CAPAC Chair Seeks Removal of Rep. King from Constitution Subcommittee Chairmanship

WASHINGTON — Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) has called for the removal of Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) as chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice because of his recent “xenophobic” remarks.

Rep. Steve King

On March 12, King said, “You cannot rebuild your civilization with somebody else’s babies. You’ve got to keep your birthrate up, and that you need to teach your children your values. In doing so, you can grow your population, you can strengthen your culture, and you can strengthen your way of life.”

He later doubled down on his comments and refused to apologize for them, commenting that he wants “to see an America that is just so homogeneous that we look a lot of the same.”

He also said, “I predict that the Hispanics and blacks will be fighting each other” before Caucasians become a minority population in America.

King, who supports far-right Dutch candidate Geert Wilders — known for his anti-Islam views — and has made similar remarks before audiences in Europe, said he is concerned about the decline of “American culture” and wishes to see immigrants better assimilate into the U.S.

“I’m a champion for Western civilization,” King told CNN, adding that all people do not contribute to American society equally. “They contribute differently to our culture and civilization.”

“Congressman King’s xenophobic and racist remarks are repugnant and warrant his removal as chairman of the Constitution and Civil Justice Judicial Subcommittee,” Chu said on March 20. “These hateful remarks are deeply offensive to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across our nation and do not represent the values of America’s diverse communities. I urge Speaker [Paul] Ryan and Republican leaders to immediately remove Congressman King’s chairmanship and to assure the American people that hate and bigotry will not be tolerated in the United States Congress.”

In an earlier tweet, Chu wrote, “Steve King is wrong: Civilization is threatened by racism & xenophobia that divide us & encourage violence. I condemn hate & welcome all.”

Some of King’s fellow Republicans have publicly stated that they disagree with his remarks, including Ryan and former presidential candidate Jeb Bush.