Supporting Congresswoman Judy Chu

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in fervent defense of a great friend and loyal colleague, Congresswoman Judy Chu, in light of recent attacks against her character. I consider Congresswoman Chu to be a fearless advocate for her community, a loyal Member of the United States House of Representatives, and a close personal friend.

The disgraceful remarks made by a fellow Member of Congress towards Congresswoman Chu challenging her ``loyalty and competence'' exemplify the extremes Republicans will go to discredit the credibility of those they disagree with. To insinuate Congresswoman Chu is disloyal to her country is baseless and a blatantly racist attempt to vilify a faithful public servant. Congresswoman Chu's heritage as a proud Chinese American woman is a strength for this legislative body, rather than a danger. It is a somber reminder of the relentless scrutiny individuals of Chinese descent face on a daily basis. The unfortunate reality is these types of attacks on Chinese Americans are not atypical, as grotesque stereotypes perpetuate that Asian Americans are always foreign.

The Republican Conference must hold all of their members accountable and must condemn all xenophobic attacks of all forms. Words matter--and can bring about significant harm to communities of all types. Our country has lived through the impacts of targeting Americans based solely on their country of origin. We must avoid the mistakes of our past and denounce bigotry and racism as it occurs, not channel it into hatred and baseless attacks against our fellow Americans.

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