Aloha, Friend.With 2021 half over and Congress in its busiest months, there is a lot going on in my office both on Capitol Hill and back home. On the national stage, my House Committee on Appropriations, responsible for our annual federal budget of $1.5 trillion, is crunching our twelve separate spending bills toward full House passage in the next few weeks, all while Congress is at a critical stage toward passage of major infrastructure bills. I also joined Congressman Kaialiʻi Kahele in hosting our Native Hawaiian community and others for the 100th anniversary of the landmark Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and a commemoration of the service of its author, Hawai‘i Delegate to Congress Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole. Back home, we continued to help so many affected by COVID-19, and I joined our Filipino-American community in sprucing up the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu and talking story on current Fil-Am issues. Here I report to you on these and some of my other activities and efforts. I also invite you to my continued virtual talk stories: one on July 29th with Councilmember Carol Fukunaga; and the other on August 5th with Congressman Kahele.Appropriations CommitteeI have served since my return to Congress in 2019 on the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations. Each year we are responsible for reviewing and passing twelve measures toward approval of federal government funding before the fiscal year starts on October 1st. For me this is also an opportunity to advocate for Hawaii’s needs, including this year being able to request funding of specific projects under limited conditions (Community Project Funding or CPF; my disclosure information here). Here are my recent news releases on most of these bills with details on Hawai‘i-related assistance:Financial Services and General Government, funding various government programs to assist the country continue its path to recovery through support for small and minority businesses, here.Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, funding $124.5 billion for federal military construction and veterans programs including construction and maintenance of our defense facilities throughout the country and world (including all of our Hawai‘i facilities), our national cemeteries and battle monuments, and the Department of Veterans Affairs supporting our nation's some 19 million veterans and their families, here. State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, funding U.S. foreign policy programs and agencies, including the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. contributions to the United Nations, and, in Hawai‘i, the East-West Center, here.Interior and Environment, funding $43.4 billion for various environmental related programs and agencies to include expanding our national parks and conserving our ‘āina for generations to come, including $6.1 million to aid in the acquisition of a major Haleakalā National Park expansion, and funding to help recover our native endangered bird species such as the kiwikiu, or Maui parrotbill, here.Agriculture, Rural Development, the Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies, funding $26.6 billion for various programs to strengthen Hawaii’s agricultural sector, here.Defense, funding $706 billion for federal agencies and programs in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community, including the military branches of services, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, and in Hawai’i specifically the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, our largest industrial employer, and the Homeland Defense Radar-Hawai‘i, here.Homeland Security, funding $53 billion in federal homeland security, immigration and emergency management programs, including my CPF request for $1,000,000 for the planning and design of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency’s State Emergency Operations Center in the Mililani First Responder Tech Campus, here.Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, funding $82 billion in federal trade, economic development, justice, law enforcement and science programs including the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Justice, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and National Science Foundation, here.Labor, Health, Human Services and Education, funding $254 billion in federal programs supporting public health, child care, mental health, maternal health, job training and workforce development, public education and various initiatives to address the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, including my CPF requests to support a new headquarters for the Blood Bank of Hawai‘i and a rural health research facility at the University of Hawai‘i, here.Energy and Water, funding programs to lead the nation in moving away from fossil fuel reliance for our energy needs, support the deployment of clean energy technologies and green jobs, and confront the climate crisis; and Transportation and Housing & Urban Development, funding investments in our nation’s critical water infrastructure, including my CPF request for $800,000 for a Honolulu Harbor Modification Feasibility Study, to go with an overall increase in Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund funding to $2.1 billion, here.Surface Transportation Infrastructure We also worked to pass the INVEST in America Act to jump-start the next generation of long-overdue investment in our country’s roads, bridges, transit and water systems that are essential to our national welfare. Here is my news release on the INVEST in America Act, including my following four CPF requests, all of which were included:$3,699,200 - Bus and Handi-Van Acquisition Program (Battery Electric Buses; Electrification of Route 40 from Ala Moana to Mākaha)$4,000,000 - Hawai‘i Recreational Trails Program (Hawai‘i Integrated Trail System)$6,150,000 - Interstate Route H-1 Improvements (Eastbound, Ola Lane Overpass to Vineyard Blvd)$6,150,000 - Leeward Bikeway (‘Ewa to Waipahu).Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Hawai‘i Homes Commission Act and Honoring the Legacy of Prince KuhioPrince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole served as Hawaii’s Delegate to Congress over almost twenty formative and difficult years (1903-1921). His singular achievement was the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, enacted July 9, 1921, with the purpose to “enable native Hawaiians to return to their lands in order to fully support of self-sufficiency for native Hawaiians and the self-determination of native Hawaiians in the administration of this Act, and the preservation of the values, traditions, and culture of native Hawaiians.”On July 9th, exactly one hundred years after enactment, I joined Congressman Kahele and leaders of our Native Hawaiian community on Capitol Hill to commemorate the centennial and honor Prince Kūhiō’s legacy. My remarks in the Congressional Record are here, and here is a ten-minute video with parts of our events that I hope conveys to you their deep significance not just for Native Hawaiians but for us all. Checking In with Our Fil-Am Community at the FilCom CenterBack home, I joined another of the proud and diverse communities I am privileged to represent, our Filipino Americans, to co-host a volunteer Saturday to clean up the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu for an eventual full reopening. For two decades now the FilCom Center has been the center of our Fil-Am community and the proud symbol of the achievements of all Americans throughout our Hawai‘i and country whose heritage lies in the Philippines. During the day I also had the opportunity as well to talk story with many of our Fil-Am leaders. Here is my ‘Ōlelo Community Media Congressman Ed Case Reports show highlighting our work day and my interviews.My Next Talk StoriesIn this first half year of the 117th Congress (2021-2022), I have forged a strong working relationship on the Hill with my partner in Congress, Congressman Kahele. I have also has successful Talk Stories with my partners back home including Honolulu City Councilmembers Tommy Waters, Augie Tulba, Radiant Cordero and Brandon Elefante. To continue to share our joint efforts with you, I invite you to join two more Facebook Lives as we discuss programs and projects of interest and concern to our Hawai‘i: Facebook Live with Honolulu City Council Member Carol FukunagaThursday, July 29, 202111:30 AM to 1PM Hawai‘i timeFacebook Live with Congressman Kaialiʻi KaheleThursday, August 5, 20216:30 PM to 8PM Hawai‘i timePlease listen in and send us your questions in advance or during our Facebook Live event with Council Member Fukunaga here and Congressman Kahele here.A Quick Summary of My ActivitiesIt’s hard to capture all of my office’s activities over the past half-year in one e-newsletter. But here’s a quick snapshot of some of them:Please contact me with any questions at ed.case@mail.house.gov or (808) 650-6688.As always, I am deeply grateful for your questions, input and partnership. For more information on these or any other issues of concern to you, please visit my website at https://case.house.gov or else email or call me at the contacts above.