House passes measure condemning anti-Asian discrimination amid the COVID-19 pandemic

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives passed a measure Thursday condemning anti-Asian bigotry and discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., the sponsor of the measure, told USA TODAY its passage would be “really important” to demonstrate to Asian Americans that it's “wrong to discriminate against our community in light of the pandemic.”

“We're glad that the House is taking a very strong and public stance against the discrimination and the violence that is happening during this public health crisis,” she said.

Amid inflammatory political rhetoric blaming China for the pandemic from President Donald Trump and his allies, increased numbers of Asian Americans have reported harassment and even physical assaults.

The resolution – the House’s first addressing anti-Asian discrimination related to the pandemic – passed by a 243-164 vote. All Democrats were joined by 14 Republicans in voting for the measure. Meng voted by proxy.

"The House needed to take a strong and public stand against this appalling intolerance, discrimination and violence that has taken place all across the country during this public health crisis, and today, it did just that," Meng said in a statement after the vote.

The resolution does not refer to any individual’s rhetoric and instead “calls on all public officials to condemn and denounce any and all anti-Asian sentiment in any form.” It asks for federal law enforcement to work with state and local officials to address reports of hate incidents and crimes against Asian American communities, as well as collect data on the incidents.

Health experts at the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said linking diseases to a specific location or ethnicity could perpetuate stigma.

'We just want to be safe': Hate crimes, harassment of Asian Americans rise amid coronavirus pandemic

The 2020 Asian American Voter Survey released Tuesday found that 51% of Asian Americans are concerned about experiencing hate crimes, harassment and discrimination because of COVID-19, and 79% say there is a lot or some discrimination against Asian people in society.

University of Maryland Professor of American Studies Janelle Wong, co-author of several books on Asian American politics, told USA TODAY the polling showed how Asian Americans are "still vulnerable to anti-Asian bias and racism" despite gains in income and education.

In March, Trump wrote in a tweet that it is “very important to totally protect our Asian American community” after he faced fierce criticism from Asian American and public health advocates on his rhetoric about the coronavirus, but he still refers to it as the “China virus” amid heightened tensions with Beijing.

The House measure, a nonbinding resolution, does not require the Senate to pass it, nor does it require the president’s signature.

Meng said she hoped the measure would pass with bipartisan support and should not be controversial, but many House Republicans opposed it. Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., the second-ranking House Republican, tweeted Tuesday that Democrats were “wasting their time with the measure” and would be effectively condemning their past references to the coronavirus by its location of origin. “These people aren’t serious,” he wrote.

“This is not a waste of time. People's lives are at stake,” Meng said.

“It is something that is important, symbolic, and should be easy to stand up in defense of the Asian American community and to denounce violence,” she said.

On the House floor, Republicans said Democrats were trying to score political points.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, called the resolution “just another Democrat attack on the president,” and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., called it a waste of time when the House could be working on COVID-19 relief. "There is no kitchen in America that thinks this is a priority," he said.

Democrats said Republicans were more concerned about defending the president than voting to condemn hate.

"I was so dismayed to see my Republican colleagues, one after the other, come to the floor today and tell the Asian American community that their suffering does not matter and that they are indifferent to the consequences of the hate they are spreading," said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the legislation would shine "a bright light on the injustice experienced by so many, including the surge of violence and discrimination being experienced by the Asian American and Pacific Islander community."

Many Asian Americans were "fighting on the front lines against COVID-19," but "instead of being celebrated as heroes, they are fighting violence and bigotry," she said.

Gregg Orton, director of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, a coalition of more than 35 advocacy organizations, said the vote would be a “rejection” of “COVID-19-fueled racism” and Asian Americans’ fears their concerns would be ignored.

Even though it was a symbolic vote, “we shouldn’t discount the importance of the U.S. House of Representatives, as an institution, taking a stand on this,” he said.

'Painted as spies': Chinese students, scientists say Trump administration has made life hostile amid battle against COVID-19

More: How the Kamala Harris pick is playing with Indian Americans, a fast-growing and influential voting bloc

The country risked being on a “dangerous path where this behavior can become normalized if we do not put a stop to it now,” said John Yang, president and executive director of Asian American advocacy group Advancing Justice-AAJC.

His group, which tracks and reports hate incidents, applauded the measure and “those congressional members who are actively trying to stop the harmful rhetoric that fans the flames of these xenophobic attacks.”

"We must unite against racism & bigotry," the Leadership Conference on Human Rights, a coalition of civil rights organizations, wrote on Twitter.

The nonprofit Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, which promotes Asian American political representation, wrote, "Congress sends a message to the American people that racism, bigotry & xenophobia will not be tolerated."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19: House passes resolution condemning anti-Asian discrimination