WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden on Friday called on U.S. lawmakers to quickly pass a COVID-19 hate crimes bill, saying while the motive was still unknown in this week’s shooting in Georgia, the nation faced an “ongoing crisis of gender-based and anti-Asian violence.”
“It’s time for Congress to codify and expand upon these actions — because every person in our nation deserves to live their lives with safety, dignity, and respect,” he said in a statement released as the president headed to Atlanta to meet with Asian American leaders.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
