U.S. Rep. Grace Meng Reintroduces Legislation to Establish Diwali as Federal Holiday Amid Rising Anti-Hindu and Anti-South Asian Hate
U.S. Representative Grace Meng has reintroduced legislation aimed at designating Diwali as a federal holiday in the United States. This move comes in response to a significant increase in anti-Hindu and anti-South Asian hate incidents across the nation. The legislation, known as the Diwali Day Act, was reintroduced by Meng, who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, shortly after the main celebration of the 2026 Diwali festival. The bill currently has 19 co-sponsors in Congress and, if passed, would make Diwali the 12th federally recognized holiday. Meng emphasized that establishing Diwali as a federal holiday would provide a day off for Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist communities to celebrate and would signal that the government values their cultures and traditions, particularly during a period of rising hate and intimidation.
