[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 24, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1775-S1776]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 133--CONDEMNING ALL FORMS OF ANTI-ASIAN SENTIMENT AS 
                          RELATED TO COVID-19

  Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Blumenthal, 
Mr. Booker, Mr. Brown, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, 
Mr. Coons, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Kaine, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. 
Murray, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Reed, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mrs. 
Shaheen, Ms. Smith, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warner, Mr. 
Warnock, Ms. Warren, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Bennet, and Mrs. 
Gillibrand) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 133

       Whereas there are 23,000,000 Asian Americans and Pacific 
     Islanders in the United States, constituting 7 percent of the 
     population of the United States;
       Whereas over 2,000,000 Asian Americans and Pacific 
     Islanders are working on the front lines of the COVID-19 
     pandemic as first responders and in health care, law 
     enforcement, transportation, supermarkets, and other service 
     industries;
       Whereas the use of anti-Asian terminology and rhetoric 
     related to COVID-19, such as the ``Chinese Virus'', ``Wuhan 
     Virus'', and ``Kung-flu'' have perpetuated anti-Asian stigma;
       Whereas the use of anti-Asian rhetoric has resulted in 
     Asian Americans being harassed, assaulted, and scapegoated 
     for the COVID-19 pandemic;
       Whereas, since January 2020, there has been a dramatic 
     increase in reports of hate crimes and incidents against 
     those of Asian descent in all 50 States and the District of 
     Columbia;
       Whereas, according to a recent report, there were nearly 
     3,800 reported cases of anti-Asian discrimination related to 
     COVID-19 between March 19, 2020 and February 28, 2021;
       Whereas, in incidents of anti-Asian violence occurring in 
     March 2020--
       (1) a woman wearing a mask was kicked and punched at a New 
     York City subway station;
       (2) 2 children and 2 adults were stabbed at a wholesale 
     grocery in Midland, Texas;
       (3) a couple was assaulted and robbed by a group of 
     attackers in Philadelphia; and
       (4) a 16-year-old boy was sent to the hospital after being 
     attacked by bullies in Los Angeles, California;
       Whereas since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, anti-
     Asian discrimination and hate has continued;
       Whereas a disproportionate number of attacks, approximately 
     68 percent, have been directed at Asian American women;
       Whereas since the start of 2021, there has been a surge in 
     anti-Asian attacks targeting predominantly elderly Asian 
     Americans;
       Whereas, on January 30, 2021, an 84-year-old Thai man, 
     Vicha Ratanapakdee, died from injuries sustained from an 
     unprovoked assault while on his routine morning walk in San 
     Francisco, California;
       Whereas, in January 2021, a series of attacks occurred in 
     Oakland's Chinatown targeting Asian American seniors, and 
     victims included a 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman, 
     who, in separate incidents, were violently shoved to the 
     ground;
       Whereas, in February 2021, victims of anti-Asian violence 
     included--
       (1) a 61-year-old Filipino man who was attacked and slashed 
     across his face on a New York City subway;
       (2) a Filipino woman in her eighties who was punched in an 
     unprovoked attack while riding a trolley in San Diego; and
       (3) a 52-year-old Asian woman who was attacked and 
     forcefully shoved while waiting in line outside a bakery in 
     Flushing, New York;
       Whereas, on March 16, 2021, 8 people, including 6 women of 
     Asian descent, were shot to death at 3 Atlanta-area 
     businesses and this violence has heightened the pain and fear 
     in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community;
       Whereas anti-Asian racism has also resulted in Asian 
     American businesses being targeted for vandalism;
       Whereas there are approximately 2,000,000 Asian American-
     owned businesses that generate over $700,000,000,000 in 
     annual revenue and employ millions of workers;
       Whereas more than 1,900,000 Asian American and Pacific 
     Islander older adults, particularly those older adults who 
     are recent immigrants or have limited English proficiency, 
     may face even greater challenges in dealing with the COVID-19 
     pandemic, including discrimination, economic insecurity, and 
     language isolation;
       Whereas the World Health Organization (referred to in this 
     preamble as the ``WHO'') and the Centers for Disease Control 
     and Prevention (referred to in this preamble as the ``CDC'') 
     recognize that naming COVID-19 using geographic terms or 
     linking it to a specific ethnicity perpetuates stigma;
       Whereas in 2015, the WHO issued guidance calling on media 
     outlets, scientists, and national authorities to avoid naming 
     infectious diseases for locations to avoid stigmatizing 
     groups of people;
       Whereas, on February 27, 2020, the Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services stated, ``Ethnicity is not what causes the 
     novel coronavirus'' and that it is inappropriate and 
     inaccurate to call COVID-19 ``the Chinese virus'';
       Whereas, on February 28, 2020, the Chief Medical Officer of 
     the CDC said that ``stigma is the enemy of public health'';
       Whereas, on March 10, 2020, the Director of the CDC 
     testified that use of the term ``Chinese coronavirus'' is 
     wrong and inappropriate;
       Whereas the Secretary General of the United Nations called 
     for international solidarity and an end to any ill-founded 
     discrimination; and
       Whereas, on January 26, 2021, the President issued a 
     Presidential Memorandum ``Condemning and Combating Racism, 
     Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and 
     Pacific Islanders in the United States'': Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) condemns and denounces all forms of anti-Asian 
     sentiment, including those relating to COVID-19;
       (2) recognizes that the health and safety of all people of 
     the United States, regardless of background, must be the 
     utmost priority;
       (3) condemns all manifestations and expressions of racism, 
     xenophobia, discrimination, anti-Asian sentiment, 
     scapegoating, and ethnic or religious intolerance;
       (4) calls on Federal law enforcement officials, working 
     with State and local agencies--
       (A) to expeditiously investigate and document all credible 
     reports of hate crimes, harassment, bullying, and threats 
     against the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities 
     in the United States;
       (B) to expand collection of data and public reporting to 
     document the rise in the incidence of hate crimes relating to 
     COVID-19; and
       (C) to hold the perpetrators of those crimes, incidents, or 
     threats accountable and bring such perpetrators to justice, 
     including through investigation and prosecution;
       (5) calls on the Attorney General to work with State and 
     local agencies and Asian American and Pacific Islander 
     community-based organizations to prevent discrimination, and 
     expand culturally competent and linguistically appropriate 
     education campaigns on public reporting of hate crimes;
       (6) calls on the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 
     coordination with the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force and 
     Asian American and Pacific Islander community-based 
     organizations, to issue guidance describing best practices to 
     mitigate racially discriminatory language in describing the 
     COVID-19 pandemic; and
       (7) recommits the United States to serving as a model for 
     the world in building a more inclusive, diverse, and tolerant 
     society--
       (A) by prioritizing language access and inclusivity in 
     communication practices; and
       (B) by combating misinformation and discrimination that 
     puts Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at risk.
  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President. I rise today to condemn violence and 
discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) 
that has surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, Stop 
AAPI Hate has received nearly 3,800 reports of discrimination and hate 
incidents nationwide. Unfortunately, the recent surge in xenophobia and 
hate specifically targeted against AAPIs is not new.
  More than 180 years ago, when the first Asian immigrants came to the 
United States, members of the AAPI community experienced prejudice and 
legalized discrimination. Xenophobic policies such as the Chinese 
Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Federal government's incarceration of 
more than 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, were born 
from fear, ignorance, and anti-immigrant hostility. More recently, 
after the 9/11 terrorist

[[Page S1776]]

attacks, Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian Americans faced a wave of 
hate incidents and blame similar to what AAPI individuals are 
experiencing today. As George Santayana said, ``Those who do not 
remember the past are condemned to repeat it.''
  The former president espoused and amplified virulent intolerance 
using slurs such as the ``China virus'' and ``kung flu'' to 
characterize the COVID-19 virus, putting the lives of 23,000,000 AAPIs 
at risk, including more than 2,000,000 AAPI frontline workers. Every 
day, these heroic individuals put their personal health and safety on 
the line to serve other Americans as health care professionals, first 
responders, transit operators, and in supermarkets and other essential 
service industries. However, AAPI frontline workers are not immune from 
discrimination and hate, which impacts both their personal and 
professional lives. Some AAPI nurses and doctors have reported 
workplace harassment from other staff and patients who refuse their 
care, while others have experienced terrifying encounters, including 
being violently shoved, spit on, and called racial slurs during their 
evening commute.
  The rise in attacks against older AAPI individuals are both alarming 
and unconscionable. In January 2021, three AAPI elders were violently 
attacked in separate incidents in California. Tragically, one of these 
individuals, Vicha Ratanapakdee, died from injuries he sustained during 
an unprovoked assault, which his family believes was racially 
motivated. This discrimination which includes acts of physical violence 
is an additional threat elders now face as a result of the pandemic. 
Older adults are at higher risk of contracting severe COVID-19 and AAPI 
elders, particularly those who are recent immigrants or have limited 
English proficiency, may face additional challenges in obtaining health 
care, enduring economic insecurity, and suffering from language 
isolation.
  Recently, on March 16, 2021, eight people, including six women of 
Asian descent, were shot to death at three Atlanta-area businesses. 
During a year of increasing racism and attacks targeting AAPIs, this 
latest senseless act of violence adds to the pain and fear felt by many 
in the AAPI community. Our leaders must step up and confront racial 
hatred and violence.
  At Merrick Garland's hearing to be Attorney General of the United 
States, I highlighted the surge in discrimination and hate crimes 
against the AAPI community. In contrast to the Department of Justice 
under the Trump administration, then-Judge Garland recognized the harm 
and fear that these incidents have caused and pledged that under his 
leadership, the Civil Rights Division would vigorously review and 
prosecute these cases. This is the kind of leadership we need in order 
to combat these crimes. I will continue to raise the issue of anti-
Asian hate with other nominees and officials to call attention to the 
alarming rise of hate crimes against AAPIs and the critical need for 
action.
  The legislation that I have introduced, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, 
will help to address the ongoing surge in violence against AAPI 
communities. It will focus federal leadership to investigate and report 
hateful acts of violence, and provide resources for our communities to 
come together and take a stand against intolerance and hate. The 
actions of our leaders matter, and I call on my colleagues in the 
United States Senate to condemn anti-Asian racism, and swiftly pass the 
COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act during the 117th Congress.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________