Democratic Senators hope to advance a bill Wednesday that would address the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, CNN reports.
The legislation was introduced by Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) and Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI). It would require the Justice Department to designate an official to expedite reviews of potential Covid-19-related hate crimes, according to NPR.
The AAPI community has experienced a spike in hate crimes since the beginning of the pandemic. Meng and Hirono hope that both Republicans and Democrats can come together to address the issue.
“Combating hate should not be a partisan issue,” Meng said during a press conference according to NPR. “We must all as Democrats and Republicans stand together against this racism and violence and say enough is enough.”
The bill requires 60 votes in the Senate to advance, meaning it will need support from Republicans. Some Republicans have been hesitant to support a bill they see as an ineffective, messaging vote, CNN reports.
Republican Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Cornyn of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said on Monday they would vote to advance the bill if they could amend it.
“I think there are some real problems with it, but maybe we can get on it and fix it,” Johnson said.
“Coming from the Republicans, just shut up,” Hirono said in response according to CNN.
However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also suggested Tuesday that Republicans would support the bill if the two parties could come to an agreement on amendments. He voiced support for the Asian American community.
“I can tell you as a proud husband of an Asian-American woman, I think the discrimination against Asian-Americans is a real problem,” McConnell said according to CNN. “It preceded the murders that were recently on full display.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a press release Wednesday that he was encouraged by McConnell’s comments. He said he was open to hearing amendments if it would help advance the bill.
“As I said yesterday, my intention is to have a bipartisan amendment process, beginning with an amendment offered by Senators Moran and Blumenthal—one Republican, one a Democrat,” Schumer said in the press release.
He added that he hopes the Senate can work together to tackle anti-Asian violence.
“The entire Senate ought to stand up against the recent surge of anti-Asian violence,” Schumer said. “We can take the first step later today by voting to proceed to the legislation.”
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