Politics Briefing 12/19

Such figures are likely an undercount due to the FBI’s transition to a new data portal last year, which hundreds of law enforcement agencies have been slow to uptake. The 2021 report excludes data from major cities such as Los Angeles and New York, and only shows 73 reported hate crimes in California even though the California Department of Justice reported 1,763 hate crimes in 2021 earlier this year, notes the Los Angeles Times’ Jenny Jarvie.

In California, anti-Asian hate crimes in particular increased 177% from 89 in 2020 to 247 in 2021, according to the state’s tally. The omission of these trends in federal statistics hinders a more complete picture of the surge in hate crimes from the last few years.

The Red Hill section of the NDAA, authored by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), also includes funding for a water monitoring program that would evaluate the long-term environmental impact of the storage tank’s leaks. Hirono secured an additional $800 million in funding to upgrade Hawai‘i’s existing military infrastructure to help prevent future crises like the leakage.

Full circle: Last December, the Hawai‘i delegation requested the Department of Defense open an investigation into water contamination. The U.S. Navy has said it plans to close the bulk fuel storage tank by 2027.

In her remarks, Murphy thanked her parents, who fled Vietnam by boat and were rescued by American sailors, for working hard to give her better opportunities. She called on Democrats and Republicans to treat each other with “civility and decency” and warned that “extreme partisanship led to legislative gridlock” during her time in the chamber, forcing communities to pay the price.

“I want to end with a word to young Americans, including young girls who look like me. I hope you will consider government service. It requires many sacrifices, but the work is important and noble. Our nation needs good people with steady hands to steer the ship of state. People with integrity.”

“Honestly, I don’t know what is more hurtful. The fact that Chancellor Keon thought his joke was funny, or that many in the audience laughed,” said Meng in a statement after a video of the speech was posted online. 

“Over the past few years, we have seen the evidence of harm that these stereotypical tropes and racist caricatures, even in so-called jest, can perpetuate among our communities,” said Meng, who as vice chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) has repeatedly urged Congress members to avoid using anti-Asian rhetoric.

Worth noting: The university initially defended Keon, but the chancellor later posted an apology after the video drew intense criticism online. Faculty members have since demanded that Keon resign, the Post-Tribune’s Michelle L. Quinn writes.

Tokuda also joined CAPAC as the leadership team’s freshman representative, replacing outgoing Rep. Kai Kahele (D-Hawai‘i).

The former Hawai‘i state senator was part of a group of incoming lawmakers urging the current Congress to expand funding for childcare and undocumented students by extending child tax credit and advancing the Dream and Promise Act.

While in Washington, Tokuda shared her tips on getting a good office on Capitol Hill. “My team and I, we literally went through every available room and ranked it 1 to 74,” Tokuda told Bloomberg Government. “We’re very hopeful we get number 1, but if we get 74, we know what we’re going into.”

“My passion to be a progressive comes from the life that I've lived—the stigma of poverty and dealing with the mental health of a family member,” he said during a November visit to Capitol Hill following his election. “That’s why I’m here.”

Thanedar noted that his priority will be on closing the wealth gap in his district, where roughly 30% of people live at or below the poverty line. He also said he’s intent on passing single-payer health care on the Hill.

Thanedar’s historic election ended nearly 70 years of Black representation in Congress for Detroit, which has remained a point of concern for the city’s Black leaders. He told Michigan Radio that he is already discussing policy with members of the Congressional Black Caucus and plans to back Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s (D-Texas) reparations bill.

“I think it’s very important at this time, with the threat to our nation and the strategic location of our island and the military buildup that we see, that your representatives should be part of the Armed Services Committee and then some subcommittees within that,” Moylan said recently in a speech at the Rotary Club of Tumon Bay.

Moylan is the first Republican elected to represent Guam as a non-voting member of Congress in 30 years. He has said he intends to combat ignorance about the territory—what he called “selling Guam”—so that Guam is actively included in federal programs. 

Most recently, in one of his final acts as a senator in the Guam legislature, Moylan voted in favor of the Guam Heartbeat Act, which bans abortions after six weeks and is modeled after a similar law in Texas. It contains no exceptions for rape or incest.