Good morning and welcome to The Yappie's tenth Asian American politics and activism briefing. Today, the House of Representatives will vote to impeach a president for only the third time in American history. A key procedural vote to kickstart debate will be held within the 10 a.m. hour, and the final vote is expected past 7 p.m. EST. You can watch rolling coverage on C-SPAN here. In the meantime, we’re looking for passionate students to join our team (email [email protected]). Send tips, events, and opportunities to [email protected].
The Big Story
SCOOP—WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE ON AAPIS GETS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Tina Wei Smith will serve as the next executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) as it completes its transition from the U.S. Department of Education to the Department of Commerce, a Commerce Department spokesperson tells The Yappie.
- Smith, a former U.S. Department of Labor appointee who once served as an aide to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao at the conservative Heritage Foundation, will once again report to Chao—along with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross—as part of the structure laid out in an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in May. President Trump announced his intent to designated Chao as WHIAAPI co-chair back in January.
- The position of WHIAAPI executive director was formerly held by Holly Ham at the U.S. Department of Education. Ham is now a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
- Established during the Clinton administration in 1999 and moved to the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama administration, WHIAAPI is a federal inter-agency working group charged with improving “the quality of life for AAPIs [Asian American Pacific Islanders] through increased access to and participation in federal programs,” according to a 2018 factsheet.
- President Trump’s 2019 executive order suggests a renewed focus on business and economic issues—directing the Department of Commerce to provide funding and administrative support for the initiative—with WHIAAPI given the broader responsibility of expanding “AAPI access to economic resources and opportunities.”
- The White House initiative is separate from the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs, which was extended through Sept. 30, 2021 and is also being transitioned from Education to Commerce, POLITICO reports. The commission is currently led by Orange County Supervisor Michelle Steel (R) and Florida’s Paul Hsu.
On the Hill
TRACKER—WHERE AAPI REPS STAND ON IMPEACHMENT: An overwhelming majority of the AAPI members of Congress—all Democrats—will back articles of impeachment during today’s historic House session, according to a review of public statements conducted by The Yappie. We’ll be updating our list here throughout the day here.
- Voting to impeach: Reps. Ami Bera (D-California), Judy Chu (D-California), T.J. Cox (D-California), Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington), Ro Khanna (D-California), Andy Kim (D-New Jersey), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois), Ted Lieu (D-California), Doris Matsui (D-California), Grace Meng (D-New York), Stephanie Murphy (D-Florida), Bobby Scott (D-Virginia), and Mark Takano (D-California) are poised to support both articles of impeachment against President Trump during the full House vote at around 7 p.m. EST. The articles, one on abuse of power and the other on obstruction of Congress, were approved by the Judiciary Committee 23–17 last week.
- Undecided (as of 10:30 a.m. EST): Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) is now the only AAPI member of Congress who has not publicly indicated how she will vote. ABC News reported on Tuesday that Gabbard introduced a measure to censure President Trump—a “less severe” alternative to removal from office.
- In the Senate trial: All three Democratic AAPI senators—Kamala Harris (D-California), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois)—are widely expected to back efforts to convict President Trump and remove him from office once the House sends articles of impeachment to the Senate.
UPDATE—CONGRESS MAKES AANAPISI FUNDING PERMANENT: After a months-long impasse, a bipartisan bill that restores $255 million in funding for minority-serving colleges and universities now awaits President Trump’s signature.
- For nearly a decade, Congress has allocated millions of dollars to Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) under the Higher Education Act. But the federal funding, which has been used to strengthen programming for low-income or first-generation AAPI students, expired in September and after Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) blocked a two-year extension from moving forward—throwing the future of some college AAPI programs into doubt.
- Congressional negotiators struck a deal to make AANAPISI funding permanent earlier this month, and the Senate granted final passage to the House-passed FUTURE Act last week under an expedited process.
- Rep. Alma Adams (D-North Carolina), the FUTURE Act’s main sponsor, told The Yappie through a spokesman: “I am proud that the FUTURE Act includes $15 million each in permanent funding for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNHs) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). Having served with senators and members of Congress who are graduates of these institutions, I know these minority-serving institutions are invaluable to their communities, and play a vital part in creating the leaders of the future.”
- The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, a coalition of 35 national AANHPI organizations, also welcomed the passage of the FUTURE Act and said it was “hopeful that the president will sign the bill into law to ensure that minority-serving institutions (MSIs) receive the funding they desperately need.”
- Why AANAPISI funding matters: Half of AAPI students across the country attend an AANAPISI, according to OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, and one-third of AANAPISIs have active Asian American Studies programs. The federal government designates an institution as an AANAPISI if at least 10% of its students are AAPI (among other eligibility requirements), and Asian-serving institutions have historically struggled to attract visibility and resources.
2020 Watch
PREVIEW—BOOKER, BUTTIGIEG TO HOLD AAPI EVENTS IN NEVADA SWING: At least two presidential candidates are making trips this week to Nevada, home to one of the fastest-growing Asian American communities in the country. Here are the details…
- Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), returns to the state on Wednesday to participate in a Tagalog caucus training with Filipino and AAPI leaders at SEIU Local 11307, according to a press release from the campaign. Cory for Nevada will also launch AAPIs for Booker and host a “Boba with Booker” event with young AAPI community leaders.
- South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), another presidential hopeful, is set to participate in a roundtable with AAPI organizations and community leaders in Las Vegas on Friday, the campaign’s Nevada Communications Director Olivia Bercow tells The Yappie. Representatives from One APIA Nevada, the AAPI Victory Fund, local elected officials, and other community leaders are expected to attend.
- Nevada has been the epicenter of efforts to woo AAPI voters this cycle thanks in part to the state’s large Filipino American community, the Wall Street Journal reports. Election materials for the state’s 2020 caucuses will be printed for the first time in Tagalog, a Filipino dialect, and Democrats will be able to vote over the phone in the state’s virtual caucuses using Tagalong as well.
UPDATE—WARREN LAUNCHES AAPI ENGAGEMENT ARM: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) formally rolled out “AAPIs with Warren” this week, putting Mary Lou Akai-Ferguson—who previously ran the campaign’s organizing program in the Midwest—in charge of AAPI engagement. In a post on the campaign’s digital community platform, Akai-Ferguson hinted at more upcoming announcements, including potential AAPI weekends of action and toolkits for volunteers across the country.
- What’s next: The campaign is scheduled to hold its first national AAPI call at 5 p.m. EST on Sunday, with campaign manager Roger Lau and policy advisor Ganesh Sitaraman serving as special guests. The campaign will discuss its “vision, strategy, and how you can get involved in organizing your local AAPI community,” Akai-Ferguson says. Participants can RSVP here for dial-in information.
BLOOMBERG PLAYS CATCH-UP WITH AAPI OUTREACH: Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, a late entrant to the crowded Democratic primary, is looking for an AAPI community outreach director as he goes on a nationwide hiring frenzy to make up for lost time, according to a job description seen by The Yappie.
- The AAPI community outreach director will be charged with designing and leading “a national multi-level outreach and engagement strategy that recognizes the power of a local approach,” the job description says.
- Context: POLITICO reports that Bloomberg has hired more than 300 people to work on his campaign, including nearly 100 staffers across 15 states and more than 200 people in New York City alone. The AAPI community outreach director would work out of the campaign’s Manhattan headquarters and report to the national constituents and coalitions director.
- Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and other top-tier candidates have been bringing on staff dedicated to Asian American engagement since September. Another candidate, Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), continues to recruit for an AAPI engagement director as campaigning in California, Virginia, and Nevada kicks into high gear, according to a job posting on Lever that has been up since June.
THE LONG READ—20 WOMEN OF COLOR IN POLITICS TO WATCH IN 2020: She the People and ELLE Magazine published their “20 for 2020” list on Tuesday, which includes AAPI leaders and activists such as New Virginia Majority Co-Executive Director Tram Nguyen, Philadelphia City Council Member Helen Gym (D), Freedom Inc. Co-Founder Kabzuag Vaj, and Warren 2020 North Carolina Regional Organizing Director Mia Ives-Rublee. Read the full list here.
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