Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Community

Our nation and our district are stronger because of our diversity. As the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress, it is an honor to represent California’s 28th District, home to the sixth-largest Asian American and Pacific Islander population in the country. 

Following in the footsteps of trailblazing leaders like Norm Mineta, Robert Underwood, Patsy Mink, and Mike Honda, I was proud to serve for 14 years as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), where I advocated for the needs of AANHPI communities in Congress. When I was first elected, there were only nine AANHPI Members of Congress. Today, there are a record 25 AANHPI Members of Congress, alongside a record 85 Members of CAPAC.

During my tenure as Chair, CAPAC led efforts to advance health equity, educational access, immigration reform, civil rights protections, data disaggregation, and language access. I am proud to continue this work as Chair Emerita of CAPAC.

As President Trump continues to attack diversity, equity, and inclusion and pursue policies that harm immigrant communities and communities of color, I will continue to stand with AANHPI communities and fight back against discrimination in all its forms.

Combatting Anti-Asian Hate and Discrimination

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian American communities faced a devastating surge in stigma, prejudice, and violence, fueled in part by racist rhetoric from President Trump, who used slurs like “China virus” and “Kung Flu” to refer to COVID-19. In 2021, anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents surged by 339 percent. This included the horrific shootings at three Asian-owned spas in Georgia that claimed eight lives, six of whom were Asian women. This tragedy shocked the nation and brought national attention to the fear and trauma experienced by Asian Americans throughout the pandemic. 

As CAPAC Chair, I was proud to help lead the fight against anti-Asian hate, including securing passage of the bipartisan COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law. This law strengthened the federal government’s response to hate crimes and included provisions from my NO HATE Act to improve hate crime reporting and help state and local governments better respond to these crimes. It is vital that victims of hate crimes know where to turn and have confidence that they will be heard, believed, and helped. 

I am also continuing to fight against the racial profiling of Chinese Americans. During his first term, President Trump launched the Department of Justice’s “China Initiative,” which purported to target economic espionage but instead disproportionately targeted and profiled individuals of Chinese descent. I heard directly from innocent scholars about how these baseless investigations ruined their careers and livelihoods and how they were targeted solely because of their Chinese ancestry.

Although the Biden Administration ended the China Initiative, President Trump and Congressional Republicans have sought to revive it. As CAPAC Chair, I was proud to help lead opposition to an attempt to reconstitute the China Initiative through the Fiscal Year 2025 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act. We successfully stopped that effort, and I will remain vigilant against attempts to resurrect policies that encourage racial profiling and xenophobia.

I am also proud to lead the fight against discriminatory modern-day “Alien Land Laws,” which prohibit Chinese American immigrants from purchasing homes and other property based on their citizenship. These laws echo the racist anti-Asian land laws of the 19th and early 20th centuries and threaten to fuel discrimination against Asian American communities. That is why Representative Al Green (TX-09) and I introduced the Preemption of Real Property Discrimination Act (H.R. 7053), which would preempt state laws that prohibit or otherwise restrict an individual from purchasing real property based on their citizenship. I will continue to call these discriminatory land laws what they are: anti-immigrant, Anti-Asian, and shameful. 

Protecting Language Access

More than 25 million people in the United States, over 8% of the population, have limited English proficiency (LEP) and rely on translation and interpretation services to access vital public services and institutions, including health care, the legal system, education, housing, and employment. Over 30% of the Asian American community has LEP, but this number can reach up to 65% for some subgroups. 

For 25 years, Republican and Democratic administrations alike recognized the importance of ensuring that people with limited English proficiency could meaningfully access federal programs and services. But in March 2025, President Trump signed an executive order declaring English the official language of the United States and revoking longstanding federal language access requirements. His Administration has since taken steps to roll back multilingual services across the federal government, including removing multilingual resources from the Small Business Administration’s website.

No one should be denied access to federal services because English is not their first language. That is why I introduced the Language Access Board Act (H.R. 8604), which would establish an independent board of community leaders and federal agency officials to research, develop, implement, and enforce language access standards across the federal government. I also joined Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06) in introducing the Language Access for All Act, which would restore and strengthen federal language access requirements and ensure individuals with limited English proficiency can meaningfully access federal programs and services. I was also proud to introduce a resolution recognizing April as “National Language Access Month” to bring attention to the millions of individuals in the U.S. with LEP and the importance of language access services. 

I have also led several oversight letters demanding answers from the Trump Administration about its attacks on language access and highlighting the real-world consequences of eliminating translation and interpretation services. Stories from communities nationwide, including in California, Kentucky, New Mexico, and New York, prove that translation and interpretation services can mean the difference between life and death.  

This fight is personal to me. I began my career in public service fighting back against an “English-only” movement in my hometown of Monterey Park. I fought against those discriminatory policies then, and I will continue fighting against them today.

Improving AANHPI Mental Health

Mental health is another critical issue facing AANHPI communities. Too many AANHPI individuals and families continue to encounter barriers to mental health care, including high costs, language barriers, a lack of culturally competent providers, and stigma that can discourage people from seeking help.

Young people are particularly vulnerable. Between 2018 and 2024, AANHPI youth ages 15 to 24 were the only racial or ethnic group in that age range whose leading cause of death was suicide.

As the only psychologist currently serving in Congress, I believe we must do more to ensure everyone can access culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health care. That is why I introduced the Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act of 2025 (H.R. 3316), legislation I have championed for years to address the unique mental health needs of AANHPI communities.

The bill would direct the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to develop a national outreach and education strategy to promote mental health and reduce stigma surrounding mental health conditions and substance use disorders in AANHPI communities. It would also improve research and data collection on mental health and substance use among AANHPI youth and examine ways to increase AANHPI representation in the behavioral health workforce.

Recognizing AANHPI History

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first federal law to explicitly prohibit members of a specific ethnic group from immigrating to the United States. It marks one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history, and its legacy continues to impact Chinese Americans today. 

As one of the most discriminatory laws ever enacted by Congress, the Chinese Exclusion Act tore families apart, created a permanent underclass of Chinese immigrants who were denied citizenship and voting rights, and helped perpetuate the harmful myth of Asian Americans as “perpetual foreigners” that endures to this day. My own grandfather, who arrived in the United States in 1904, was denied citizenship and the right to vote for more than 30 years because of this law. 

That is why, in 2012, I was so proud to lead H. Res. 683, a resolution formally expressing regret for the Chinese Exclusion Act and other discriminatory laws targeting people of Chinese descent. The resolution passed the House and Senate unanimously. H. Res. 683 was only the fourth resolution of regret in the past 25 years to be passed by both chambers of the U.S. Congress. As we reflect on this shameful history and look to the future, we must continue protecting the rights of immigrants and fighting discrimination so that history does not repeat itself.

For too long, AANHPI communities have been left out of our history books and museums. As CAPAC Chair, I was proud to work with Congresswoman Grace Meng to secure passage of H.R. 3525, a historic law that established the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture. This was the first step toward creating a permanent Smithsonian museum dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of AANHPI communities. Asian American history is American history, and I look forward to the day when our communities can see their stories fully represented in our nation’s capital. 

I was also proud to lead H. Res. 1324, a resolution recognizing the 1885 Rock Springs Massacre, one of the deadliest acts of anti-Chinese violence in United States history. I have heard directly from constituents whose family members were impacted by this attack and know the importance of preserving this history, honoring the victims and survivors, and ensuring future generations understand this painful chapter of our history so that hatred like this is never repeated.

I will continue working to ensure that AANHPI communities have a strong voice in Congress, that our civil rights are protected, that our history is remembered, and that every person has the opportunity to thrive in the country we call home.