Press Releases

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Ed Case (HI-01), a member of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for all federal discretionary spending, today announced $19.7 million in further federal funding for the East-West Center in Honolulu and other funding and studies to advance Hawaii’s leadership role in the Indo-Pacific. These provisions were included in the Fiscal Year 2022 funding bill.

H.R. 2471, the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2022, passed Congress last week and was signed into law by the President earlier this week. 

“This bill bolsters our nation’s commitments to diplomacy, development and democracy in the Indo-Pacific on several fronts,” said Case. “And as we advance our interests in the Indo-Pacific, so do we play to Hawaii’s natural position as the center of our part of the world and to opportunities to generate and increase world-class institutions and employment hubs.

“Key for our Hawai‘i is $19.7 million more for the East-West Center, representing continued stable year-to-year funding after a decade of efforts by some in Washington, D.C. to reduce or even eliminate such funding. Our allies and partners and friends all over the world are clear that they look even more in these times to the United States to engage, stabilize and lead, and Hawai‘i plays a key role in that effort given our location in the geographic, cultural and economic heart of the Pacific.”

The FY 2022 Appropriations Bill provides over $1.6 billion to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, with a focus on countering the growing influence of the government of the People’s Republic of China in developing countries. This includes $300 million to implement the Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018, which provide a  framework for the development of a long-term and comprehensive Indo-Pacific strategy.

To link Hawai‘i to these efforts, the bill includes the following additional funding requested and secured by Case besides the $19.7 million for the East-West Center:

·         $4 million for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s Regional Centers. This funding will help expand the work of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies at Fort DeRussy, a premier defense-supported research and education center in Honolulu that fosters shared understanding and networked relationships among civilian and military leaders throughout the Indo-Pacific.

·         $5 million for the Asia Pacific Regional Initiative, a key program supporting U.S. Indo-Pacific 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. government to strengthen relationships throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

The legislation also seeks to enhance U.S. coordination with and support for the Pacific Islands. “For decades, the United States has been a consistent albeit quiet partner in the Pacific Islands, with our strong historical ties and shared interests and values,” explained Case. “With this year’s funding bill, our nation is reinvesting in our cultural, historic, economic and national security ties with the Pacific Islands.”

Key provisions in the bill related to the Pacific Islands and requested by Case include: 

·         Report language (Congressional directives) directing funds to enhance engagement with the Pacific Islands on strengthening resilience against malign influences, promoting development and good governance and supporting economic growth.

·         Report language urging the U.S. Development Finance Corporation to prioritize investments in the Pacific Islands, especially investments in minority- and women-owned businesses.

·         Report language encouraging the Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development to hire locally employed staff in the Pacific Islands to promote and expand our diplomacy and development engagement.

·         Report language supporting coverage of Voice of America on digital and conventional media in the Pacific Islands, including through the pursuit of regional affiliates.

·         Report language directing the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development to update and submit an Indo-Pacific climate security report assessing the impacts of climate change on U.S. foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific and providing a plan on how best to address such impacts.

Supplementing his work in the Appropriations Committee, Case also introduced a Congressional resolution this week recognizing the accelerating importance of a strong relationship between our country and the nations and other jurisdictions of the vast Pacific Ocean.

The resolution recognizes the importance of the U.S.-Pacific Island partnerships to promote peace, security and prosperity, and urges the administration to redouble its efforts to work with the Pacific Islands on mutual interests. A copy of the resolution can be found here.

Case is a founding Co-Chair of the first-ever Congressional Pacific Islands Caucus, which seeks to promote a greater understanding of this dynamic region in Congress and greater U.S. engagement with the countries and peoples of the region. More information about the caucus is available here.

Case’s Appropriations Committee is responsible for allocating some $1.5 trillion in funding to federal government agencies, departments and organizations on an annual basis. A detailed summary of the FY 2022 Omnibus is available here.  

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