Representative Ed Case

Aloha, Friend.

As I return to Capitol Hill after a full two weeks of checking in back home, I want to report to you on some highlights of my first quarter ’24 activities.

The subject of my last report to you here was: “Can Congress Work? Some Successes Say Yes, When We Fully Commit.” That remains true, as despite continuing dysfunction and division, Congress has still had solid achievements in critical areas and my office has stayed focused on our own goals with solid results. Here are a few examples:

Annual Federal Funding Completed.

Just before I returned home, Congress passed and the President signed the last six of our twelve annual appropriations (federal funding) bills. This averted a partial government shutdown which was threatened by some of my colleagues pursuing a hyper-partisan all-or-nothing course that is not going to get things done for our country.

This $1.2 trillion measure for current Fiscal Year 2024 covers major areas including defense, homeland security, foreign affairs, health, education, and human services. I didn’t agree with parts of the measure, but on balance it is good for our country and for our Hawai‘i.

As a small sampling of Hawai‘i-specific provisions, the final bill includes funding to continue to close Red Hill and address ongoing concerns, strengthen military-local engagement, support Native Hawaiian health and education, help our small businesses, expand workforce training and further the East West Center. My release with lots more detail on this measure is here. (My release on our earlier $565 billion measure for the rest of federal government is here).

As a member of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations which is responsible for developing and moving these federal funding bills every year, I am already fully into our upcoming Fiscal Year 2025 measures. Your comments and requests are welcome here.

Community Project Funding Successes.

To continue with successful efforts in federal appropriations, I highlight here my Community Project Funding (CPF) efforts.

This is the third fiscal year in which Congress has authorized Members to submit requests for funding of specific projects and purposes. This is because we believe Members know our districts and their unique needs and priorities and should be able to direct some federal funding to worthy specific projects rather than leave those decisions to federal administrators without that knowledge.

CPFs are subject to strict limitations to avoid abuse. CPF requests may only be directed to governments or non-profits, not to for-profit businesses or individuals. They must have demonstrated community support, and are subject to audit by the independent Government Accountability Office. They are limited in number, and the total amount of all approved CPFs for all Members cannot exceed 0.5% of all appropriations for the year. Finally, all Members must publicly disclose their CPF requests together with required information on each request. My required disclosures are here.

In preparing my own CPF requests, I consult with Hawai’i state and county governments and non-profits, apply my own knowledge and beliefs as to district needs, consider whether a project will meet a critical need with directed funding, and make some difficult decisions given my limited number of CPF requests. I am proud that over the last three years 38 out of 40 of my CPF requests have been approved by Congress. Here is a full list:

Fiscal Year 2022

Blood Bank of Hawai‘i – Facilities and Equipment – $2,000,000

City and County of Honolulu – Urban Forestry Inventory – $300,000

Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency – Mililani Tech Campus – $1,000,000 (later rescinded as state did not proceed with project)

USACE – Honolulu Harbor Modification Feasibility Study – $800,000

Kōkua Kalihi Valley – Hale Lauele Indigenous Health and Education Center – $1,050,000

Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture – Leeward Community Small Business Incubator – $500,000

Moku o Lo‘e Marine Laboratory, University of Hawai‘i – Eco-Friendly Sea Wall Research – $200,000

State of Hawai‘i Workforce Development Council – Workforce Resilience Initiative – $975,000

University of Hawai‘i – Rural Health Initiative – $1,000,000

Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources – Waikīkī Marine Life Conservation District Coral Restoration – $415,000

Groundbreaking on new Blood Bank of Hawaii headquarters in Kapolei

Groundbreaking on the new Blood Bank of Hawaii headquarters in Kapolei, partially funded by my Community Project Funding

Fiscal Year 2023

Hawai‘i State Energy Office – Energy Wayfinders Program – $1,000,000

Hawai‘i Public Health Institute – Support Navigator Services for Seniors and Caregivers – $1,800,000

Lunalilo Trust and Home – Facilities and Equipment – $1,740,550

Kula No Na Po‘e – Academic Supports and Wraparound Services – $1,800,000

University of Hawai‘i – Office of Strategic Health Initiatives – Early Phase Clinical Trial Unit – $1,000,000

Bishop Museum – Relocation and Preservation of the Ichthyology Collection - $250,000

Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural, Division of Forestry and Wildlife – Pearl Harbor Aquifer Recovery Projects – $1,720,000

Institute for Human Services – Village of Redemption – $500,000

YMCA of Honolulu – Youth Wellness Program for Mental Health – $270,000

City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services – East to West O‘ahu Active Transit Corridor – $4,800,000

Tripler Army Medical Center – Water System Upgrade – $38,000,000

Fort Shafter – Water System Upgrade – $33,000,000

Honolulu Fire Department – Hardening of Fire Station Doors – $2,001,915

Fiscal Year 2024

Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources – Limu Cultivation at the Anuenue Fisheries Research Center - $700,000

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Department of Public Safety – Community Safety Network Integration – $963,000

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Waikīkī Beach Environmental Restoration and Coastal Storm Risk Management – $500,000

Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency – Backup Generator for Pali Momi Medical Center – $1,383,069

Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources – Deep Monitoring Wells in Wai‘alae East and Waianae – $959,757

Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources – Water Security Audit and Repairs – $959,757

Honolulu Board of Water Supply - Kahilinai Place and ‘Aiea Heights Drive Area Water System Improvements – $959,757

Army Fort Shafter – Clearwell and Booster Pump – $23,000,000

Army Wheeler Army Airfield – Air Traffic Control Tower Planning and Design – $5,400,000

Hawai‘i Department of Transportation - Pedestrian Safety Improvements in Wai‘anae, Waipahu, Kalihi, and Urban Honolulu – $8,669,279

Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i - Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i Headquarters – $1,500,000

Special Olympics Hawai‘i – Special Olympics Hawai‘i Facilities and Equipment – $940,6000

Catholic Charities Hawai‘i – Hale Aloha Renovations – $1,900,000

Feeding Hawai‘i Together – The Pantry Food Bank Food Storage Equipment and Repairs – $1,250,000

Goodwill Hawai‘i – Honolulu Career and Learning Center – $1,000,000

3. Meetings Season

I truly value any and all opportunities to talk story personally with my constituents and others from throughout Hawai’i as well as folks from the rest of our country and world on common issues. My meetings and other activities in DC and back home go on all year round, but the first few months of every year are especially busy because Congress is at the beginning of our yearly cycle, I am updating my agenda for the year, the appropriations process is heating up, and people want to talk with me about what they want Congress to do (in addition to families and student visiting DC on spring break).

Hosting MidPac 8th graders on spring break in the Capitol

Hosting Mid-Pacific Institute 8th graders on spring break in the Capitol

This first quarter of 2024 was no exception. During the quarter I had some 159 meetings in my Capitol Hill office, Honolulu office and locations across my district on all manner of issues. Here’s a sampling of my meetings:

Kamehameha Schools
Hawai‘i Green Growth
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawai’i
Special Olympics Hawai‘i
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown
American Federation of Government Employees Hawai‘i
Hawai‘i Small Business Development Center
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Admin Deanne Criswell
Boy Scouts of America Aloha Council
Hawai‘i Foreign-Trade Zone No. 9
Surfrider Foundation
Hawai‘i Child Nutrition Programs
U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samatha Powers
Hawai‘i Air and Army National Guards
Honolulu Board of Water Supply
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Hawai‘i
U.S. Travel Association
Federated States of Micronesia President Wesley Simina
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Governor Green and Lt. Gov. Luke (with my Congressional delegation colleagues)
Catholic Charities
Japan Consul General in Hawai‘i Kodama Yoshinori
National Federation of the Blind of Hawai’i
Hawai‘i State Association of Counties
Kalihi-Palama Health Center
Indivisible Hawai‘i
Veterans of Foreign Wars Hawai‘i
Hawai‘i Credit Union League
United Public Workers Hawai‘i
Hawaii Federation of Republican Women
Hawai‘i Bicycling League
American Immigration Lawyers Assn- Hawai‘i

This was in addition to five invaluable in-person Talk Story communities meetings across my district, at Moanalua Middle School, McKinley High School, Mililani Mauka Elementary School, Haha‘ione Elementary School and Kapolei High School, in early January.

4. Walk-My-District/Waikīkī

When I’m back home, I really enjoy getting out of my office and around my district to be sure I understand the very diverse communities I represent, what they’re doing and what they need, and how I can help back in DC. One way I do this is by joining one of my partners in state or county government in parts of our community to get their perspectives and compare notes.

This Wednesday I walked Waikīkī with its State Representative, Adrian Tam, as well as Trevor Abarzua, President of the Waikīkī Business Improvement District Association (WBIDA). Waikīkī is of course the engine of our number-one tourism industry; on any given day somewhere around 75,000 tourists are enjoying Waikīkī and contributing to our economy. But it is much more than that; it is home to upwards of 20,000 residents, and tens of thousands of other small businesses and residents make their living in Waikīkī every day.

Rep. Tam, Trevor and I walked from Ft. DeRussy to the Duke statue, stopping along the way to talk story with some iconic small businesses as well as taxi drivers, maintenance and hotel workers and a few surprised tourists. Along the way we covered some of the main concerns in Waikīkī, from tourism and small business generally, to Waikīkī Beach restoration, housing and homelessness, public safety, flood control and more. All of these issues have a federal connection, and I’m returning to DC with updated information about how to partner better with Rep. Tam, the WBIDA, and our state and county governments towards addressing these issues for both Waikīkī and elsewhere.

Walking Waikiki with State Representative Adrian Tam

Walking Waikīkī with State Representative Adrian Tam

Don’t get me wrong: Congress is still dysfunctional on too many levels and there are still way too many critical issues suffering for it. But that’s not the whole story. We are able to get things done when we commit to results, I remain committed to being part of the solution, and my office and I remain focused on the basics of identifying and addressing needs however we can and staying in touch.

As always, I deeply appreciate your consideration and assistance as we all work to find the best way forward for our country and Hawai‘i. For more information on my efforts, and how we can help you, please visit my website at https://case.house.gov/. If I can help you and yours with your own questions and needs, email us at ed.case@mail.house.gov, or call us at (808) 650-6688.

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