Today, President Obama met with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) in the Cabinet Room to discuss a variety of critical issues confronting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. The President thanked the Caucus for all the hard work they do in Congress for the American people and the AAPI communities, and said that he looks forward to continuing to work with them.
The Caucus thanked the President for meeting with them, and brought up several points for discussion. The President noted that he was proud of his efforts to make the federal judiciary more diverse. Under President Obama, the number of AAPI federal judges has doubled. The President thanked the members for their support in passing the Affordable Care Act and for the steps they are taking to help eliminate the disparities that continue to exist in our health care system. The President pledged to continue working with Congress to create an immigration system that works, and noted that his Administration is working to ensure that the current system is streamlined, efficient and fair. The President and the Caucus also discussed the American Jobs Act. The Caucus also thanked the President for bringing attention to the American territories in the Pacific region.
The President was joined at the meeting by Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu, Deputy Chief of Staff Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Muñoz, and Director of the White House AAPI Initiative Kiran Ahuja.
A photo of the meeting is available here.
CAPAC Members in Attendance:
Congresswoman Judy Chu, Chair (CA)
Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo, Vice Chair (Guam)
Congressman Mike Honda , Chair Emeritus (CA)
Congressman Hansen Clarke (MI)
Congressman Eni Faleomavaega (American Samoa)
Congressman Al Green (TX)
Congresswoman Mazie Hirono (HI)
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA)
Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA)
Congressman Gregorio Sablan (Northern Marianas Islands)