# 19 US lawmakers back bill to make Diwali federal holiday 2026-11-10T03:17:05+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 5 independent outlets (6 source reports) Congresswoman Grace Meng has reintroduced the Diwali Day Act in the House of Representatives, with 19 lawmakers including Indian-origin representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi, Suhas Subramanyam, Shri Thanedar, Ro Khanna and Ami Bera as co-sponsors. The bill would amend the US Code to add Diwali to the list of legal public holidays, making it the 12th federal holiday. Meng said recognising Diwali sends a message that Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists are valued members of society. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, which Meng chairs, linked the proposal to rising anti-Hindu and anti-South Asian hate, citing vandalism at Hindu places of worship, an alleged mass-shooting plot during Navratri at an Illinois temple, and disruption of a Diwali celebration in Washington state. The legislation has endorsements from 17 civil rights, religious and community organisations. Update, 10 November 2026: Meng said the bill will help educate Americans about Diwali and promote inclusion. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus cited vandalism at Hindu temples, an attempted mass shooting in Illinois, and disruption of a Diwali celebration in Washington state as examples of rising hate. The bill has attracted 19 co-sponsors, including Raja Krishnamoorthi, Suhas Subramanyam, Shri Thanedar, Ro Khanna and Ami Bera. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Congresswoman Grace Meng has reintroduced the Diwali Day Act in the House of Representatives, seeking to make Diwali a federal holiday. The bill, backed by 19 lawmakers including Indian-origin representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi, Suhas Subramanyam, Shri Thanedar, Ro Khanna and Ami Bera, would add Diwali to the list of legal public holidays. If enacted, it would become the 12th federal holiday. ## Coverage Coverage: 4 sources, 4 neutral - thehansindia.com (neutral report) Reports bill's details and CAPAC's hate-incident concerns straight - Syndicated copy - economictimes.indiatimes.com Straight wire report, leads with names and legislative mechanics - deccanchronicle.com Neutral wire copy, names incidents cited by CAPAC - indiatoday.in (neutral report) Leads with Indian-origin lawmakers' role, otherwise straight report - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Straight report, leads with Indian-origin supporters This brief was synthesised by AI from the 4 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Diwali, Grace Meng, US Congress Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/us-bill-reintroduced-to-make-diwali-a-federal-holiday/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/us-bill-reintroduced-to-make-diwali-a-federal-holiday/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/