Good morning, and welcome to The Yappie’s AAPI politics briefing — your guide to the policy news and activism affecting Asian Americans + Pacific Islanders. Send tips and feedback to [email protected] and support our work by making a donation.
— Edited by Shawna Chen
The Biden Era
COFA STATES IMPACTED BY BUDGET STOPGAP: In an effort to avoid a government shutdown, Congress passed a 45-day stopgap bill to continue negotiations into mid-November. The move could affect the economies of Compact of Free Associations (COFA) nations—the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands—leaving them to await the renewal of federal funding programs and creating an opportunity for the Chinese government to expand its presence in the Indo-Pacific.
- While the stopgap does not withdraw federal services from COFA states, it also does not renew them. The deadline to renew funding for the Marshall Islands and Micronesia was Sept. 30, and uncertainty persists around whether the U.S. will continue to provide sufficient military and economic assistance.
- Why it matters: The Indo-Pacific has long been an area of strategic interest for the U.S. despite Western powers’ longtime neglect. As remaining COFA funding dwindles, foreign policy experts warn that the region may become vulnerable to Chinese influence and attempts to discredit the U.S. government’s reliability, Reuters’ David Brunnstrom writes.
- The Biden administration previously voiced support for legislation that would restore federal benefits to COFA migrants who legally reside, work, and study in the U.S. in a bid to strengthen ties. Congressional approval is pending.
- The president previously received criticism for his slow public response to the fires and appearing to brush off reporters when asked about the death toll during his vacation. The White House has since said he did not hear the question.
BIDEN’S FEDERAL JUDGE NOMINEES FACE GOP: Two AAPI nominees for federal judge positions recently sat in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which includes right-wing Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Josh Hawley (R-Missouri).
- Hawai‘i Circuit Court Judge Shanlyn Park would be the first Native Hawaiian woman to serve as a federal judge if confirmed. Recommended by Hawai‘i Sens. Mazie Hirono (D) and Brian Schatz (D), Park has the support of several organizations including the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Native American Rights Fund, and the Native Hawaiian Bar Association.
- U.S. Magistrate Judge Mustafa Taher Kasubhai is seeking lifetime tenure as a district court judge in Oregon. The son of Indian immigrants, Kasubhai is Muslim American and was repeatedly pressed by GOP senators on his DEI views.
ICYMI—The U.S. State Department’s Global Education Center released a report accusing the Chinese government of using “propaganda, disinformation, and censorship” via social media and artificial intelligence tools to delegitimize the U.S. in the global community.
- The report emphasizes the threat Chinese campaigns pose to U.S. national security and the importance of understanding the implications of China’s growing influence. Beijing has since pushed back against the report, claiming it’s untrue.
On The Hill
HAWAI‘I LAWMAKERS MOVE TO RECOGNIZE FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY: Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘I) and Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i) have introduced resolutions recognizing the role that Filipino Americans played in U.S. history as laborers, health care workers, soldiers, and more.
- Filipino American History Month was first established by the Filipino American National Historical Society in 1992. Congress followed in 2009 when it designated October as Filipino American History Month to reflect the arrival of the first Filipinos in America on Oct. 18, 1587.
- The stats: California has the largest Filipino population in the U.S., with over 1.2 million of the roughly 2.9 million Filipinos across the entire nation. Filipino farmworkers, nurses, and garment workers played leading roles in the fight for labor rights in the state.
- Meanwhile: With over 213,000 Filipinos in 2021, Hawai‘i has the second-largest population. Filipino contract laborers first arrived on Hawaiian sugar plantations in 1906; the community has since grown steadily via immigration.
CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS DENOUNCE THANEDAR’S NEW CAUCUS: After announcing plans to form a Hindu congressional caucus in June, Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Michigan) launched the rebranded Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain Congressional Caucus last week.
- Still: The Sikh Coalition, Hindus for Human Rights, and other civil rights groups warned that the bipartisan caucus lacks representation from non-Hindu minority groups and poses the danger of being “a vehicle for Hindu nationalist policies that will inevitably harm the entire South Asian American community,” NBC Asian America’s Sakshi Venkatraman reports.
- Of note: Thanedar escorted the controversial Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi—whose policies have faced criticism for allegedly discriminating against Muslim and other non-Hindu Indians—when he visited the U.S. in June. Thanedar later said in an interview that he was “very proud of PM Modi.”
- In recent years, the U.S. has seen a rise in Hindu nationalist sentiment among Indian diaspora communities alongside efforts to protect diaspora members of minority religions, Nitish Pahwa notes for Slate.
LAWMAKERS DOUBLE DOWN AFTER FEDERAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS ANTI-ASIAN HATE CRIME UNDERREPORTING: The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released a report last week assessing the rise in and response to anti-Asian hate crimes from 2019 through 2021. The report emphasized the role language barriers and strict legal criteria play in the underreporting of anti-Asian hate incidents.
- How they responded: “While there have been comprehensive efforts to address the alarming increase in anti-Asian hate crimes since the coronavirus pandemic began, like the enactment of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, the findings in this report show that more must be done to ensure this law is fully implemented and the civil rights of AANHPIs are fully protected,” Rep. Judy Chu (D-California), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said in a statement applauding the report's release.
- Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York) also drew attention to a racist attack against a 14-year-old Asian American canvasser in her state this past week. A woman allegedly punched the boy and made racially charged insults, but police reportedly said they could do nothing because the injuries were not serious enough. The incident has spurred demands for a local hate crime unit, reports The Island 360’s Karina Kovac.
Campaign Watch
“KIM-MENTUM” IN NEW JERSEY: A new poll of Democratic primary voters shows Rep. Andy Kim (D-New Jersey) with a 23-point lead over the closest candidate in the 2024 race to replace Sen. Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey).
- Kim made a surprise announcement to join the race two weeks ago after Menedrez refused to step down despite facing bribery and fraud charges. Federal investigators found over $480,000 in cash as well as gold bars and luxury items in Menendez’s home, which they allege were bribes for assisting three New Jersey businessmen and the Egyptian government.
- Kim told POLITICO’s Brakkton Booker last Tuesday that he has already raised roughly $1 million for the race—though he’ll likely have to fend off high-powered candidates like New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy, who served as the finance chair for her husband Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) 2021 re-election campaign.
FIGHTING TO KEEP SAN FRANCISCO'S HISTORICALLY CHINESE ASSEMBLY SEAT: Since 2002, the seat for California’s 19th Assembly district has been held by Chinese Americans—most recently by Democrat Phil Ting. But with Ting set to term out in 2024, Supervisor Catherine Stefani (D) had appeared as his most likely successor. That is, until educator and longtime Chinese American activist David Lee entered the race last month.
- San Francisco’s Chinese American political representation peaked in the 2010s, with Ting and City Attorney David Chiu (D) elected to San Francisco’s two Assembly seats and several Chinese Americans on the Board of Supervisors. But today only one supervisor and one assemblymember are Chinese American, Han Li of San Francisco Standard points out.
- Lee, who previously lost three campaigns to join the Board of Supervisors, has served as executive director of the outreach organization Chinese American Voters Education Committee since 1993. He previously taught political science at San Francisco State University and currently works at the Asian Pacific American Student Success program at Laney College in Oakland.
- While a spokesperson for Stefani described Lee as a “political novice,” Ting swiftly announced his endorsement. “We really need to have someone that understands our community, has been in the community, has served our community,” he told the Standard.
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