Democrats pressure Republicans to support Asian-American hate crimes bill
Washington — The Senate will take up a bill addressing hate crimes against Asian Americans this week amid a spike in anti-Asian discrimination and violence during the coronavirus pandemic. Although some Republicans have raised concerns about the bill, it is expected to advance on the Senate floor, allowing time for debate and adding amendments.
The bill introduced by Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono, which currently lacks any Republican co-sponsors, would expedite the federal government's response to hate crimes against Asian Americans and strengthen guidance for state and local government hate crime reporting. Democrats have a narrow 50-seat majority in the Senate, and 60 votes are required to limit debate on legislation and then bring it to the Senate floor for a full vote.
GOP Senator Chuck Grassley told reporters on Tuesday that the bill would receive enough support from Republicans to advance, but said that he was hoping it could be amended.
According to a Senate Democratic aide, there is a bipartisan effort to strengthen the Hirono bill by adding the bipartisan bill by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal and Republican Senator Jerry Moran to provide grants to state and local governments to help improve hate crime reporting — but only if Senate Republicans choose not to block the bill on Wednesday.
"We are opening to strengthening the bill," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday, referring to an amendment based on the Blumenthal and Moran bill. But including the bipartisan amendment cannot occur unless Republicans allow the bill to advance with floor debate.
"Combating hate in the Asian-American community can and should be bipartisan," Schumer said. "Who would oppose this very simple but necessary legislation?"
Congresswoman Grace Meng, one of the sponsors of the bill in the House, told reporters on Tuesday that the bill would "help all communities before and after COVID."
Without support from 10 Republican senators, the bill would stall — and provide opponents of the filibuster with further evidence that the rule is preventing Democrats from implementing their priorities. Many Democrats have pressed for eliminating the filibuster, which would allow legislation such as this bill to advance with a simple majority.
Hirono told reporters on Monday that she did not believe a sufficient number of Republicans would support the bill. "Anything to do with the Democrats are putting forward as important, the Republican tend to not to support. There you have it," she said.
Republican senators have expressed skepticism about the bill. GOP Senator John Cornyn told reporters Monday that he still needed to review the bill, but criticized Democrats for putting it to the Senate floor immediately instead of having it go through committee hearings first.
"My understanding is it doesn't really do much," Cornyn said, calling it a "messaging vote."
However, by Tuesday afternoon, Republicans appeared to be backing off from the threat of a filibuster as long as amendments are considered. Cornyn later told reporters on Tuesday that if there is an "open amendment process," then he expects the Senate will "produce a product." GOP Senator Josh Hawley told reporters that he expected Republicans to offer "a number of amendments."
Moran told reporters that he believed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was supportive of his and Blumenthal's potential amendment.
"I'm trying to see if we can't get this resolved and take this up tomorrow," Moran said, adding that he would expect a final vote on Thursday.
President Biden released a statement last month urging Congress to pass Hirono's bill, saying that "every person in our nation deserves to live their lives with safety, dignity, and respect."
The legislation comes after mass shootings in the Atlanta area last month which killed eight people, six of whom were women of Asian descent. There has also been a significant uptick in anti-Asian hate crimes over the past year.
Jack Turman contributed to this report.