Politics briefing: All eyes on Julie Su

? 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

FOR MIGRANT COFA WORKERS, A RESTORED PATH TO FEDERAL BENEFITS: President Joe Biden has publicly backed legislation that would restore access to federal benefits for the tens of thousands of migrants who legally reside, work, and study in the U.S. under the Compacts of Free Association (COFA).

• The Compact Impact Fairness Act, a bipartisan initiative sponsored by Hawai‘i’s congressional delegation, would allow citizens from COFA countries—the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands—to become eligible for federally funded social services. 

• Why it matters: Having access to federally funded services would rectify what many COFA migrants have called the struggle of living in the U.S. as second-class citizens. That meant a lack of adequate health care during the pandemic even as COVID disproportionately ravaged Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.

• The bill was first introduced in 2021 by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i), and Rep. Steve Womack (R-Arkansas). Several Micronesian groups came out in support of the legislation, calling it an act of justice and fairness. 

• “We have citizens of COFA nations who have worked really hard in essential jobs in food processing, health care, and early childhood education, and paid taxes but can't access all benefits that they pay into,” Melisa Laelan, who leads the Arkansas Coalition for Marshallese, said at the time. “Citizens of COFA nations have sacrificed their lands for the security of the United States. The CIFA Act aligns with the original aim of the Compact to safeguard the lives and livelihood of COFA citizens."

• Biden’s proposed fiscal year 2024 budget for the Department of the Interior now calls for its passage. Josie Howard, founder and CEO of Honolulu-based nonprofit We are Oceania, told Honolulu Civil Beat’s Nick Grube earlier this month that she hopes it will mitigate the discrimination Micronesians face in Hawai‘i and other parts of America. “For us COFA citizens, it’s going to make us feel included in this community,” added Howard, who is from Chuuk. 

WHAT THE PLAN COULD DO: Potentially save Hawai‘i and certain Pacific Island territories, particularly Guam, tens of millions of dollars annually. Previously, welfare reform in the 1990s rendered COFA migrants ineligible for various assistance programs. That ultimately cost Hawai‘i, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands $3.2 billion between fiscal years 2004 and 2018 while reimbursements from the federal government were estimated at only $509 million.

• Don’t forget: With the Indo-Pacific viewed as an area of strategic interest, the bill fits into broader U.S. efforts to strengthen alliances with COFA nations and limit China’s increasing presence in the region.

✍️ BIDEN TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER IMPROVING CARE ECONOMY—The White House has announced an unprecedented set of executive actions to make care more accessible for families and increase job compensation and benefits.

• Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget proposes investing $600 billion over 10 years toward the improvement and expansion of access to child care, as well as an additional $150 billion toward Medicaid home care services.

• One in 10 Asian, Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander adults were caregivers between 2015 and 2018, while one in 7 adults expected to become caregivers in the next two years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• A 2020 survey conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research also found that 12.8% of Asian caregivers and 25.3% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander caregivers in California reported physical and mental health problems due to the stressors of caregiving. 23.4% of Asian caregivers said caregiving was financially stressful compared to 17.7% of white caregivers.

VIOLENCE IN ASIAN AMERICA — UPDATE OUT OF INDIANA: The woman accused of stabbing an 18-year-old Indiana University student on a bus because she believed the student was “Chinese” has been charged with a federal hate crime.

• The suspect, 56-year-old Billie Davis, is white and told police she stabbed the woman because it “would be one less person to blow up our country.” Davis has pleaded not guilty, and her trial is set for June.

On our Radar

?️ NEW — JULIE SU FIGHTS FOR CONFIRMATION AS LABOR SECRETARY: Biden’s nominee faced intense questioning from GOP senators in a confirmation hearing last week. A committee will vote Wednesday whether or not to approve Su’s nomination and send it to the floor for a full vote.

• During the hearing, GOP members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee grilled Su about her close ties with unions, which they say compromise her ability to negotiate fairly between unions and business leaders.

• Though Su has received support from prominent senators including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois), some moderates—chiefly Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia—have yet to be convinced.

• In a bid to instill doubt, Senate Republicans interrogated Su on topics including regulating the gig economy, navigating collective bargaining negotiations, and leading federal-state unemployment insurance partnerships. 

• Troubled past in California: Su served as California’s labor secretary during the pandemic when the state paid out billions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. Republicans have called it a marred record that disqualifies Su from leading the Labor Department. Su counters that the system was outdated, and pandemic aid didn’t have the same safeguards against fraud.

• Some of the strongest support for Su comes from AAPI and labor unions and organizations, POLITICO’s Nick Niedzwiadek and Daniella Diaz report.

SPONSORED CONTENT

---

On The Hill

? AAPI LAWMAKERS DOUBLE DOWN ON PUSH TO CONFIRM SU: The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus endorsed Su for the Cabinet seat in February before Biden announced his nominee and reiterated its support Thursday after the hearing, urging a swift confirmation.

• An added significance: Su, who has served as the head of the department in an acting capacity since former secretary Marty Walsh departed in March, would be the first Asian American to serve as a secretary in Biden’s Cabinet if confirmed.

• In their words: “She has the experience, background and skills to lead … and ensure all American workers are protected under the law,” Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York), CAPAC’s vice chair, said in a tweet that was accompanied by a picture of Meng sitting next to CAPAC Chair Judy Chu (D-California) at Su’s confirmation hearing.

? ICYMI — KIMCHI IN THE HOUSE: A group of bipartisan representatives, including Rep. Young Kim (R-California) and Rep. Andy Kim (D-New Jersey), are moving to put kimchi on the calendar. Earlier this month, lawmakers introduced a resolution that would designate Nov. 22 as “Kimchi Day.”

• Among the others who signed on were Reps. Michelle Steel (R-California) and Marilyn Strickland (D-Washington), who are both Korean.

---

Campaign Watch

?️ BIDEN ANNOUNCES RE-ELECTION BID: The president formally announced he is running for re-election in a video released Tuesday morning. Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the first Black and Asian person to hold the vice presidency, is set to campaign alongside Biden in 2024. 

• In 2020, 63% of Asian voters chose Biden while 31% voted for then-President Donald Trump, an NBC News exit poll found. Nearly half of all Asian American and Pacific Islanders who cast a ballot in that election did not do so in 2016, according to a TargetSmart poll. 

• Competition is sparse: Biden will likely triumph over Democratic challengers Robert F. Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist, and Marianne Williamson, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020. Both have already announced plans to seek the party nomination in 2024.

? NIKKI HALEY FUNDRAISING PUT ON BLAST: The former South Carolina governor who served as Trump’s ambassador to the U.N. appears to have over-counted total contributions to her campaign, filings with the Federal Election Commission show. Fundraising, in part a reflection of voter enthusiasm, can be one indicator of a candidate’s early success.

• Moving the money: In a press release earlier this month, Haley’s campaign announced she had raised more than $11 million since launching her bid in February. But filings show she has raised a total of $8.3 million across three committees. Plus, not all of that money can be used toward her campaign.

• Show me the receipts: The campaign appears to have double-counted a portion of the money moved across various committees associated with Haley or her campaign, writes The Washington Post’s Isaac Stanley-Becker and Dylan Wells.

• What she’s saying: Haley’s campaign communications director told the Post that the campaign counted contributions in a way similar to other candidates and that her team stands by the $11 million figure.

?️ RAMASWAMY COURTS DONORS AT IOWA EVANGELICAL CONFERENCE: GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, a biopharmaceutical entrepreneur known for his “anti-woke” rhetoric, joined other Republicans running or expected to run in 2024 at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition’s spring kickoff event over the weekend. Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson also featured as speakers.

• Abortion takes center stage: “This is an issue for the states,” Ramaswamy told The Washington Post’s Dylan Wells in an interview. “Abortion I think is a form of murder, and I think that just as murder is regulated by state statutes, so too it applies for this form of murder.”

• Ramaswamy, who attended Catholic school growing up, has not widely mentioned faith on the campaign trail.

• Who’s (not) there? Haley, who has frequently mentioned her Christian faith, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Democrat-turned-right-wing politician Tulsi Gabbard of Hawai‘i, however, drew interest with an appearance at the showcase.

? Enjoying The Yappie? Make a donation, forward this briefing to a friend. or subscribe here. You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

SPONSORED CONTENT

---

The Yappie is your must-read briefing on AAPI power, politics, and influence, fiscally sponsored by the Asian American Journalists Association. Make a donation, subscribe, and follow us on Twitter (@theyappie). Send tips and feedback to [email protected].