Senate passes anti-Asian hate crimes bill with support from everyone except Josh Hawley

Protesters.
(Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

After nearly two weeks of negotiations, the Senate voted on Thursday to pass legislation designed to curb the increase of anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act was approved 94-1 in a sweeping showing of bipartisan support. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) was the only holdout.

Hawley has argued the bill is too broad and "open-ended" because it mandates "all this data collection in expansive categories that the federal government will collect and maintain," CNN reports.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.