Joe Biden signs bill addressing hate against Asian Americans

US President Joe Biden, on Thursday, signed a Congress-approved bill into law, dubbed as COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which aims to address the increased hate crime against the Asian American community in the country.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, who was also present when the bill was signed, gave a heartfelt message about the efforts of US lawmakers to address the racial divide. She said the bill will “expedite the efforts of the Justice Department” in limiting the hate against the AAPI community.

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Ahead of signing the bill, Biden tweeted that such hate-based acts were “Un-American”. He wrote, “Incidents of hate against Asian Americans have seen a shocking spike over the last year. It’s wrong — and it’s un-American. To all those who are hurting: we see you and we are committed to stopping the hatred and bias.”

The bill garnered significant support in the lower house of US legislation with the final voting outcome being 364-62. All votes that were recorded against the bill came from members of the Republican party, reported CNN.

Before being put up for final voting in the House, US Senate demonstrated a bipartisan spirit in approving the legislation. The Senate vote ended a tally of 94-1. 

US leaders like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, who have supported the bill since its inception in the American legislature, were thanked by Biden in his address before signing the bill.