Aloha, Friend!
I’m on the redeye special back to D.C. tonight after a very productive two weeks back home. Here’s my report on some of what I’ve been up to and have coming up:
District Work Period
My time at home is often more intense than my days on Capitol Hill. It is my opportunity to focus on state, local and community needs and how exactly our federal government and I can and should help. As we slowly emerge from COVID-19, I was able to start to get out personally throughout my district as safety allowed. That was all on top of my ongoing committee, caucus and other D.C. work, which made for some very early mornings. Here’s some of what I did:
Community visits: Mililani Farmers Market, Leeward YMCA (Waipahu), Salvation Army Kroc Center (Kapolei), Waipahu High School, East-West Center (Mānoa), Child and Family Service (‘Ewa), Kapolei Heritage Center, Keiki O Ka ‘Āina (Kalihi), Kōkua Kalihi Valley, Mililani High School, Marisco Shipyard (Kapolei), Koko Head Gun Range
State and local government partners: Meetings with Governor Ige and Mayor Blangiardi; Talk Story with Councilmember Augie Tulba
U.S. House Committees: Appropriations (FBI and Department of Justice on domestic terrorism, Attorney General Garland on Department of Justice budget, Secretary Raimondo on Department of Commerce budget); Natural Resources (wildlife trafficking, coral reefs, indigenous peoples); Armed Services (testimony on Hawaii’s role in the Indo-Pacific)
White House: President Biden’s first address to Congress and media response; COVID-19 response updates.
I post videos and other details of many of my events on my website (https://case.house.gov/) and on these two social media platforms as well:
Federal Grants Workshop
Our Hawai’i receives major assistance from our federal government in the form of grants not only to our state and local governments but to our non-profits and other community members. In my experience, we miss many such opportunities because the federal grant world is foreign to many.
My office is focused on changing this through assisting with information on grant opportunities and on supporting worthy applications. As part of this effort, I am hosting a federal grants workshop this Wednesday, May 12th, at 11AM Hawai‘i time:
Please RSVP at https://repedcase.eventbrite.com/ or contact my office at (808) 650-6688.
Immigration Survey Results
In my last e-newsletter to you on April 20th titled “Immigration: Not Whether But How To Reform,” I addressed our immigration crisis and asked for your thoughts through an anonymous online survey. I want to share with you the results of that survey here. I deeply appreciate the many responses and will continue to address comprehensive immigration reform in Congress.
COVID-19 Vaccination Status and Information
COVID-19 must continue to remain our very highest priority and within COVID-19 our top priority must be to vaccinate as many of us as fast and as safely as possible. Here there is good and not so good news.
On the good side, in Hawai‘i we have now administered some 1.334 million doses of vaccine, with 51% of us receiving at least one dose and 40% fully vaccinated (compared to 46% and 35%, respectively, nationally), our vaccination rate continues at higher than national, and there is adequate vaccine supply to continue. On the not-so-good side, demand for vaccination has slowed significantly in recent weeks, to the point that the number of vaccinations available is above the number of us seeking vaccination and the State of Hawai‘i has had to reduce its weekly vaccine allotment from the federal government.
Our target is at least 70% of adults to have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by July 4th and then ensuring that as many adults and, as approved, children as possible get vaccinated going forward. Our public health experts have cited this as our best chance from the beginning. Yet the slowing in vaccinations despite supply risks that and indicates clearly that many of our communities either don’t know that they can get vaccinated very easily now or still share some concerns about getting vaccinated.
There is plentiful information on both availability and questions. Here are just some resources:
- Federal: www.vaccines.gov (general information and locations near you) or text 438829 (add your zip for nearby locations)
- State: www.hawaiicovid19.com (general information and locations near you) or (for seniors) phone 211 (vaccine appointments)
Please help yourself, your ‘ohana and community, and all of us by getting vaccinated. Please contact my office with any questions.
BLUE Pacific Act
In Hawai’i, we are from, of and for our Pacific Islands ‘ohana, and we are at the forefront of our country’s engagement throughout the Pacific. To highlight and expand our country’s longstanding role in the Pacific Islands, last year I joined like-minded colleagues on both sides of the aisle in co-founding the first-ever Congressional Pacific Islands Caucus, and we introduced into Congress our proposed Boosting Long-term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific (BLUE Pacific) Act to coordinate and strengthen our many federal programs directed at the Pacific.
In this 117th Congress (2021-2023), we continued our Congressional Pacific Islands Caucus and, last week, reintroduced an expanded and improved BLUE Pacific Act which has been very well received by our colleagues, the Administration, and our fellow Pacific Islands countries. Here is my news release on our effort, including bill text, summaries and statements of support from allies and partners in the region. I am optimistic that our proposal is the right approach for our country at the right time and will be adopted either as a stand-alone law or as part of broader initiatives for the Indo-Pacific.
As always, I welcome you to go to my website at https://case.house.gov for much more information on me, my office and my activities as your Congressman. Please also email me at ed.case@mail.house.gov or call my Honolulu office at (808) 650-6688 with any questions, comments or needs.
Be safe and be well.
