Biden signs omnibus appropriations bill providing over $1-billion for AANHPI communities

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Rep. Judy Chu praises passage of huge funding bill.

The omnibus funding bill appropriates over a billion dollars directly benefitting AANHPI communities.

President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which provides $1.7 trillion to fund the federal government through fiscal year 2023 (FY23). In the bill, over a billion will be spent on aiding the AANHPI communities fight hate, reducing health disparities, assist businesses and education.

AANHPI communities "continue to be impacted by anti-Asian hate, economic difficulties, and disparities in the nation’s health care and education systems," said Chair Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA.

A large chunk, $832 million, will go to the Office of English Language Acquisition, which assists English Learners and immigrant students attain English proficiency and meet college and career learning standard.

All but two Asian American members of Congress voted for the bill's passage. Republican Asian American House members Young Kim and Michelle Steel, both representing districts in Southern California, voted along the majority of the GOP in voting against the funding bill. Nine other Republicans joined the Democrats in approving the bill. 

The House of Representatives passed the Senate amended bill on Dec. 22 and President Biden singed the appropriations act on Friday, Dec. 23.

"This funding bill includes many of CAPAC’s legislative priorities and meets many of our communities’ short- and long-term needs," said Chu.

“This bill addresses domestic violence against AANHPI women, including Native Hawaiian women, as well as the rise of anti-Asian hate. Compounding factors—including cultural stigmas on speaking out, poverty, and immigration status—make it difficult for many AANHPI women to seek justice against violent perpetrators, but today’s legislation provides critical funding that is culturally- and linguistically-specific. 

"This bill also provides funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, which houses the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), a crucial initiative that elevates AANHPI issues throughout the federal government. I also applaud the historic increases in funding for AANHPI education and the steps this legislation takes in securing economic and housing justice for AANHPIs.

“Let me be clear – this bill does not address all our Caucus’ priorities, such as a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and reducing the unacceptable and inhumane immigration backlog," Chu concluded.

Highlights in the omnibus for AANHPI communities include: 

• $10 million for the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act (double the funding from FY22), which was introduced by CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu and Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08), and creates grants that improve the collection, investigation, and reporting of hate crimes data;

• $10 million to fund community-based approaches to advancing justice, which include culturally-competent and linguistically-appropriate education campaigns on hate crime reporting and in-language support for victims and surviving families of hate crimes;

• $11 million to fund grants for culturally specific community-based organizations to address the critical needs of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking victims;

• $74.8 million for the Office of Minority Health, which develops health policies and programs to eliminate health disparities experienced among minority populations, including AANHPIs, who are disproportionately affected by certain diseases such as hepatitis B and diabetes;

• $27 million to fund the Native Hawaiian Health Care Program, which addresses health conditions unique to Native Hawaiian communities, such as chronic obstructive lung disease, breast cancer mortality rates, and infant mortality rates;

• $18.6 million in grants to support AANHPI students at Asian American and Native American Pacific-Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), ($8 million more than the FY22 funding level);

• $832 million to the Office of English Language Acquisition, which assists English Learners and immigrant students attain English proficiency and meet college and career learning standards;

• $2.56 million into Asian Pacific American initiatives and outreach led by the Smithsonian Institute to better educate the American public on AANHPI history and contributions to our country;

• $70 million in funding for the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), which is one of the only federal agencies that specifically promotes the growth of AANHPI and other minority-owned businesses;

• $22.3 million to the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant program to meet the housing and community development needs of low-income Native Hawaiian communities; and

• $4.6 million to fund the Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education Act, which was introduced by CAPAC Executive Members Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-6), and supports restoring and maintaining the sites where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II.

Among the funding bill’s other provisions : Nearly $45 billion in aid for Ukraine; bipartisan election reforms intended to prevent another Jan. 6 attack; a ban on the Chinese-owned app TikTok on government devices; and new incentives for retirement savings.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.