For Immediate Release: April 6, 2022 
Contact: media@napawf.org 

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) testified before the House Ways and Means Committee at a hearing on overcoming racism to advance economic opportunity. The hearing covered topics including paid family and medical leave, unemployment insurance, child tax credit and other safety net programs.

Statement from Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF):

“There are countless numbers of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) families living in multigenerational, immigrant households, providing care and economic support to their children, elderly parents and extended family members. AAPI women are overrepresented in the low wage workforce, struggling to make ends meet. At a time when AAPI women are facing the highest rate of long-term unemployment and increasing anti-Asian hate and harassment, it is crucial to recognize the intersection of race, gender and every identity that shapes an individual’s experiences and opportunities.

“We appreciate the committee’s commitment to addressing the role of racism and other forms of discrimination in perpetuating health and economic inequalities in the United States. I hope my testimony today will provide you with an understanding of economic disparities in AAPI communities. We hope the committee will match their awareness with action — by supporting universal health care coverage, universal paid family and medical leave, a permanent expansion of the Child Tax Credit, and the enactment of legislation such as the Women’s Health Protection Act and the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act. Only then will AAPI women and families be able to achieve true equity, prosperity, and justice.”

Highlights from Sung Yeon Choimorrow’s testimony: 

  • The impact of the expanded Child Tax Credit payments on Asian American and Pacific Islander households:

    • Most Asian Americans live in high cost urban cities, paying exorbitant child care costs.

    • AANHPI families who lacked financial insecurity and few childcare options benefited greatly from the expanded Child Tax Credit.

    • More than a quarter of AANHPI women received advance Child Tax Credit payments last year and more than six in ten used their payments to buy food for their families.

    • The expanded Child Tax Credit provided thousands of dollars to low-income and working parents, providing a much needed lifeline.

  • Long-term unemployment rates for AAPI women:

    • Although AANHPI make up just 2.9 percent of the overall workforce, they comprise 3.8 percent of the frontline workforce.

    • Millions of Asian American mothers live in multigenerational households, shouldering the dual responsibility of providing for our children and our elderly parents, and are more often than not, the primary earners for our families.

  • Paid family leave for domestic workers:

    • Workplace standards like a minimum wage, overtime pay, or protections against sexual harassment in the workplace are rarely extended to domestic workers, if at all.

  • Lack of access to health insurance for frontline workers, including immigrant communities has impacted their health outcomes during the pandemic:

    • Those who are undocumented didn’t get COVID tests because they don’t have insurance and can’t afford to pay out of pocket.

    • Approximately 5 million essential and frontline workers rely on Medicaid since they are rarely offered job-based coverage and often cannot afford insurance premiums.

    • For the immigrant community, even Medicaid is out of each.

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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build collective power so that all AAPI women and girls can have full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.