For the first time in history, the President of the United States met formally with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) today. President Obama and senior members of his staff met with CAPAC in the Cabinet Room of the White House, where they discussed, among other topics, immigration reform, AAPI judicial nominations, health disparities, data disaggregation, and White House engagement with AAPI communities.

Last week, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) issued two press releases. One was a joint statement with the TriCaucus - which is made up of CAPAC, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus - calling for renewed investment in to the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities. The other was a press release supporting President Obama's administration for its newly released policy prioritizing criminal immigrant deportations and allowing current deportation proceedings to be placed under case-by-case review.

The 2011 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Summit will begin tomorrow, May 24th, at 1 p.m. with opening remarks from House Democratic Leader Pelosi and Congresswoman Chu, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). The summit is hosted annually by House Democratic Leadership and CAPAC to connect AAPI community leaders and advocates with federal policymakers and issue experts.

Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), announced the incoming staff of the caucus:  Executive Director Gene F. Kim and Assistant Coordinator Andy Wong.

"I am truly delighted to welcome Gene Kim and Andy Wong as the new staff for CAPAC," said Chairwoman Judy Chu. "With their diverse experiences and abilities, as well as their deep commitment to addressing the needs and concerns of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, I know they will serve the community and caucus extraordinarily well."