Press Releases

(Honolulu, HI) – Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) today announced that $133,334,924 in federal emergency assistance is being funded to

Hawaii’s airports to address the health and economic emergencies triggered by COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our airports collectively serve as our transportation linchpin for connections within our state and to the rest of the world,” said Case. “We rely heavily on all of our airports for both resident and visitor passenger traffic as well as ferrying critical supplies to include health care items.”

Case said the funding will go to meet ongoing airport needs and to manage current construction projects as operating expenses increase and revenues plummet due to the downsizing of airline operations on both inter-island routes and flights to and from the state of Hawai‘i.

Case noted that the aviation industry is experiencing a 95-percent system-wide decline in passenger traffic, while airports are expected to face even more severe operational and financial impacts in the months ahead.

The announcement today comes on the heels of a series of awards under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and related legislation that have amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars for the state to address the impact of COVID-19 here in Hawai‘i on a variety of critical fronts:

·       Case announced April 2nd that the federal government has awarded the State of Hawai‘i, counties and non-profits the first awards the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for emergency housing and community development assistance.

·       Case announced on April 8th that community health centers throughout the state will share in more than $10 million in emergency assistance. 

·       Case announced on April 10th that $132,536,076 from the CARES Act was issued to Hawai‘i’s healthcare providers in initial  funding that will be split among the state’s 1,776 healthcare facilities and providers.

Pending further payments to be received in the next few weeks include $1.25 billion to the State of Hawai‘i and the City and County of Honolulu under the CARES Act’s state and local government relief fund provisions.

"These first series of awards from the CARES Act that was approved by Congress on March 27 and immediately signed by the President are providing critical and urgent resources to maintain the health and economic well-being of our people across Hawai‘i through the worst of this crisis,” said Case.

“In the weeks ahead, the full resources of my office will remain focused on working with my federal, state, local and community colleagues to get all of this assistance to where it is needed as fast and comprehensively as possible.”

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