Press Releases

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Congressman Ed Case (HI-01), completing his fourth year as a member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, announced today that the final $1.7 trillion Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 omnibus federal funding package approved by Congress and expected to be signed by the President includes billions in assistance for Hawai‘i, of which $94,382,465 is directed to his fourteen Community Project Funding (CPF) requests.

“Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle worked together to avoid a government shutdown and fund programs critical to our country, our communities and our families,” said Case.

“For our Hawai‘i, I especially worked to include an additional $1 billion of funding, over and above the $1.1 billion we secured for Fiscal Year 2022, to ensure the continued remediation and closure of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Facility and to address the health concerns related to the water contamination crisis,” said Case.

“To address affordable housing for our residents, I was also able to secure funds to assist with a wide range of housing needs, which have worsened for our workforce, kūpuna and veterans.

“I was also able to provide millions for worthy local community projects that would have difficulty being completed if not for specific and direct funding from Congress.”

Case’s CPF projects are listed below:

• $4.8 million to the City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services to develop a 30-mile active transit corridor connecting East to West O‘ahu. (Schatz and Case joint request)
• $500,000 to the Institute for Human Services for the Village of Redemption project to support housing for formerly incarcerated individuals. 
• $1 million for the Clean Energy Wayfinders Program that fosters engagement in local clean energy and energy efficiency policy, programs and projects and in training and deploying the next generation of energy workers in the state. 
• $2 million for the Honolulu Fire Department to harder fire station doors. (Schatz and Case joint request)
• $1.8 million for the Hawai‘i Public Health Institute to develop and train navigators to support kūpuna and family caregivers. 
• $1.7 million for the King Lunalilo Trust and Home to replace and reinforce its leaking roof. 
• $1.8 million for the Kula No Na Po‘e Hawai‘i to provide students with academic support and wraparound services. 
• $250,000 to the Bishop Museum to relocate and preserve its world class ichthyology collection. 
• $1.7 million for the Hawai‘i State Department of Land and Natural Resources to conduct forest protection and aquifer recovery activities for the Pearl Harbor watershed. 
• $1 million for the University of Hawaii’s Office of Strategic Health Initiatives for an indigenous data science hub. (Schatz, Hirono, and Case joint request)
• $6.5 million for the University of Hawaii’s Office of Strategic Health Initiatives to fund the construction of an early phase clinical trial unit. (Schatz, Hirono, and Case joint request)
• $270,000 for the YMCA of Honolulu to support wellness and mental health services for children and youth.
• $38 million to upgrade the Army Medical Center’s failing water system. (Schatz, Hirono, and Case joint request)
• $33 million to update Fort Shafter’s failing water system. (Schatz, Hirono, and Case joint request)

“In preparing my own CPF requests, I consulted with Hawai‘i state and county governments and non-profits, applied my own knowledge and beliefs as to district needs, considered whether a project could obtain federal funding through other means, and made some difficult decisions given my limited number of CPF requests.”

The House’s CPF rules require that each project must have demonstrated community support, must be fully disclosed by the requesting Member, and is subject to audit by the independent Government Accountability Office. Case’s disclosures are here: https://case.house.gov/media/funding-disclosures.htm.

The FY 2023 omnibus federal funding package includes $858 billion in defense spending, a $76 billion increase over the FY 2022 funding level, as well as $773 billion in non-defense funding, a $43 billion increase over the last fiscal year.

Provisions of special interest to Hawai‘i and for which Case also advocated throughout the yearlong FY 2023 appropriations process include:

• $46 million for the Native Hawaiian Education Program, a $7 million increase from the FY 2022 enacted level.
• $36 million for the Agricultural Quarantine Inspections Program to combat invasive species in Hawai‘i. 
• $1.1 billion of military construction projects throughout the state, which will benefit not just the national defense but local businesses. This is almost double the amount requested by the President.
• $22 million for the East-West Center, placing the Center on a solid and sustainable foundation from which to build further.
• $1.2 billion for the Small Business Administration (SBA), an increase of $188 million above the FY 2022 funding level.
• $19 million for the National Trails System, which will benefit the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.
• $2.7 billion for homeless assistance programs for our nation’s veterans, an increase of $531 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. 
• $25 million to support facilities like the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on the Island of Maui, the world’s most advanced solar observatory.
• Support for various elements of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI), which bolsters deterrence and maintains our competitive edge in the Indo-Pacific in recognition of threats posed by China and the need to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific. 

The omnibus further includes Case’s proposal to advance creation of Hawaii’s first national forest. It directs the federal government to pursue a formal process led by the U.S. Forest Service of engaging with state and community stakeholders toward identification of the most suitable Hawai‘i forests for inclusion as a national forest.

“The bill will move us toward finally correcting a longstanding omission by adding the best of Hawaii’s unique and endangered forests to our country’s invaluable National Forest System,” said Case. 

The bill also includes $45 billion in emergency funding to support the Ukrainian people and our North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies in their effort to defend global democracy in the wake of Russia’s unprovoked war on Ukraine. The Ukrainian people need these funds to defend themselves against the Russian invasion, liberate occupied territories and provide assistance to those in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

A summary of other Case-requested and supported provisions in the major sections of the omnibus measure follows:

Transportation-Housing Urban Development

The Transportation-Housing Urban Development Appropriations section of the bill supports the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Transportation including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Maritime Commission, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, National Transportation Safety Board, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The bill’s discretionary funding level is $87.3 billion, an increase of $6.3 billion over the FY 2022 enacted level. 

“My Appropriations Committee confronted the everyday challenges this bill covers across our country and provided the funds necessary to address our crumbling infrastructure as well as the lack of affordable housing,” said Case.

 “When it comes to transportation, we must work towards other means of mobility for those who either can’t afford or don’t want to rely on motor vehicles,” said Case.

“The $4.8 million in funding I secured to build 30-mile active transit corridor connecting East to West O‘ahu complements the City and County of Honolulu’s ‘complete streets’ approach that seeks to accommodate reasonable access and mobility for all users of public highways and byways by investing in bike and pedestrian paths, thereby reducing traffic congestion while boosting our Hawaii’s efforts to combat greenhouse gases and climate change.”

The bill also includes $64 million in new federal funding for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project. These funds can be used to cover inflationary cost increases, and they are in addition to the remaining federal funding the Federal Transit Administration has already committed to the project.

“This bill represents our Appropriations Committee’s commitment to fund the generational investment secured in last year’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which I fought for,” said Case. “This funding will ensure Hawai‘i can repair and modernize our ports, roads and mass transit systems to keep up with growing use.”

Additional transportation and infrastructure programs and provisions requested and secured by Case include:

• $896 million for the Maritime Administration, including $318 million for the Maritime Security Program, $212 million for the Port Infrastructure Development Program and $20 million for Assistance to Small Shipyards like Kalaeloa/Barbers Point.
• $62.9 billion for the Federal Highway Administration to improve the safety and long-term viability of our highways.
• $16.9 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, including $13.6 billion for formula grants to states to expand their bus fleets and ensure transit systems are in good repair.
• $800 million for National Infrastructure Investments.
• $19 billion for the FAA, including $1.6 billion for aviation safety. 
• Direction to the FAA to work with other federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, to participate in community engagement to address noise concerns.
• Additional funding for the FAA’s community engagement capacity and requires the FAA to make aggregated information about noise complaints available to the public.

The bill further includes the following provisions to improve access to affordable housing:

• $3.3 billion for the Community Development Fund.
• $3.6 billion for the Homeless Assistance Grants.
• $63 million for the Self-Help and Assisted Homeownership Opportunity Program.
• $58 million for the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program and Native American Veterans programs.
• $14.9 billion for project-based rental assistance.
• $22 million for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant (NHHBG). The NHHBG funds support the building, acquisition and rehabilitation of affordable homes.
• A provision allowing up to $28 million in housing loans through the Native Hawaiian Housing Loan Guarantee Program. The Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 established a loan guarantee program for Native Hawaiians who are eligible to reside on Hawaiian home lands and would otherwise face barriers to acquiring such financing because of the unique legal status of the Hawaiian home lands.

A summary of the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations is here.

Energy and Water

The bill’s Energy and Water section funds the Department of Energy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) civil works programs, the Bureau of Reclamation and agencies focused on nuclear energy. The bill’s discretionary funding level is $54.6 billion, an increase of $1.7 billion over the FY 2022 enacted level.

“Our $54 billion Energy and Water Appropriations bill supports the deployment of clean energy technologies to fight climate change and reduce energy prices,” said Case.

“It also provides funding for flood and waterway projects through the USACE, to include key areas in Hawai‘i like the Ala Wai, Waikīkī and Kalaeloa.”

“This bill makes the long term investments needed to help lower energy costs by strengthening America’s energy independence,” said Case. 

“At a time when our country is facing rising gas prices, the bill invests in an all-of-the-above energy strategy that leverages clean solar, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric technologies while still using our domestic resources, such as the Strategic Petroleum Reserves, to ease current supply and price pressures. Specifically, there is $15.3 billion included for energy and science innovation to support our diversification of energy sources away from foreign adversaries, create new clean energy technology jobs and ultimately save consumers money.”

The bill also includes Case’s CPF request to fund the Hawai‘i State Energy Office’s Clean Energy Wayfinders Program. That groundbreaking program fosters engagement in local clean energy and energy efficiency policy, programs and projects and in training and deploying the next generation of energy workers in the state.

“As our communities transition to more and more sources of renewable energy, it is critical that we also transition our current energy workforce and train the new generation to take over,” said Case.

“The Hawai‘i State Energy Office, in conjunction with multiple local partners and stakeholders, has worked tirelessly to deploy their Wayfinders Program, which redefines what community engagement in the energy sector looks like by involving local workers from the start. This funding will secure their much-needed next steps in ensuring that this program continues to grow and become available to more Hawai‘i residents.”

The bill also provides $8.7 billion for the USACE for its civil works programs. Case’s committee provided $173 million for the USACE’s investigations account, which funds studies for projects in Hawai‘i like the Ala Wai Flood Zone so it can be evaluated for safety and flood risks. It also provided $5.1 billion for the USACE’s operation and maintenance account, which supports ongoing USACE work in Hawai‘i, such as the Barbers Point Deep Draft Harbor.

“As we in Hawai‘i brace each year for ‘hurricane season’ in the Central Pacific, this bill will assist the USACE with funds to help protect our island communities from severe storms,” said Case. “My Committee’s investment in the USACE will also help revive our water infrastructure, especially our harbors, to help keep transportation costs low. This funding will supplement state funding to help maintain our harbors in Hawai‘i, which are a critical lifeline to and from the world as we receive and distribute more than 90 percent of all of the goods through our harbors.”

Other programs and provisions requested and secured by Case include:

• $15 million and report language for the Energy Transitions Initiative (ETI). This program, which aims to advance self-reliant island and remote communities through the development of resilient energy systems, helps recipients who face unique energy challenges due to their remote location, fossil fuel dependency and limited access to affordable infrastructure improvements. This funding supports two ETI projects in Hawai‘i - electrical infrastructure resiliency in Honolulu and alternative and autonomous mobility options for Kaua‘i.
• $366 million for weatherization activities, which will increase energy efficiency of over 40,000 low-income homes nationwide. In Hawai‘i, these funds are used to help low-income households reduce their energy costs by providing energy conservation education and funding weatherization measures.
  
• $3.5 billion for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. This funding will go to support many of the renewable energy projects underway across the State of Hawai‘i
• $470 million for Advanced Research Projects – Energy and High Energy Physics, which directly supports groundbreaking research at the University of Hawai‘i aimed at rapidly developing energy technologies that are capable of significantly changing the energy sector to address the nation’s critical economic, environmental and energy security challenges.
• $200 million for Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response. This funding provides for efforts to secure the nation’s energy infrastructure against all hazards, reduce the risks of and impacts from cybersecurity events, and assist with restoration activities.

Other provisions requested and secured by Case include:

• Encouraging the USACE to give special consideration to vulnerable coastal communities in their flood risk planning assistance, with specific direction to the Native Hawaiian community.
• Directing the Department of Energy to conduct and provide a report on their plan to recruit more minority populations, such as Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiians and Asian Americans to job positions in the department.
• Continuing Congressional support for a previously directed report to examine benefits of dredged materials to non-contiguous states, like Hawai‘i.

A summary of the energy and water provisions is here.

Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies

The $84.2 billion Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations section of the bill supports the U.S. Department of Commerce, including the International Trade Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology; the U.S. Department of Justice; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); the National Science Foundation (NSF) and more. Case is in his fourth year of service on the Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, with jurisdiction over the bill.

This year’s bill and Case’s efforts focused especially on combating crime, continuing our nation’s leadership in science and protecting our oceans.

“Rising crime, both related and unrelated to gun violence, is of great concern to us all, and must be combatted at all levels of government,” said Case. “State and local law enforcement need increased assistance from our federal government to address crime at the state and local level. The more than $700 million to help local and state law enforcement will help not only to investigate and prosecute crime, but will also go to prevention and education programs to stop crime before it happens.”

“My Committee’s funding comes following this summer’s enactment, with my support, of our bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun violence prevention legislation in nearly 30 years.

“Coming after still more horrific mass shootings this year, the omnibus includes provisions to improve mental health and school security and implement stricter controls on gun purchases, all funded by our bill.”

The FY 2023 funding bill makes major additional investments in federal, state and local law enforcement programs, including greatly expanding gun violence prevention efforts. These include:

• $770 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne-JAG), which is an increase of $95 million over the current funding level. Byrne-JAG is the leading federal source of criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. The funds can be used to support a range of program areas including law enforcement; prosecution and court; prevention and education; corrections and community corrections; drug treatment and enforcement; planning, evaluation and technology improvement; and crime victim and witness initiatives.
• $700 million, an increase of $125 million above FY 2022, for Violence Against Women Act programs. These programs support comprehensive, cost-effective responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.
• $324 million for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Grants, which is an increase of $78 million over the current funding level. The COPS program is designed to provide funding directly to law enforcement agencies to hire and/or rehire additional career law enforcement officers in an effort to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.
• $50 million for the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative, which supports partnerships between law enforcement and the communities they serve to address violence intervention and prevention programs, including gang and gun violence.
• $125 million for grants to help state governments improve their submissions into the National Instant Criminal Background Check system for gun purchases.
• $55 million for Grants to Reduce the Sexual Assault Kit Backlog.
• $51 million for the Anti-Methamphetamine and Anti-Heroin Task Forces.
• $38.7 billion for the Department of Justice, including $11.3 billion for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and $860 million for the Executive Office for Immigration Review.

“Our funding measure also focuses on our flagship national science programs, which translate into world-leading research and development and science and high-tech engineering projects in our Hawai‘i.

“They also ensures that young people across our country can pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related education to lead innovation and contribute to a better economy back home,” said Case. 

The FY 2023 bill’s investments in science include:

• $25 million to support facilities like the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on the Island of Maui, the world’s most advanced solar observatory.
• An increase of $1.2 million to support the maintenance and needed repairs at the  Atmospheric Baseline Observatories, including the Mauna Loa Observatory where the famous Keeling Curve proving rapid climate change was developed.
• $144 million for STEM Engagement, an increase of $7 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, to inspire young people to pursue future careers in science and engineering. This includes $45 million for NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project, which funds Hawai’i STEM programs.
• $9.5 billion for the NSF, an increase of $700 million.
• $7.8 billion for science programs at NASA to continue efforts to explore the solar system, other planets and other solar systems. Among other things, this will support space telescopes and efforts to gain scientific knowledge about the Earth’s changing climate.

Case also highlighted his efforts to boost funding of federal agencies and programs focused on the world’s oceans. Case, who traveled to Lisbon, Portugal in June 2022 as part of a delegation of Members of Congress representing the United States at the United Nations Ocean Conference 2022, said: “Our world’s oceans are in mortal danger from a variety of human-caused factors, including climate change, pollution, debris, overfishing and other over-extraction. We have very limited time to reverse course, and our country and Hawai‘i can and must lead the way.”

The FY 2023 bill’s investments in the oceans and coastal communities include:

• $175 million for the protection, research and management of marine mammals, sea turtles and other ocean species.
• $80 million for the Sea Grant Program, which supports coastal and Great Lakes communities through research, extension and education. These funds help support the Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Program at the University of Hawaiʻi that concentrates on promoting healthy coastal ecosystems, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, resilient communities and economies and environmental literacy and workforce development.
• $68 million for the Sanctuaries and Marine Protected Areas Program, including the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
• $34 million for the Coral Reef Conservation Program.
• $4.5 million for the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grants.

The bill also included Case’s requests for several key U.S. Department of Justice programs, including:

• $560 million for the Legal Services Corporation, which helps ensure equal access to justice under the law for all Americans by providing funding for civil legal aid through organizations like Legal Aid Hawai‘i to those who otherwise would be unable to afford it.
• $175 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program. This public-private partnership has centers in all 50 states, including Hawaiʻi, dedicated to serving small and medium-sized manufacturers. 
• $70 million for the Minority Business Development Agency. This includes $5 million specifically for Native American Business Development Program that awards grants to Tribes and American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian populations to address barriers to economic development.
• $455 million for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an increase of $35 million.
• $122 million for the International Trade Commission, an increase of $12 million.

A summary of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations funding bill is here.

Interior

The Interior Appropriations bill funds the Department of the Interior, including the National Parks Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service and various independent agencies including the National Endowments on Arts and the Humanities. The discretionary funding level is $38.9 billion, an increase of $850 million over the FY 2022 enacted level. 

“With the support of my Appropriations Committee, we are poised to conserve critical lands for future generations in Hawai‘i, including a possible major expansion of Haleakalā National Park and preservation of precious lands in the Kāne‘ohe Pali and Maunawili Valley,” said Case.

The bill includes the following funding requested and secured by Case:

• $1.3 million to safeguard over nearly 700 acres in Maunawili Valley. The proposed forest reserve would be managed by the Hawai‘i Division of Forestry and Wildlife in partnership with local nonprofits seeking to steward the land, engage sustainable agriculture and restore cultural sites and lo‘i. Maunawili Forest is not only significant for its historic and cultural resources but is the natural habitat for three threatened or endangered Hawaiian damselfly species, a forest bird (‘elepaio), and four species of endangered Hawaiian wetland birds.
• $1.8 million to assist the State Department of Land and Natural Resources’ acquisition of nearly 1,000 acres of in Kāne‘ohe, O‘ahu. The Kāneʻohe Pali lands include freshwater springs, famous waterfalls, at least eleven streams and tributaries, native forest which comprises priority watershed, critical habitat for a wide range of native plant and animal species, the historic Luluku banana patches, mountain peaks and other geological formations.
• $12.9 million in additional funding for the possible acquisition of Kaupō Ranch on the southern slope of Haleakalā for the NPS. Kaupō Ranch is a key access point for the popular Kaupō Gap Trail that traverses the crater of Haleakalā National Park. This funding will help secure a 3,018 acre portion and expand recreational activities and protect important natural resources, watersheds and endangered species. 

Case also requested and secured funding to further address the Red Hill crisis, which is in addition to the $1 billion included in the earlier FY 2022 defense and military construction appropriations sections described below. “We need to pursue every federal resource possible from every source to pursue the continued remediation, defueling and closure of Red Hill and assure our safe drinking water,” said Case.

“In this bill we supplemented other efforts by restoring native forests in the Ko‘olau Mountains that assist in recharging the Pearl Harbor watershed and increasing funding for the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program.”

Specifically the bill includes:

• $1.7 million for the Hawai‘i State Department of Land and Natural Resources to conduct forest protection and aquifer recovery activities for the Pearl Harbor watershed. Protecting and restoring native forests in the Ko‘olau Mountains will help safeguard drinking water supplies and replenish the Pearl Harbor Aquifer.
• $93 million for the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program, which includes funding to the Hawai‘i Department of Health to address Red Hill issues.
• $2.8 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, which provide funding to Hawaii’s regulated water systems for Hawaii’s water infrastructure projects. 

Case also worked to continue his effort to preserve Hawaii’s historic sites and institutions. For FY 2023, he secured $250,000 for the legacy Bishop Museum to relocate and preserve its world class ichthyology collection through the Save America’s Treasures program.

Case explained: “The Bishop Museum houses one of the largest collections of coral reef fishes in the world, including the most comprehensive representation of both specimens and color images of fishes from the vast Indo‐Pacific region, including Hawai‘i and other U.S. territories. With the effects of climate change expected to devastate coral reef ecosystems in the coming decades, the importance of this collection – which emphasizes the discovery and documentation of species new to science – continues to increase.”

“The collection is housed within an aging warehouse building built in the 1970s and designed to last for 10 years, which is suffering severe problems such as a leaking roof and outdated facilities. Moreover, the collection has completely filled all the available shelf space and struggles to absorb newly collected material.”

Additional programs and provisions secured by Case in the Interior Appropriations bill include:

• $5 million for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service State of the Birds Activities to respond to the urgent needs of critically endangered birds that, due to climate change, now face extinction. These funds will help save numerous endemic birds which have been devastated by climate change and avian malaria. The measure also includes $46.6 million for the U.S. Geological Survey Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program.
• $64 million for the U.S. Geological Survey Species Management Research Program, which includes an increase of $500,000 to respond to the needs of critically endangered Hawaiian forest birds. 
• $31 million for long-deferred maintenance projects at Hawaii’s National Parks.
• $2.9 billion for the NPS’s basic operations, an increase of $156 million.
• $19 million for the National Trails System, which will benefit the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.
• $38 million, a $7.5 million increase, for the U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program. This includes funding for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, which monitors the active volcanoes in Hawai‘i, assesses their hazards, issues warnings and advances scientific understanding to reduce impacts of volcanic eruptions.
• $83 million for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Climate Adaptation Science Centers, which includes the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center based out of UH Mānoa. These centers provide regionally-relevant scientific information, tools, and techniques to resource managers and communities in Hawai'i in response to our changing climate.
• $3 million for the NPS American Indian and Native Hawaiian Art and Culture Grants program.
• Language instructing the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations to expand the federal government’s Native Hawaiian community consultation efforts.
• $61 million for state historic preservation offices nationwide, which will help the State of Hawai‘i Historic Preservation Division preserve Hawaii’s treasured historic properties.
• $5 million for Japanese Confinement Site Grants and funding for the newly authorized Amache National Historic Site, which was one of ten incarceration sites established by the War Relocation Authority during World War II to detain Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their communities on the West Coast. The increase of $1.3 million over FY 2022 enacted levels will fund projects to tell the stories of Japanese Americans during World War II, including those interned at Hono‘uli‘uli in Kunia.
• $207 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, an increase of $27 million, which benefits the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts as well as arts projects statewide.
• $207 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities, an increase of $27 million, which provides funding to the Hawai‘i Council on the Humanities, a nonprofit which supports public programs in humanities disciplines to help express I’s unique culture, stories, histories and people.

A summary of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations is here.

State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs

The State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations section of the bill funds U.S. foreign policy programs and agencies, including the Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. contributions to the United Nations and its agencies and more. Globally, this bill provides for U.S. foreign assistance in public health, basic education, educational and cultural exchanges, climate change and more. The discretionary funding level is $59.7 billion, an increase of $3.6 billion over the FY 2022 enacted level. 

This year’s bill will also implement provisions from Case’s BLUE Pacific Act, which increases overall U.S. engagement throughout the Pacific Islands. The bill also will fund key institutions and programs in Hawai‘i, such as the East-West Center and scholarships for Pacific Islanders, while supporting international efforts to combat climate change.

The bill includes $22 million for the East-West Center, an increase of $2.3 million over the FY 2022 enacted level. This further increase, after years at a lower level and facing an annual zero budget request throughout the Trump Administration, places the Center on a solid and sustainable foundation from which to build further.

“This bill bolsters our commitments to diplomacy, development and democracy in the Indo-Pacific, and the $22 million for the East-West Center will help cement Hawaii’s role in that effort,” said Case. 

“The Committee’s funding of major parts of my BLUE Pacific Act and the approval of my request to continue funding the East-West Center send a powerful message to our critical Pacific Islands partners and allies that our country values our relationships and intends to invest further in them and to continue as an active and engaged partner in pursuit of our shared interests and in defense of our shared values.”

Programs and provisions secured by Case related to the Indo-Pacific and his BLUE Pacific Act include:

• $1.8 billion for implementation of the Indo-Pacific Strategy to counter malign influence and promote peace, prosperity and democracy in the region, an increase of over $100 million.
• Bill language requiring at least $150 million for the Pacific Islands region, almost double previous spending.
• Increased funding for the Young Pacific Leaders Program, a Department of State program for emerging young leaders from Hawai‘i, Guam, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Solomon Islands and other Pacific nations.
• Report language encouraging the Department of State to increase the number of scholarships available for Pacific Islanders to study in the United States, many of whom study at the University of Hawai‘i.
• $431 million for the Peace Corps, an increase of $20 million over the FY 2022 enacted level, along with language encouraging the Peace Corps to prioritize the Pacific Islands in the return of volunteers.
• Report language recommending no less than $20 million for climate resilient development and climate mitigation and adaptation efforts in the Pacific Islands.
• Language in support of expanding the U.S. diplomatic presence in the Pacific Islands and the programming of the U.S. Agency for Global Media in the region.
• Report language requiring the Department of State to create a strategy on trade capacity building in the Pacific Islands.
• Report language recommending the expansion of the International Law Enforcement Academy to the Pacific Islands, and supporting the Pacific Islands in their efforts to combat transnational crime. 

“As Hawai`i and the rest of our planet confront the very real impacts of climate change, we must act immediately to respond to this global crisis, and small islands in the Pacific are particularly vulnerable as they confront rising sea levels, extreme weather events, protracted droughts and land loss, to name just a few of the impacts brought on by this crisis,” said Case.

The bill includes $2 billion to address climate change, including:

• $150 million for the Global Environment Facility, $1 million above the fiscal year 2022 enacted level. 
• $125 million for the Clean Technology Fund.
• $270 million for adaptation programs.
• $260 million for clean energy programs.

The bill also sustains or increases funding for several foreign policy programs supported by Case including:

• $1.4 billion for contributions to international organizations.
• $1.5 billion to support United Nations international peacekeeping activities.
• $777 million for educational and cultural exchange programs, which include the Fulbright programs.
• $6.7 billion to fight HIV/AIDS, including $2 billion for the Global Fund.
• $4.2 billion for maternal and child health programs.
• $970 million for basic education.
• $6.8 billion for migration and refugee assistance, and $2.5 billion for humanitarian needs in Ukraine and other countries impacted by the war. 

A summary of the FY 2023 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations is here.

Homeland Security

The FY 2023 Homeland Security Appropriations sections of the bill provide $86.5 billion for the Department of Homeland Security to invest in smart, effective border security, meet humanitarian needs of migrants and support federal efforts to keep the country safe. A provision in the bill would secure the nation’s critical infrastructure with dramatically increased funding to prevent cyberattacks and root out cyber intrusions. 

“The bottom line is that we should fully expect and prepare for Russia and individuals and entities associated with Russia to continue to engage in cyber warfare across the world, as they are already doing in Ukraine and have done in our country and elsewhere in the world and as we pursue our critical response through sanctions and other means,” said Case.

“This is just as true in Hawai‘i as anywhere else in our country. For although we may be physically located on the other side of the world and far from the actual war, cyberattacks do not care about physical locations.”

“We should also not assume that the targets are just governments and businesses with key infrastructure roles. The intent of cyberwarfare is to disrupt economies and societies across a broad range and so nobody is immune.”

The bill also supports the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Secret Service and more.

The discretionary funding level is $86.5 billion, an increase of $3.5 billion over the 2022 enacted level. 

The bill includes $101 million for the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, which includes the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPC) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. The NDPC, a seven-member professional alliance, is the principal means through which FEMA identifies, develops, tests and delivers training to state and local emergency responders. The NDPC has trained over 2.5 million people throughout the United States and its territories. 

Other programs and provisions requested and secured by Case include:

• $355 million for the Emergency Management Performance Grants, which support state and local emergency management agencies like the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency.
• $360 million for assistance to firefighter grant programs, which are a major source of funding for county fire departments.
• $25 million for the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program.

The measure also:

• Includes Case’s CPF request for $2 million to harden fire station doors for the Honolulu Fire Department. 
• Includes Case’s requested report language to support the U.S. Coast Guard in the Indo-Pacific and require the U.S. Coast Guard to examine its assets in Oceania and the facilities in O‘ahu. 
• Directs FEMA to report on its strategies to respond to the unique challenges posed by disasters in Hawai‘i and other non-contiguous areas. 
• Requires the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to brief Congress on resources needed to shorten the wait times for family members of Filipino World War II veterans and more quickly process the permanent resident applications of those enrolled in the Filipino War Veteran Parole Program.

A summary of the FY 2023 Homeland Security Appropriations is here.

Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor-HHS)

The Labor, Health, Human Services and Education Appropriations sections of the bill provide for significant investments in key federal programs that increase public health research and capacity, expand access to education and childcare, address labor market demands, improve health outcomes and bolster our nation’s responses to current and future public health threats. The discretionary funding level is $226.8 billion, an increase of $15 billion (7.1 percent) above FY 2022 enacted levels. 

“Our $227 billion Labor-HHS bill helps families and communities with the high costs of living, trains Americans for American jobs, supports workers, and strengthens our health care infrastructure,” said Case.

  The bill addresses our nation’s labor shortages and supports workers with: 

• $1.8 billion for Job Corps, an increase of $11.5 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, which provides career development services for youth.
• $1.1 billion, for youth employment and training activities, an increase of $20 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
• $885 million for adult employment and training activities, which is a $15 million increase above the FY 2022 enacted level.
• $285 for the Registered Apprenticeship Program, an increase of $30 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. 
• $115 million to provide ex-offenders with training and credentials in fields that prepare them for successful reintegration into society, an increase of $13 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
• $105 million for the YouthBuild program, an increase of $5 million above FY 2022 enacted level, to provide at-risk youth with basic education and job skills training in the construction field.
• $66 million, an increase of $5 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.
• $557 million for AmeriCorps State and National Grants, an increase of $90 million over the FY 2022 enacted level.

The bill helps Hawai‘i and the nation respond to current and future health threats with:

• $47.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health, an increase of $2.5 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level, to support a wide range of biomedical and behavioral research.
• $1.5 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health within the Department of Health and Human Services, an increase of $500 million to accelerate the pace of scientific breakthroughs for diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and cancer.
• $1.9 billion for Community Health Centers, an increase of $110 million above FY 2022 enacted level, to provide high quality, cost-effective health care to predominantly low-income and medically-underserved communities.
• $350 million, an increase of $150 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, for public health infrastructure and capacity nationwide.
• $286 million for the Title X Family Planning Program
• $75 million to address the health impacts of climate change.
• $12.5 million for firearm injury and mortality prevention research.

The bill invests in public education, school safety and childcare with: 

• $19 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies (low income schools), an increase of $850 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
• $12 billion for Head Start, an increase of $1 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level.
• $8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, an increase of $1.9 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level.
• $2.2 billion for Career, Technical and Adult Education, an increase of $100 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
• $1.2 billion for the Federal TRIO Program, $50 million more than the FY 2022 enacted level, to provide academic support to low-income individuals, first-generation college students, veterans and individuals with disabilities.
• $315 million for Preschool Development Grants, an increase of $25 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
• $70 million for Teacher Quality Partnerships, an increase of $10 million about the FY 2022 enacted level, to support teacher preparation and residency programs.
• $130 million for McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, which provides homeless youth with the health services and academic support they need to succeed in and out of the classroom.
• $65 million to continue and expand Strengthening Community College Training Grants, which offer training to workers in in-demand industries at community colleges and four-year institutions to help meet local labor market needs.
• $18 million for youth violence prevention.
• Provides $24.6 billion for federal student aid programs to provide $7,395 for the maximum Pell Grant award, an increase of $500 above the FY 2022 enacted level.

The bill supports our Native Hawaiian community with:

• $60 million for Native American job training programs authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.
• $38 million for Native American Nutrition and Supportive Services grants to promote the delivery of nutrition and home and community-based services to Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Kupuna.
• $46 million for the Native Hawaiian Education Program, a $7 million increase from the FY 2022 enacted level.
• $25 million for the Strengthening Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Program, an increase of $3 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. These funds will support tutoring, mentorships, internships, faculty development and other activities to support Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students at the collegiate level. 
• $27 million for the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems, an increase of $5 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
• $3 million for the Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity within the Office of Minority Health to advance Indigenous solutions to achieve health equity and encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to partner with universities in these efforts.
• $3 million for the Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program, which provides grants to Native American-serving organizations and federally-recognized tribes to sustain indigenous heritage, culture and knowledge through museum-related services.
• $2 million for the Native Hawaiian Resource Center on Domestic Violence within the Family Violence Prevention Program to provide supportive services for adult and youth victims of family violence, domestic violence and dating violence and to prevent such incidents in Native Hawaiian communities.
• $1.5 million for the Native American Language Resource Centers, which support higher education institutions in teaching and learning languages, including research on new teaching methods for educators and developing instructional materials, among other things.

Case also secured more than $13 million for his CPF requests that specifically focus on local needs in Hawai‘i:

• $1.8 million for the Hawai‘i Public Health Institute to develop and train navigators to support Kupuna and family caregivers.
• $1.8 million for Kula No Na Po‘e Hawai‘i to provide students with academic support and wraparound services.
• $1.7 million for the King Lunalilo Trust and Home to replace and reinforce its leaking roof.
• $6.5 million for the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center to fund the construction of an early phase clinical trial unit.
• $1 million for the University of Hawai‘i for an indigenous data science hub.
• $270,000 for the YMCA of Honolulu to support wellness and mental health services for children and youth.

“My Committee provided more funding for federal workforce programs that help develop local talent to address labor shortages and support our local economy,” said Case. “The measure also provides for major investments in educator recruitment and training, maternal health equity initiatives, home care for seniors and people with disabilities and high-quality childcare and preschool programs.”

“This year’s funding bill builds on past funding increases I have been able to secure for Native Hawaiian-serving programs plus includes additional provisions to ensure these programs are more accessible to Native Hawaiian Organizations,” said Case.

A summary of the FY 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations is here.

Financial Services and General Government 

The FY 2023 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations sections of the bill provide funding for the Department of the Treasury, including the Internal Revenue Service; the Executive Office of the President; the federal court system; the District of Columbia; and more than two dozen independent federal agencies including the SBA. The omnibus bill provides $27.6 billion for financial programs to foster community development and help small businesses and middle class families struggling with the high costs of inflation. This is an increase of $1.7 billion (7 percent) above FY 2022 enacted levels. 

“According to the SBA, there are more than 137,000 small businesses in our state, making up more than 99 percent of all businesses in the islands,” said Case. 

“But we have seen what the pandemic has done to these companies, and what they are having to deal with now as they struggle with the rising costs of inflation.

“That is why I worked in this measure and elsewhere to ensure that small businesses remain the backbone of our economy including through financial, technical and emergency assistance, boosting trade opportunities, and ensuring that women-owned and Native Hawaiian-owned businesses get the help they need.”

To help our small businesses nationwide, the bill provides $1.2 billion for the SBA, an increase of $188 million above the FY 2022 funding level. This includes $320 million, a $30 million increase, for Entrepreneurial Development Programs that provide small businesses with quality training, counseling and access to resources. Another provision highlights Congress’ concern about equal opportunities and directs the SBA to work closely with Congress to provide equal opportunities for Native Hawaiian Organizations.

The measure includes several of Case’s requests for funding for federal programs and services especially important for Hawai‘i including:

• $25 million for the Native American Community Development Financial Institution Assistance Program,
• $4 million for the Native American Outreach Program,
• $4 million for the Historically Underutilized Business Zones Program,
• $27 million for the Women’s Business Centers Program,
• $24 million for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative,
• $140 million for Small Business Development Centers,
• $109 million for the Drug-Free Communities Program,
• $20 million for the State Trade Expansion Program,
• $10 million for the Regional Innovation Clusters Program,
• $302 million for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program, and
• $41 million for the Microloan Technical Assistance Program.

The bill also provided $324 million for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), an increase of $29 million above the FY 2022 enacted levels. CDFIs are specialized community-based financial institutions that promote economic development by providing financial products and services to people and communities underserved by traditional financial institutions, particularly in low-income and minority communities. They were especially valuable in delivering COVID-19 emergency assistance funds to communities without ready access to other means.

One of the provisions in the measure would help to rebuild the Internal Revenue Service’s ability to finally crack down on tax avoiders and to provide better customer service to working families struggling to navigate the tax system. The bill provides $2.8 billion for Taxpayer Services, which includes support for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Matching Grants Program, Low Income Taxpayer Clinics, the Taxpayer Advocate and Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program.

The measure also adopts Case’s requests to:

• Support efforts to improve U.S. Postal Service mail delivery in remote areas. 
• Direct the Federal Trade Commission to produce recommendations to address the exploitation and inauthentic use of native language and culture in marketing under the Fair Package and Labeling Act. 
• Direct the Internal Revenue Service to submit a report to Congress on the reasons for the backlog of tax returns and recommendations for preventing future backlogs.
• Direct the National Personnel Records Center to provide quarterly reports on its plan to spend emergency money to reduce its request backlog. 

A summary of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations section of the bill is here.

Defense

The FY 2023 Defense Appropriations sections of the bill provide $797.7 billion for federal agencies and programs in the Department of Defense (DOD) and Intelligence Community, including the military branches of services, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.

 

“My Committee on Appropriations is continuing its full support of our efforts to respond directly on multiple fronts to the Red Hill crisis,” said Case. “The Committee included my request to create a $1 billion Red Hill Recovery Fund to fix, defuel and close Red Hill as safely and quickly as possible, continue to address the continuing health and other concerns of affected residents and restore our aquifer. An additional $25 million for planning and designing water treatment and distribution facilities are provided through the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies section of the bill.” 

The $1.0 billion included in the FY 2023 Defense Appropriations bill comes on top of $1.1 billion secured by the Hawai‘i Congressional delegation on an emergency basis earlier this year for FY 2022.

Additionally, the bill supports Case’s effort to expand and improve the military’s engagement with local community throughout Hawai‘i, directing the Secretary of Defense to work with the Governor of Hawai‘i to help address the disconnect between the services and various communities in Hawai‘i.

Furthermore, the bill includes Case’s requested funding for various national programs to assist the military in efforts to support local communities, including $80 million for Impact Aid education programs, $175 million for the Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI) that protects environmentally sensitive lands, and $317 million to remediate contaminants and military munitions remaining from past activities at active military installations and formerly used defense sites.

The measure also includes over $260 million for programs including the National Guard Youth Challenge and Starbase to help troubled youths. All of these programs are fully utilized by the military in Hawai‘i.

“The military must foster a better relationship with the local community to repair the damaged trust caused by Red Hill and build the support needed for various defense initiatives in our state,” said Case.

“A positive relationship between the military and the people of Hawai‘i is needed to prepare and respond to the threats posed by China, Russia and North Korea in the Indo-Pacific.”

The bill directly addresses the risks posed by Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) to Hawai‘i and communities nationwide. The bill provides an additional $30 million above the President’s request for PFAS remediation and disposal technology; an additional $15 million for on-site PFAS remediation technologies; and an additional $20 million for Aqueous Film Forming Foam replacement, disposal and cleanup technology.

The measure also supports PDI, which bolsters deterrence and maintains our competitive edge in the Indo-Pacific in recognition of threats posed by China and the need to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific.

A key component of the PDI for FY 2022 is $393 million for the missile defense of Guam, which faces threats from ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles. More importantly, more funds are directed for exercises and activities with our partners and allies in the region.

Programs and provisions requested and secured by Case include:

• Funding for two SSN-774 Virginia Class attack submarines, which are critical to protecting the Indo-Pacific and will be maintained at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.
• $317 million for Environmental Restoration, Formerly Used Defense Sites, which is $90 million over the President’s budget request. These funds will help accelerate efforts to remove unexploded ordnance and discarded military munitions in Hawai‘i and throughout the nation.
• $150 million for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which maintains central facilities and operations at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
• Blocking efforts to change the command and control structure of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. There have been efforts within the department to streamline control of forces under one command structure, which would limit the ability of Navy forces in Hawai‘i to respond quickly to changing threats in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Retention of the military contracting preference language for Native American tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations.
• $164 million for the X-Band Radar, which assists in defending Hawai‘i from ballistic missile threats as the DoD pauses funding for Homeland Defense Radar-Hawai‘i, and direction to continue a detailed reassessment of how to best protect Hawai‘i from missile attacks.
• $175 million for REPI, which is $8 million over the President’s request. The DoD created the REPI Program in response to land development and loss of habitat in the vicinity of or affecting military installations, ranges and airspace that can lead to restrictions or costly and inadequate training and testing alternatives. Through REPI, DoD works with state and local governments, conservation organizations and willing private landowners to address these challenges to the military mission and the viability of DoD installations and ranges. For 2022, REPI will provide $19.2 million for three projects in Hawai‘i, which will be coupled with $15.1 million in partner contributions.
• An $8 million increase for the Asia Pacific Regional Initiative, a key program supporting the U.S. IndoPacific Command. This program enables the military to execute Theater Security Cooperation activities, such as humanitarian assistance and paying incremental personnel costs of training and exercising with foreign security forces. The initiative is a critical tool for the U.S. military to strengthen relationships throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
• $39.2 billion for medical and health care programs, which includes the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), which allocates $583 million for cancer research. The CDMRP fills research gaps by funding high impact, high risk and high gain projects that other agencies may not venture to fund.

The measure also includes:

• $479 million to fully implement the recommendations of the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment. In addition, the bill provides $47 million for the Special Victims’ Counsel program.
• $2 billion in investments in clean energy and climate adaptation to protect facilities, readiness and global security
• Full funding necessary to support a 4.6 percent military pay raise.

Overall, the FY 2023 Defense Appropriations bill reflects an increase of $69.3 billion to combat Russian aggression, protect national security, support servicemembers, address gender-based violence and extremism, and confront the climate crisis 

A summary of the defense section of the bill is here.

Military Construction and Veterans Affairs

The FY 2023 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations sections of the bill fund construction and maintenance of our defense facilities throughout the country and world, our national cemeteries and battle monuments, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and various small agencies and programs supporting our nation's some 19 million veterans and their families. The discretionary funding level is $154.2 billion, an increase of $26.6 billion over the FY 2022 enacted level. Case is in his fourth year of service on the Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, with jurisdiction over the bill.

This section of the bill includes another $25 million in funding to address the Red Hill Crisis for the planning and design of water treatment and distribution facilities construction. These funds can also be used to design facilities to help remediate the Red Hill shaft. This will augment the $1 billion Case secured in the FY 2023 Defense Appropriations bill and the $1.1 billion the Hawai’i delegation secured in FY 2022.

There is also $50 million for Indo-Pacific Command planning and design and minor construction to advance critical projects in a strategically vital region of the world. The additional funds can be used by the Navy and the Indo-Pacific Command to begin the planning and design for building new facilities to remove and relocate the fuel currently at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. 

The bill also provides a further $1.3 billion, an increase of $492 million above the FY 2022 funding level, for the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan (SIOP), a $21 billion multi-year effort to upgrade the Navy’s four public shipyards. This includes over $621 million for Dry Dock 5 and $20 million for the planning and design for the Waterfront Production Facility at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Hawaii’s largest industrial employer with some 6,000 local employees.

“Keeping SIOP on track and fully funded is one of my top priorities on my Appropriations Committee,” said Case. “These additional funds are especially targeted at continuing the massive Pearl Harbor project to build a new $3.5 billion state-of-the-art drydock for the next generation of Navy submarines and surface ships, a project that will contribute tremendously not just to our national defense but to our local economy.”

The bill funds critical defense infrastructure in Hawai‘i. These projects include $87.9 million for a new barracks on Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i, $103 million for upgrading the missile magazines at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and $111 million for a new company operations facility on Schofield Barracks.

Case also won approval of his CPF requests for the initial planning, design and construction phase for two water system distribution upgrades serving Fort Shafter and the Tripler Army Medical Center.

The water systems at both locations have begun to fail and must be replaced to ensure access to clean drinking water. The medical center upgrade will support over 450,000 service members, veterans and their families that use the hospital. These beneficiaries come from not only Hawai‘i but from throughout the Indo-Pacific.

“With some 112,000 veterans in Hawai‘i and their families making up one of the largest percentages of any state in our nation including in such key areas like women and minority veterans, I focused especially on the often unique challenges of delivering full veterans’ health and other benefits in a diverse island state.”

It includes a total of $134.7 billion in discretionary appropriations for VA, an increase of $22.5 billion above the fiscal year 2022 enacted level.

Specific veterans programs and provisions requested and secured by Case include:

• $2.7 billion for homeless assistance programs for our nation’s veterans, an increase of $531 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. This funding will enhance VA’s ability to reach homeless veterans, which is particularly crucial as the most recent homelessness survey showed that on a given night in 2021, an estimated 19,750 veterans nationwide were experiencing homelessness.
• $13.9 billion for veteran Mental Healthcare, including $498 million for suicide prevention outreach. This will support the nearly two million veterans who receive mental health services in a VA specialty mental health setting, as well as support suicide prevention services like the Veterans Crisis Line, which is expected to see an increase in demand by over 100 percent this year.
• $183 million for Substance Use Disorder programs. This funding will help support care for the over 540,000 veterans who had a substance use disorder diagnosis in 2021. Additionally, $663 million is for opioid abuse prevention, an increase of $41 million above the fiscal year 2022 enacted level and equal to the budget request. This funding will allow for more targeted funding of pain management and opioid safety programs primarily at the facility level.
• $338 million for Rural Health Initiatives, which is $10 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. This will build upon VA’s success in having served 2.9 million veterans at 600 rural serving sites.
• $840.4 million to support gender-specific care for women to continue upgrading medical facilities to meet the needs of women veterans.
• $5.2 billion for Telehealth and Connected Care. This will continue expansion of telehealth services and includes additional mental health, primary care and rehabilitation services. 

The measure also:

• Directs the DOD to address Hawai‘i missile defense in the absence of the Homeland Defense Radar-Hawai‘i, which has been paused as the department conducts a detailed study to reassess how to best protect Hawai‘i from missile attacks. 
• Directs the DOD to address underfunded and dilapidated Army infrastructure on O‘ahu via the Hawai‘i Infrastructure Readiness Initiative. 
• Directs $575 million for Base Realignment and Closure remediation, an increase of $45 million above the fiscal year 2022 enacted level and $290 million above the fiscal year 2023 budget request. Within this amount, cleanup of PFAS contamination is funded at $200 million. 
• Provides $653 million for the Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program, which is $100 million above the fiscal year 2023 budget request and supports the DOD's investments in energy efficiency, resilience, renewable energy systems, and energy security.
• Invests $16 billion in additional VA programs, including support for the Veterans Benefits Administration, medical and prosthetic research, construction programs and the VA electronic health record system
• Ensures veterans receive the compensation and benefits that they have earned without unreasonable delays 
• Continues rigorous reporting requirements to track each regional VA office’s performance on claims processing and appeals backlogs.
• Directs the VA to examine the contracts entered into with each state home for nursing home care to determine if adequate compensation is provided for the cost of furnishing care in that location, and that no undue burden is placed on the state governments providing care to veterans.

A summary of the military construction and veterans section of the bill is here.

Agriculture, Rural Development, the Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies

This bill would provide $25.5 billion, a 3 percent increase, for the Agriculture, Rural Development, the Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations sections of the bill, which support the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Credit Administration, Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Food and Drug Administration.

The bill includes $3.5 billion, an increase of $175 million from FY 2022, for agriculture research, including pest control and specialty crop health. It also includes over $188 billion for efforts to tackle hunger and nutrition insecurity through the Women, Infants, Children; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; and child nutrition programs like school meals.

“I focused in my Appropriations Committee on supporting our local farmers, farmers markets and food promotion programs, which combined will help our Hawai‘i deal with the soaring cost of food, much of which is imported to our islands,” said Case.

Specific programs and provisions requested and secured by Case include:

• $6 million for the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program. 
• $8 million for the Micro-Grants for Food Security program, which provides direct farming assistance to Hawaii’s subsistence and small commercial farmers.
• $9 million for the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Program.
• $26 million for Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which helps address food insecurity with fresh produce and supports local farms.
• $5 million for Education Grants for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, the first increase for this vital program in years. This program addresses the educational needs of food and agricultural sciences-related disciplines and prepares low-income students for careers related to the food, agricultural and natural resources.
• $2 million to make competitive grants for agricultural research facilities in support of the Research Facilities Act and encourages the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to prioritize facilities that are located at or primarily benefit minority serving institutions when making awards. In addition, the agreement urges NIFA to conduct outreach and grant writing technical assistance prior to issuing any funding awards.
• $36 million appropriated for the Agricultural Quarantine Inspections Program, which focuses on preventing introduction of invasive species to Hawai‘i.

The measure also:

• Encourages USDA to increase the number of organic research projects funded under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative  and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative.
• Directs USDA to submit a report to Congress regarding the National Detector Dog Training Center's role in protecting the domestic agriculture sector from pests and diseases.
• Expresses concern that states and territories outside the contiguous U.S. are having difficulty participating in USDA broadband programs, and encourages the Secretary to consider grants or loans for satellite, or other technologies, and directs the agency to report back to the Appropriations Committee with recommendations to address these concerns.

A summary of the agriculture section of the bill is here.

Other Provisions

In addition, the final Fiscal Year 2023 omnibus funding package included these legislative measures:

• Electoral Count Reform Act. The inclusion of these provisions, which Case fully supported during earlier House deliberations, is a critical and needed step safeguard the peaceful transition of power following future presidential elections.
• Secure Act 2.0. The inclusion of these retirement provisions, which Case fully supported during earlier House deliberations, will provide millions of workers and retirees with significant improvements to the nation’s private retirement system. The provision expands automatic enrollment into retirement plans, raises the age for required minimum disbursements from retirement plans to 75 from 73 and increases the amount that individuals aged 50 and older can put into their retirement account. It also allows employers to contribute matching payments to retirement accounts to match an employee’s student loan payments. 
• Visit America Act. This measure supports the travel and tourism industry and establishes national goals for international visitors to the U.S. It also establishes an Assistant Secretary of Travel and Tourism within the U.S. Department of Commerce to provide high-level coordinated leadership across the federal government, one of the industry’s highest priorities which Case fully supported as a member of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus.

Case’s Appropriations Committee is responsible for allocating some $1.7 trillion in funding to federal government agencies, departments and organizations on an annual basis. A link to the FY 2023 omnibus is available here.

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