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Politics briefing: Thousands march as activists warn justices on abortion rights

Also this week: A boost for Native Hawaiian education, the GOP targets Georgia’s AAPI voters, and Chopra takes charge at the CFPB.
Thousands of abortion rights supporters gathered near the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on October 2, 2021. Photo courtesy of Dan Hu for The Yappie.
Thousands of abortion rights supporters gathered near the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on October 2, 2021. Photo courtesy of Dan Hu for The Yappie.

Good morning and welcome to The Yappie’s Asian American + Pacific Islander politics briefing. We (Mary and Dan) have been reporting from Capitol Hill over the past week and are excited to take the lead on the newsletter! Make sure to connect with us at @MaryRanYang and @byDanHu. Send tips and feedback to [email protected], apply to join our team, and support The Yappie‘s work by making a donation.


? October is Filipino American History Month! Filipino Americans make up 18% of the U.S. Asian population with a total of over 4.2 million, according to a May Pew Research Center study. A “growing force in our civic movements and engagement,” Filipino Americans are a “living reminder of the courage of immigrants,” the White House said in a statement honoring the month, which was first recognized in 2009.

The Biden Era

SOUNDING THE ALARM ON ABORTION RIGHTS: The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum and Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC warned the Supreme Court in an amicus brief that “millions of AAPI women” in at least 22 states would be harmed by a decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

  • The brief outlines the ramifications of nullifying the landmark 1973 ruling, which  guarantees the constitutional right to an abortion, and notes that AAPI women already face “significant barriers” to obtaining abortions.
  • Thousands marched in cities across the nation on Saturday to rally for abortion justice. NAPAWF helped organize AAPI women to participate in Houston, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.

UPDATE—BIDEN RESHAPES FEDERAL BENCH WITH ASIAN NOMINEES: 23% of Biden’s federal judicial nominees are now of AAPI descent, with the administration announcing three additional Asian American court picks on Thursday. The new wave of nominations includes the ACLU’s Dale Ho, who helped challenge the Trump administration’s controversial 2020 Census citizenship question.

AAPI ADVOCATES RALLY AROUND HAITI REFUGEES: In a show of solidarity with Haitian migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, 34 AAPI groups signed a joint letter calling on the Biden administration to cease Title 42 deportations after images of Border Protection officers charging at refugees went viral. “We recognize the U.S. immigration system is rooted in white supremacy,” the letter states.

  • OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates called the situation a “monumental failure”—just days after attending a roundtable with Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and other AAPI nonprofits.

IMMIGRATION BACKLOG PROVES HEADACHE FOR BIDEN ADMIN: As many as 80,000 employment-based green cards expired on Friday, a deadline that hit as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services struggles to process a yearslong backlog. The windfall has exacerbated frustration and helplessness for the 1.2 million affected immigrants—most of whom hail from India and work in tech.


On the Hill

ON OUR RADARThe Senate voted 50-48 on Thursday to confirm Rohit Chopra as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). During the Trump administration, the chamber gave Chopra unanimous support to serve as the second-ever Asian American on the Federal Trade Commission. However, Republicans worked to stall his CFPB confirmation under Biden, citing his “aggressively anti-business agenda.”

BIPARTISAN PUSH FOR MICRONESIA ENVOY: Congress members on both sides of the aisle are demanding that the Biden administration designate an envoy to manage stalled negotiations with three Micronesian countries over renewal of the Compact of Free Association (COFA), The Yappie’s Javan Santos reports.

  • Meanwhile… Federal officials have reportedly stonewalled islanders on key issues, “including dealing with the leakage of U.S. radioactive waste in parts of the Marshall Islands,” according to Foreign Policy.

BIG BUCKS FOR NATIVE HAWAIIAN EDUCATION: Native Hawaiian education programs will receive over $28 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Hawai'i Sens. Mazie Hirono (D) and Brian Schatz (D) announced last month. The recipients of 35 federal grants include the University of Hawaii system, small business incubators, Hawaiian language programs, and public charter schools.

ICYMI—HIRONO, MENG PRESS DOJ ON HATE CRIMES LAW: Hirono and Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York) have written to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland seeking updates on the Justice Department’s implementation of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which was signed into law four months ago.

  • Remember: When previously questioned about the agency’s efforts to combat anti-Asian hate in June, Garland told senators that “we have accomplished all of the things that Congress asked us to do,” The Yappie’s Andrew Peng notes.

WHAT TO WATCH—RADIATION REPARATIONS FOR GUAM? Guam residents were exposed to radiation during decades of U.S. nuclear weapons testing. Embattled Guam Del. Michael San Nicholas (D), who is reportedly mulling a run for governor while under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, has introduced legislation that would offer financial compensation for the toxic health impacts. The Justice Department would approve the claims if the bill passes, Pacific Daily NewsJackson Stephens reports.

KIM, BERA LEAD SUPPORT FOR UYGHURS: A bill aimed at supporting Uyghurs against the Chinese government’s abuse, co-led by California Reps. Young Kim (R) and Ami Bera (D), heads to the House floor after clearing the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Thursday.


On the Trail

2022 WATCH—GOP TARGETS GEORGIA: The Republican National Committee has opened its second AAPI outreach center ahead of the looming midterm elections, this time in Georgia’s Gwinnett County, where Asian American voters helped deliver the Senate to Democrats earlier this year.

BIDEN ALLIES HONE IN ON LANGUAGE ACCESS: The nonprofit Building Back Better—in partnership with progressive AAPI groups—has launched an effort to ensure Asian and Latino voters who speak limited English are granted bilingual resources, POLITICO reports. 

TRANSFORMING MASSACHUSETTS POLITICS: Asian Americans have long been underrepresented in Massachusetts politics. But that could soon change with Michelle Wu’s (D) swift rise to the top of Boston’s mayoral race and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz (D) gunning for the governorship, WBUR writes.


AAPI Nation

NUMBER OF THE WEEK—0.5: That’s the percentage of national philanthropic funding that goes towards AAPI communities, according to The Asian American Foundation.

Here’s what else is happening across America…

  • Prominent California state Assemblymember David Chiu (D) has been tapped to serve as San Francisco’s first Asian American city attorney. Chiu, a lawyer who also served on the city’s Board of Supervisors, has spent years fighting for affordable housing and immigration reform.
  • Chicago’s 11th Ward map could be redrawn to create the city’s first ward with an Asian American majority—a plan heavily advocated by Chinatown leaders.
  • While the Marines have reluctantly allowed a Sikh officer to wear a turban, First Lt. Sukhbir Toor tells the New York Times that it’s not enough—and that he is still banned from wearing his turban while in a combat zone or as part of a ceremonial unit.
  • Over 130 years after arsonists burned down a once-thriving Chinatown in San Jose, California, city officials unanimously apologized to the Chinese American community and acknowledged decades of racist “acts of fundamental injustice, terror, cruelty and brutality.”
  • The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) announced a new national advocacy network to fight anti-AAPI hate, Axios' Shawna Chen and Hope King report. The initiative launched action centers in Oakland, Chicago, and New York, which TAAF will invest in and fund as part of an effort to act as a bridge for local and national AAPI groups.
  • San Francisco Chinatown workers have unionized to reach a $1.61 million wage settlement with the owners of a Sichuanese restaurant, reports NBC Asian America’s Claire Wang. The 22 employees claimed they never received overtime pay or state-mandated meal breaks.

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