House passes measure condemning anti-Asian discrimination

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 antiAsian discrimination related to the pandemic – passed by a 243-164vote. 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.

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 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 opposedit.

Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., the secondranking 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.