CiviKids Met Rep. Judy Chu

In our mission to educate children about politics and social events, Civikids holds several informative Q&A with members of the United States government. In its most recent interview, the organization interviewed Representative Judy Chu from the 27th district in California. Representative Chu begins the discussion by discussing the rigorous life of a United States representative. She discussed her frequent back and forth between California and Washington DC, the difficulty of dealing with the happenings on Capitol Hill, and the time changes on her many flights. Representative Chu also discussed her frustration with the consistent filibustering of birth control and gun control laws on the Senate floor while also discussing her call for the impeachment of Donald Trump. The next question asked Representative Chu about her beginnings in politics and if she has seen a shift in the political styles of the Los Angeles area. Representative Chu began her college political career after seeing a newly formed class focused on Asian American studies. This path was not her original intent, as she started with a major in math, but this change in majors soon shifted her life towards one in the political world. Representative Chu became more involved in politics after learning about the disparity between Asians and white Americans. She ran for her city council after seeing a push to force English onto the Asian American communities in the area. After her victory, she began to build inclusiveness programs to ensure that all cultures and heritages in the area were conserved. Then in 2009, she ran for state Representative and won, becoming the first Chinese American woman to be elected to Congress. Next, Representative Chu discussed her opinions on the ever-increasing disparity in US politics. She responded by targeting the Senate filibuster rule and claiming that many bills that would be a benefit to the US are stopped by this rule and never passed. Representative Chu then discusses the new reconciliation bill, introduced by Joe Manchin, that would lower the price of healthcare and focus on stopping climate change. The next topic covered the question of voter suppression through the means of voter IDs and other measures to vote. She discusses the need for bills to make voting more accessible for immigrants and minority voters in certain states. Representative Chu also discusses some of the most recent bills ensuring this more secure voting form, such as the "For the People Act." Representative Chu talked about her opinions on abortion and the recent overturning of Roe V Wade. She discusses her recent arrest due to protesting the Supreme Court ruling. Congresswoman Chu “volunteered to be arrested” as a form of Civil Disobedience to raise awareness of women's rights and how they are in danger due to the recent case. Representative Chu then discusses how she feels that the Supreme Court has become full of "extremist, far-right" organizations. She discussed how the court has become more conservative over the years and how the court is on a path to overturn many other fundamental rights like gay and interracial marriage. Representative Chu pushed for a movement to stop the growth of this conservative court to vote for more bills to support the rights of women and other repressed

minority groups in the country. Representative Chu then discussed her experience during the January 6 insurrection and her experience hiding from the mob attacking the capital. Finally, Representative Chu discussed immigration policies in the US. She discussed her disdain for the current system and pointed out Trump's use of Title 42 to stop immigrants from claiming asylum during the pandemic. She also discussed the need to improve the conditions of the immigrants in America and her belief in giving more support to these individuals. Overall, Civikids was honored to conduct this interview. In it, they learned much about the current political system, even if it wasn't in the best light. They also learned about how one can enter the political world and how anybody can become a mover and shaker on capital hill. -Emmett Eilers

Delegated by Ada Wang, Wendy Cheng, and Justin Liao