Op-Ed: Todd Young dropped his support for a bill to help Burma. We'd like to know why

U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., has supported Indiana’s large Burmese community—numbering at about 34,000 and counting. In Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, he has visited the monasteries, temples, and churches that form the backbone of our communities. On Capitol Hill, he has introduced key legislation to aid our long-suffering country. 

This is why our community was surprised and dismayed Tuesday when the Senate introduced perhaps the most consequential Burma legislation in over a decade and Sen. Young had chosen not to sign on as an original cosponsor.

A brutal Feb.1 military coup ended nearly a decade of a democratic experiment in Burma. The people fought back in a nationwide uprising, which has been met by horrifying violence from the military junta. In Indiana's Burmese-American communities, this has meant many sleepless nights as we worry about our families and friends in our home country. 

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The Burma Act provides some respite to the people of Burma while weakening one of China’s allies. It authorizes humanitarian aid to people fleeing the military's terror campaign, aid to Burma’s democratic forces through funding free and democratic media, and creates a high-level position to coordinate the U.S. policy response with the countries in the region. The bill also mandates that 60 days after its passage, the executive must report back to Congress about the feasibility of cutting off the junta’s oil and gas revenues by sanctioning Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprises, something that Chevron has deployed its lobbying team to oppose. 

Building on a bill that Young co-led with Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., in 2019, Cardin’s office drafted the Burma Act of 2021. The older bill had addressed the Rohingya crisis, while the new one expanded its coverage to address the new, post-coup, situation. It was widely expected that Young would again lead alongside Cardin. After all, the situation has only worsened. 

Young’s decision to not endorse the bill means it is unlikely for anyone else in the Senate Republican caucus to endorse the bill, which is seen as Young’s turf. 

Young’s office said Cardin jumped the gun and introduced the bill without ample Republican input. House Republicans seem to disagree, as the House version is fully bipartisan with both the lead Republican and Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee having signed.

I'm not sure the alleged gun jumping could not have been dealt with without Young abandoning the bill.  What is clear is that a man who has fashioned himself as a major advocate for Indiana’s Burmese communities has chosen to snub the most consequential piece of legislation for that community.  

The Indiana Burmese-Americans deserve more than performative moves from the senator who ultimately works against our interests. As partisan squabbling in Congress has delayed the introduction of the bill, COVID-19 is spreading like wildfire inside Burma, threatening the health security of its neighbors Thailand, China, India, and Bangladesh. The nation's youth have taken up arms against the regime. And China has found a new friend in the Burmese military regime.

With much of the economy paralyzed from a general strike and little other tax base, the bloodshed intensifies as the military continues to finance itself from the oil and gas sector. Much of this financing takes place through dollar exposed banks and oil companies, meaning the U.S. is uniquely positioned to be able to end it, something that would have reverberations in Indiana.

We hope Sen. Young realizes this, stops obfuscating and joins Sen. Cardin as a cosponsor of this legislation.

 Ro Ding is Chairman of the board of directors at the Burmese American Community Institute (BACI), a member of the U.S. Advocacy Coalition for Myanmar, and an Indianapolis resident.