribe here. You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
— By
Rachel Lee
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Preston Lieu