Insurrection cheerleader Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) made headlines earlier this month as one of six Senators (including Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Rand Paul, Roger Marshall, and Tommy Tuberville) who initially opposed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. Fast forward to Thursday, and Hawley turned out to be the only one of the bunch who actually voted against the bill, which is aimed toward halting the year(-plus)-long wave of violence against Asian-Americans that correlates to when former President Trump recklessly began referring to COVID-19 as the “China Virus” and “Kung-Flu.”
Even Marco Rubio, who is staunchly anti-China when it comes to policy, tried to distance himself from the issue following the recent Atlanta Spa Shootings while tweeting: “The increase in violence against Asian-Americans is alarming, vile & un-American.” This week’s vote arrives after the bill was amended to replace language about “COVID-19 hate crimes” with “hate crimes” [with direct reference to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community]. Yet Hawley remained the lone holdout in a vote that ended 94-1 with nearly unanimous bipartisan endorsement.
Senate passes the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to combat anti-Asian American hate crimes, 94-1.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) is the only no vote. pic.twitter.com/fITCkuYy98
— The Recount (@therecount) April 22, 2021
Via Axios, here are some bill specifics:
The Senate voted 94-1 on Thursday to pass legislation that aims to improve anti-Asian hate crime tracking and identification… The bill will train law enforcement to better identify anti-Asian racism and appoint an official in the Justice Department to review and expedite COVID-19-related hate crime reports, among other measures.
Given Hawley’s infamous raised-fist salute to the MAGA insurrectionists, and the fact that he’s so incenidary that General Russell Honore called him a “little piece of sh*t,” and Hallmark took a stand against him, no one is really too surprised that, if there was a lone holdout to this bill, it had to be Josh Hawley.
The responses flew in fast with “Josh Hawley, on-brand. (And that brand is ‘a**hole’)” rising to the top of the pile, and so much more.
Josh Hawley, on-brand.
(And that brand is "asshole") https://t.co/hgvvSAhO1J
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) April 22, 2021
Josh Hawley is the Marjorie Taylor Greene of Tucker Carlsons.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) April 22, 2021
https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1385296519071416331
Josh Hawley is a hate crime
— Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) April 22, 2021
Josh Hawley is the only Senator to vote AGAINST the bill combatting hate crimes against Asian Americans
Thanks a lot for denying our humanity.
— Lindy Li (@lindyli) April 22, 2021
https://twitter.com/labyrinthweaver/status/1385306087717412869
Missouri is the "show me" state. So Josh Hawley is showing us he's a racist.
— PoppaBear (@APoppaBear) April 22, 2021
Josh Hawley is the only member of the Senate to vote against the “COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.” He truly is a terrible person.
— A Worried Citizen (@ThePubliusUSA) April 22, 2021
Josh Hawley is the only Senator to vote against the anti-Asian hate crimes bill.
How can it get more clear than that?
— Kate 🪬🤍🇺🇸 (@ImSpeaking13) April 22, 2021
Josh Hawley is making his seemingly impossible lifegoal of being a worse person than Ted Cruz come true. https://t.co/E34BXumCAP
— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) April 22, 2021
Josh Hawley is evil.
Pass it on. @HawleyMO pic.twitter.com/Hp5rbMgLsd
— Rachel R. Gonzalez (@RachelRGonzalez) April 22, 2021
(Via Axios & The Recount)