APA Dems Empowered By House Majority
February 16, 2007
Last November’s election to the House of Representatives — Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, representing the second district in the state of Hawai‘i — continued a dramatic trend that more Asian Pacific Americans are running for and being elected to office at te city, state and national levels.
It is important to note that all APA members of Congress, including Rep. Hirono, are part of the democratic ticket and in the 110th session the Democratic Party finds itself in the majority in both Houses of Congress. The coming year will certainly prove an exciting time for issues of civil rights, comprehensive immigration reform, health care, and other APA priorities on Capitol Hill.
The Iraq war continues to be the most hotly debated issue in Congress. I voted against giving President Bush the authority to go to war, and continue to believe that this is an unjust war. Army Lieutenant Ehren Watada — who now faces years in prison for refusing to fight in what he views as an illegal, immoral war — is to be saluted for his courage and principles. Along with many of my democratic colleagues, I support our troops, including the 7,904 APAs who are currently deployed in the global war on terrorism. We will continue to work toward finding a way to bring them home as soon as possible.
While we must keep our troops and the war on our minds and hearts, it is also important not to lose sight of the many other issues that must be addressed by Congress. Many exciting opportunities have risen along with the new democratic Majority. These include new committee appointments for the APA members of the House of Representatives. For example, I have recently been appointed to the Appropriations Committee, where I am proud to sit and represent an informed perspective for the nation, my district, and the APA community.
New committee appointments and positions within the leadership of the House of Representatives are shared by many members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), which I will continue to chair in the 110th Congress. Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, CAPAC Vice Chairman, now chairs the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment. Rep. Faleomavaega and I, along with our CAPAC colleagues, have worked to bring attention to the Comfort Women issue. Rep. Faleomavaega will hold a briefing on the topic to supplement the bill I recently introduced regarding Japan’s need to recognize and apologize for the military abuse of sexual slaves during World War II. In addition to the Comfort Women bill, My colleagues and I also hope to introduce and support other pieces of legislation including: funding for education, eliminating health disparities, and ensuring quality access to services for individuals who are who are limited-English-proficient.
The democratic Majority has also placed allies and supporters of APA causes in more influential positions. CAPAC Executive Committee member and longtime advocate for APA concerns, Congressman Xavier Becerra is now the Assistant to the Speaker of the House. Rep. Bob Filner, original author and ardent advocate for the Filipino Veterans issue, is now the chair of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. His overdue chairmanship greatly improves the prospect of passing a bill that will restore the benefits to Filipino soldiers who bravely fought for our nation during World War II. I will continue to work with Rep. Filner to fight for the passage of this bill.
Clearly, the 110th Congress holds many possibilities for the APA communities across the country. I am truly excited by the prospects of being a member of the majority party for the first time in my congressional career. I look forward to continuing my service to my constituents in the 15th District of California and lending my support in any way possible to the causes and issues of APA communities.
Rep. Mike Honda represents the 15th District in California and is vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
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