WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden called on Congress to "swiftly pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act" — expediting the federal government’s response to recent violent acts against the Asian community in the United States."Jill and I share in the nation’s grief and outrage at the horrific killings of eight people, among them six Asian American women, in Georgia on March 16th," Biden wrote in a statement.President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House on March 18, 2021 in Washington, DC "I urge Congress to swiftly pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which would expedite the federal government’s response to the rise of hate crimes exacerbated during the pandemic, support state and local governments to improve hate crimes reporting,.