WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate
Judiciary Committee, and Tom Cotton (R-Ark) Ranking Member of the Subcommittee
on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, today called for the committee to
convene a hearing on hate crimes.
“We are
concerned to see that such an important issue has not already received
Committee or Subcommittee attention. Instead, S. 937, the ‘COVID-19 Hate Crimes
Act,’ has been moved to the Senate floor with little commentary, factfinding,
or Committee consideration. We believe the Senate should have the benefit of
hearing from the Department of Justice before blindly acting on this issue,” the senators wrote in a letter to committee
chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and subcommittee chairman Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
Last
month, Attorney General Merrick Garland
ordered
a 30-day review of how hate crimes are tracked and prosecuted amid an uptick in
crimes targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Senators called on
the committee Democrats to convene a hearing as soon as the Justice Department’s
review is completed to examine its findings.
Grassley
will also be introducing a Senate resolution condemning hate crimes against Asian
Americans and Pacific Islanders this week.
Dear Chairman
Durbin and Chairman Booker:
We write
today to request a hearing of the full Committee or the Crime Subcommittee
related to the rise in violent crime across the country, in particular the
surge in violent crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI).
Every
one of us is horrified to see incidents in which our fellow Americans are
attacked because of their race or ethnicity. We understand that Attorney
General Garland is conducting a 30-day review of violence against AAPI
Americans, which we hope will improve the federal government’s capacity to
track and identify hate crimes, review civil enforcement authorities, and
assess whether additional resources are needed to support law enforcement’s
response to this violence. This review is scheduled to be completed in the
coming weeks.
Congress’s
attention to the findings of this review, including whether there is a need for
additional resources or to adjust relevant legal authorities, will be
necessary. We request a hearing on this issue at the earliest possible
opportunity after that review is completed.
We are
concerned to see that such an important issue has not already received
Committee or Subcommittee attention. Instead, S. 937, the “COVID-19 Hate Crimes
Act,” has been moved to the Senate floor with little commentary, factfinding,
or Committee consideration. We believe the Senate should have the benefit of
hearing from the Department of Justice before blindly acting on this issue. As
we know that each of you believes very strongly in the importance of Committee
process, we hope you will support this request.
Sincerely,
Charles
E. Grassley
Ranking
Member
Senate
Judiciary Committee
Tom
Cotton
Ranking
Member
Subcommittee
on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism
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