Coalition of Over 80 Asian American Advocacy Organizations Sign On to Reject the House Appropriation Subcommittee’s Bill Proposing Re-establishment of ‘China Initiative’
Washington, D.C. — On Tuesday, the House Appropriations committee marked up the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2026. The bill’s accompanying report contained concerning language that directs the Department of Justice to effectively re-establish the now-defunct ‘China Initiative,’ reviving the discriminatory profiling of Asian American scholars. In response, 82 civil rights and Asian American advocacy organizations nationwide signed onto a letter led by Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC (Advancing Justice – AAJC), the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), Stop AAPI Hate, and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) calling for the removal of this provision from the bill.
Leaders of Advancing Justice – AAJC, AASF, Stop AAPI Hate and CAA expressed their disappointment for the language’s inclusion in a previous press release urging the House Committee to reject the reinstatement of the ‘China Initiative.’ Today, along with their allied partners, they stand by their calls.
“It is disheartening to see the return of language proposing the reinstatement of the now-defunct China Initiative after we successfully countered efforts to include it in last year’s appropriations package,” said John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC. “This language once again threatens to reverse the progress we have made and target Asian American and Asian immigrant scientists, researchers, and scholars under the guise of national security. Let’s be clear: the first iteration of this program did not address national security. Instead, it fueled division, upended lives and curbed our country’s global competitiveness. We urge lawmakers not to repeat history and to reject these attacks on racial justice and equity by removing language in the report that targets Asian American communities.”
“Reinstating the China Initiative would revive a failed and shortsighted policy that hurt the workforce of scientists and innovators that our country depends on to stay globally competitive,” said Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director of the Asian American Scholar Forum. “We’ve already seen how this program undermined American innovation by wrongfully targeting scientists of Chinese descent, derailing careers, stoking fear, and deterring brilliant minds from contributing to U.S. research and development. In a global race for talent, we cannot afford to lose the very people driving advances in medicine, energy, artificial intelligence, and other critical fields that impact all Americans. Reviving this program would send a chilling message to the world’s top minds: that the U.S. values suspicion over science. We must not repeat a chapter that not only ruined so many lives, but also weakened our innovation ecosystem and compromised our national interest.”
“To bring back the China Initiative in any way, shape, or form would be a dangerous mistake,” said Cynthia Choi, Co-Founder of Stop AAPI Hate and Co-Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action. “It was built on racial bias, not national security – and fueled the wrongful targeting of Asian American scientists and scholars, often without evidence or due process. It shattered lives, violated civil liberties, and chilled academic freedom, all while weakening America’s global leadership. At a time when anti-Asian hate remains a serious threat, the China Initiative would put our communities into even greater danger — and legitimize the racist notion that Asian Americans can’t be trusted in their own country.”
The letter and the full list of signatories can be read here.
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