Case, Ed RSS Articles

Case Receives National Award For Championing Local Franchise Businesses Across The Country

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1) was among several members of Congress recently honored as “Franchise Champions” by the International Franchise Association (IFA).

According to the IFA, there are more than 2,800 franchise locations in Hawai‘i, with close to 30,000 employees. These largely local small businesses franchise under well-known brands like L&L Drive-Inn, McDonald’s, Subway, 7-Eleven, Ace Hardware and SERVPRO, and now generate more than $3 billion in annual revenues.

"These lawmakers have shown they will stand up for Main Street, and we are proud to honor them with the Franchise Champion Award," said Michael Layman, IFA chief advocacy officer.

"Franchise small businesses across America power jobs and serve their communities, and they depend on lawmakers for a regulatory climate that will allow the franchise business model to grow now and into the future."

Case said: “As someone who worked over three decades in Hawai‘i businesses, I fully understand what it takes to create, own, grow and work in a business, especially small businesses which are the backbone of our local economy. Extra effort and different business models are required to address various challenges including taxes, regulations and high costs. Franchising offers a great and proven model avenue for many of our own to succeed in business, generating local jobs and contributing to our economy.”

The IFA is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations, and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the more than 832,000 franchise establishments that support nearly 8.8 million direct jobs, $907.3 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy, and almost 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.

Case has also championed the broader interests of our country’s small businesses throughout his almost-twelve years in Congress. In 2023 he was honored with a Special Congressional Award by the Small Business Council of America (SBCA), a national, non-profit organization representing some 100,000 privately held and family-owned small businesses.

The SBCA award recognized Case’s support of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), of funding for services managed by the SBA, and of various federal loan programs to help small businesses. The SBCA had previously given him the same award in 2006 during his earlier Congressional service when he served on the House Committee on Small Business.

Case has also worked to advance national and Hawai‘i small businesses through his House Appropriations Committee, on which he is now serving his eighth year.

As a current example, for current Fiscal Year 2027 his Committee included his requests for key programs that directly benefit Hawaii’s small businesses including:

· $828 million for the SBA;

· $140 million for Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) which supports six SBDCs in Hawai‘i;

· $32 million for the Microloan Technical Assistance Program; and

· $27 million for the Women’s Business Centers Program, which supports the Patsy T. Mink Center for Business and Leadership.

Attachment: picture of award

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Case Appointed To Board Of Trustees For The Congressional Office For International Leadership

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai‘i-1st) has been appointed by the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House to the Board of Trustees for the Congressional Office for International Leadership (COIL), an exclusively legislative branch office dating back to 1999 whose purpose is “to inspire Congressional and citizen diplomacy with global civic and political leaders.”

COIL’s primary effort is its Open World program, through which Congress brings its international counterparts and other leaders to the United States. Through Open World, delegations participate in a ten-day professional exchange that begins in Washington, D.C., where they meet with Members of Congress, before traveling to communities across the United States to engage with professional counterparts and exchange expertise.

Participants also live with host families, providing them with an opportunity to experience American life and culture firsthand. To date, Open World has hosted some 32,000 international delegates in Congress and across all fifty states, including Hawai‘i.

In supporting Case’s appointment, COIL’s leadership highlighted Case’s ongoing advocacy for direct diplomatic engagement among legislative bodies, as well as focus on the Pacific. As a then-member of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, which funds Congress, Case successfully sought expansion of Open World, which had focused on Eurasia, to the Indo-Pacific.

“We are honored to have a Member of Congress who has been such a fierce advocate for our Open World program officially join the Office’s leadership,” said Jane Sargus, Executive Director of COIL. “Your joint letter with Congressman Bacon [Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), also a member of COIL’s Board] and requesting additional programming in the Indo-Pacific, set the stage for COIL to become a truly global agency.”

Since launching Open World in the Indo-Pacific in 2022, COIL has rapidly expanded its programs to now include emerging leader delegations from Vietnam, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Fiji. Case and colleagues routinely meet with these delegations in Congress, which Sargus says is producing some of Open World’s most impactful results and garnering strong interest from other Members of Congress.

“I am honored to be able to assist in the continued growth and unique contributions of COIL to critical interchange between our country and the rest of our world, especially my own Indo-Pacific”, said Case, who also co-founded and co-chairs the Congressional Pacific Islands Caucus. “I believe strongly that, as a separate, independent and co-equal branch of our government, Congress should and must be a full partner with our executive branch in our international diplomacy and has its own unique and direct role to play in engagement with other current and future leaders. COIL and Open World are key parts of that effort.”

The COIL Board of Trustees is composed of eleven members:

two appointed by the Speaker of the House, with one designated by the Majority Leader and the other by the Minority Leader;
two appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, with one each from the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader;
the Librarian of Congress;
four individuals from the private sector; and,
the House and Senate Chairs of the Appropriations Subcommittees on the Legislative Branch.

Case’s current fellow Board members are: (Chair) former U.S. Senator Benjamin Nelson of Nebraska; Robert Newlen, the Acting Librarian of Congress; U.S. Senator Deb Fischer, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch; U.S. Congressman David Valadao, Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch; U.S. Congressman Don Bacon; James F. Collins, a former U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation who now represents the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and former U.S. Congressman David Dreier of California who now represents the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation. The remaining seats are being similarly filled.

In addition to his work with COIL, Case has pursued various other efforts toward strengthening relationships between the U.S. and the Indo-Pacific. These include: the BLUE Pacific Act in July 2020, which laid out a renewed vision and framework for U.S. engagement in the Indo-Pacific and provisions of which have been incorporated in other legislation; the Pacific Partnership Act in May 2025, provisions of which were included in the House passage in September 2025 of the bipartisan PARTNER ACT; the PROSPER Act in December 2025 to strengthen the U.S. Pacific Islands economic partnership; and the Pacific Islands Liaison Initiative Act in July 2026, which addresses the growing use of Pacific Island nations as transit hubs for cross-Pacific illegal drug trade by transnational criminal networks, particularly narcotics traffickers.

These also include funding for international efforts throughout his now-eight years as a member of the House Appropriations Committee which funds the federal government and where he now serves on the Subcommittees on Defense and Homeland Security. The current Fiscal Year 2027 funding measures (which have not yet passed Congress) include his funding requests for:

expanding medical care for military veterans living in the Freely Associated States including Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau;
increasing Coast Guard operations and support funding for its expanding mission in the region;
supporting the growth of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security agency’s work in the Indo-Pacific;
$2.5 million for partnering with Pacific Island nations and regional organizations to build capacity to oversee coastal fisheries management, combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and address transnational organized crime;
$3 million for the Advancing Port Enhancement and Customs Security Program in the Pacific Islands;
Funding for the Pacific Islands Forum’s Pacific Resilience Facility, a Pacific-led and member-owned financial institution designed to support Pacific Islands nations facing climate change and disaster risks;
Funding for commitments made by Deputy Secretary Landau to Pacific Island nations in his February 2026 trip, including to support subsea cable branching units for Tonga and Samoa, containing life-threatening disease outbreaks in Fiji, Foreign Military Financing for Fiji and the migration of Tongan government data assets to trusted cloud infrastructure;
Report language directing the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and U.S. Trade and Development Agency to prioritize the Pacific Islands in financing for projects;
Report language supporting the Peace Corps’ expansion in the Pacific;
Language requiring a report on ways to strengthen U.S. trade and investment with the Pacific Islands; and,
Funding for unexploded ordinance removal in the Pacific Islands, including Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

More information on COIL: www.openworld.gov

· Attachments: pictures of Congressman Case meeting with Open World delegates from Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Vietnam.

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Case Statement On The Passing Of Former U.S. Representative Patricia (Pat) Saiki

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai‘i-1st), issued the following statement on the passing of former U.S. Representative Patricia (Pat) Saiki:

“I join all of our Hawai‘i in remembering and honoring the life and legacy of U. S. Representative Patricia Saiki,” said U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai‘i-1st).

“She is rightly credited with many specific accomplishments. But above all she was a pioneer who broke barriers, easing the path for others that followed, and her decades of public service were marked by commitment to her country and Hawai‘i, determination, accomplishment, example and grace.

“She was a worthy steward of the office of Hawaii’s First Congressional District, setting a high bar for those that followed and will follow. I join in extending my sincere condolences and appreciation to her beloved family.”

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Case Seeks Applicants For Appointments To Our Nation's Service Academies For The 2027 Incoming Class

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

(Washington, DC) -- U.S. Representative Ed Case (HI-01) is seeking qualified applicants for his Congressional nomination to our nation’s four service academies: the U.S. Military Academy (West Point/Army); U.S. Naval Academy(Annapolis/Navy); U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs/Air Force) and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point/Merchant Marines).

“One of my favorite and most serious duties as a member of the U.S. Congress is nominating Hawaii’s best and brightest young men and women to our nation’s service academies,” said Case.

“I have had the privilege for over ten years now of nominating many candidates to our service academies, many of whom are in service or now attending.

“I’m again honored to do my part to ensure that Hawaiʻi continues our long tradition of contributing to the next generation of America’s outstanding military leaders.”

A Congressional nomination is the exclusive avenue for appointment to our nation’s service academies for most applicants. A nomination does not guarantee an appointment, but it is a requirement for final consideration for the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Successful applicants must have high moral character, a strong academic record and a motivation to dutifully serve our nation.

Fully completed applications must be postmarked or received by the District office for Congressman Case at 1003 Bishop Street, Suite #1110, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 no later than October 9, 2026.

Please also visit the military academy nomination webpage at https://case.house.gov/services/service-academy-nominations.htm.”

Case continued: “Additionally, please note that I can only consider applicants who are legal residents of the First Congressional District which I represent (Honolulu from Makapu‘u through Downtown and Pearl City up to Mililani and then through Waipahu and ‘Ewa Beach to Kapolei). My office can assist in verifying this requirement, but you can check yourself by entering your home address here: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative.

“I encourage and invite students and school officials assisting candidates with their applications to mail in application packets to my Honolulu Office or submit applications electronically in a Portable Document Format (.pdf) to HI01.Academy@mail.house.gov. Should you have any questions, please contact Kekoa Kaluhiwa in my Honolulu office at (808) 650-6688.”

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Case Announces U.S. House Approval Of Critical Water Infrastructure Projects For Hawaii

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1) announced that the U.S. House yesterday approved major legislation to address improvements for the nation’s ports and harbors, inland waterway navigation system, flood and storm risk management, environment, and other aspects of our water resources infrastructure.

Case’s requests were included in H.R. 9497, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026. WRDA is developed and passed by Congress every two years. The House approved this Congress’ bill by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 415-9.

WRDA-authorized federal projects are critical to communities throughout the country to keep them connected and safe and to strengthen the overall U.S. economy. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) implements these projects in partnership with federal, local and state agencies, non-government organizations and tribal nations.

Case works with government and community partners well in advance of each WRDA to request authorization of projects key to Hawaii’s safety, security and economy. The four provisions secured by Case in the 2026 WRDA include:

Expanding and upgrading Honolulu Harbor.

Case secured approval for an update on the in-depth study called for in previous measures on critical improvements to Honolulu Harbor which includes Case’s successful push in 2024 to amend the WRDA to reflect the expanded complexity, scope and funding needs for the Harbor, including elements of coastal storm risk management. House approval of the 2026 WRDA will help continue the project and focus its benefits on disaster resilience and enhanced national security from improved utilization of the harbor.

“As the main port of the State of Hawai‘i, Honolulu Harbor receives and distributes all overseas cargo shipments constituting over 80% of all imports into the state, supports fishing operations and cruise ships and handles federal maritime activity including the U.S. Coast Guard’s 14th District,” said Case.

“Providing this additional refined and expanded authorization will ensure our critical harbor is designed for resilience and that this literal lifeline for Hawai‘i remains operational in the face of natural disaster and other contingencies.”

Case said the 2026 WRDA also includes his call for the status of the assessment of the benefits of the project modification on disaster resiliency and enhanced national security from utilization of the harbor by the Department of Defense.

Case secured a complementary provision to conduct a full review of Honolulu Harbor’s critical role in our nation's defense and security. “With Honolulu Harbor being the main port for the State of Hawai‘i, our national defense presence also depends on this harbor to remain strong and reliable to maintain a steady flow of resources for our military needs and communities,” said Case.

Case added: “Strengthening this harbor will allow for enhanced military readiness and resilience and for our communities to be prepared for a national security threat. This provision directs USACE to consider the benefits of project modification for disaster resilience and enhanced national security from utilization of the harbor by the Department of Defense and assists in paving the way for full funding of improvement projects.”

Management of the risks of floods and coastal storms in Waikīkī

The 2026 WRDA includes approval of Case’s requests for federal feasibility studies on the management of the risks triggered by floods and coastal storms risk in the vicinities of the Waikīkī Natatorium War Memorial, Kāimana Beach and Waikīkī Beach.

“As was recently witnessed by the storms that have battered Hawai‘i, we all are facing the real-life evidence every day of the effects of climate change including disastrous flooding, and we must continue our efforts to mitigate catastrophic impacts to the coastline that are major attractions to both our kamaʻāina and visitors to these locales in Waikīkī,” said Case.

Expediting studies of projects O‘ahu, Maui and Kauaʻi

Case also secured approval to complete feasibility studies previously directed for the following projects (such studies being the first step in project authorization):

· Flood risk management for the Kaiaka-Waiʻalua watershed on O‘ahu;

· Flood risk and coastal storm risk management for the County of Kauaʻi; and,

· Flood risk management and ecosystem restoration for the County of Maui

Expedite completion of a project on Kauaʻi

The 2026 WRDA also includes Case’s call to expedite completion of a project involving aquatic ecosystem restoration of the wetlands in Waimea on the island of Kauaʻi.

The measure now goes to the Senate for consideration.

· The House Committee on Transportation & infrastructure explanation of the 2026 WRDA is here.

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Case, Moylan Announce Full U.S. House Passage Of Their Bipartisan Bill To Combat Invasive Species

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Congressman Ed Case (D-HI-01) and U.S. Congressman James Moylan (R-Guam) announced that the U.S. House recently voted 371-33 to approve their National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act, which would significantly expand federal efforts to combat invasive species, responsible for severely impacting environments across the country.

“Hawai‘i in particular faces unique challenges from invasive species. Our isolation has led to the evolution of many endemic species that are found nowhere else on Earth,” said Case, who formerly served six years on the House Natural Resources Committee and is in his eighth year on the House Appropriations Committee.

“Our measure is especially timely as we reckon with the wide-ranging ripple effect of the recent storms that have struck the state, including accelerated spread of destructive invasive species especially in vulnerable places such as our national wildlife refuges.

“In Hawai‘i, invasive species have caused significant ecological damage, threatening the survival of native birds and plants. Protecting Hawaii’s unique biodiversity is not just an environmental necessity – it is a cultural imperative that reflects the identity and heritage of the Hawaiian people.”

“For island communities like Guam, invasive species are more than an environmental concern - they threaten our ecosystems, agriculture, economy, and way of life, said Congressman Moylan. “Once an invasive species takes hold on an island, the cost of eradication can be enormous, and the damage may be impossible to reverse.

“I’m proud to see the House pass this bipartisan legislation to strengthen early detection and rapid response within our National Wildlife Refuge System. Prevention is our best defense, and investing in it today will help protect America’s natural resources, preserve our unique biodiversity, and save taxpayers from far greater costs down the road. I look forward to working with my colleagues to move this important legislation forward.”

“Tropical storms and hurricanes (and other extreme weather) cause havoc to endemic species, even in refuges,” said Jonetta “Jonee” Leina‘ala Peters, Executive Director of the Conservation Council for Hawai‘i. “

“Hawai‘i struggles already with the onslaught of other issues that cause extinctions, being insular is a huge issue, (our species have nowhere to escape these threats).

“We are now seeing and experiencing the effects of global warming or climate change.

“Storms do increase habitat destruction with damage to forests, rivers and streams, as well as coastal marine resources, bringing disturbances to ecosystems. These weather events also spread aggressive non-native invasive species (both plants and animals) to vulnerable areas which take hold and flourish. And, of course, these storms destroy native flora as well.”

“Invasive species are putting increased pressure on native wildlife and are especially damaging across our national wildlife refuges,” said Jill Feldhusen, senior manager of wildlife policy at the National Wildlife Federation.

“By establishing dedicated, regional strike teams, this bipartisan bill helps refuges respond more rapidly to invasive species threats before they cause lasting harm. Thank you, Representative Ed Case, for reintroducing the National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act and broadening the impact of cross-jurisdictional collaboration.

Case continued: “Invasive species are not just a localized problem; they pose a significant threat to the integrity of our natural world. Addressing this crisis requires a coordinated and comprehensive approach, focusing on prevention, early detection, and effective management strategies to safeguard our vulnerable ecosystems.

“This legislation will codify the existing Invasive Species Strike Teams program currently operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). These specialized teams play an essential role in managing emerging invasive species, employing strategies tailored to local conditions across the National Wildlife Refuge System.

“With multiple teams strategically positioned in all nine FWS regions across our country, they are on the front lines, addressing the unique challenges posed by invasive species.”

Case said formally establishing the Invasive Species Strike Teams program will create a stable and legally supported framework to ensure consistent funding and enhance management efforts. The act also signifies a transformative shift within the FWS, moving from a reactive, species-by-species approach to a more strategic, ecosystem-wide framework for managing emerging invasive species.

“The act also mandates enhanced coordination and reporting through integrated systems and standardized procedures, ensuring transparency and enabling us to track progress with annual reports to Congress and the public,” said Case.

“Furthermore, it authorizes $10 million annually from Fiscal Year 2027 through 2033 to support ongoing initiatives.”

Case introduced the measure after federal invasive species experts toured O‘ahu to research the effects of invasive species on island communities. The bill now move on to the Senate.

Video of Case remarks on the floor of the U.S. House is here
Text of Case remarks is here
Text of H.R. 4219 is here
Photo of both Case and Moylan attached

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In Support of the National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act, a bipartisan measure which I was proud to introduce with my colleague from Guam, Mr. Moylan. A special thanks to the House natural Resources Committee, on which I was privileged to serve for six years, and the Chair and Ranking Member of the subcommittee and full committee, for working with us to develop a mutually acceptable measure and for bringing it to the floor.

Invasive species jeopardize and too often outright destroy the delicate balance of our ecosystems, as they can outcompete, prey on or introduce diseases to our native flora and fauna. The consequences of these disruptions are severe, leading to not only to extinction of wholes species but to declines in biodiversity, diminishment of the resilience of our ecosystems in the face of environmental change, and broader ripple economic and social consequences,

We in Hawaii understand, perhaps better than anyone, just how crucial it is that we remain vigilant in our response to invasive species. Hawaii's isolation has led to the evolution of many endemic species that are found nowhere else on Earth.

Unfortunately, these native species often lack the defenses to compete with or resist the pressures of the some 5,000 introduced invasive plants and animals, which can rapidly alter ecosystems and displace local species. Invasive species have caused significant ecological damage, threatening the survival of native birds and plants. Protecting Hawaii's unique biodiversity is not just an environmental necessity; it is a cultural imperative that reflects the identity and heritage of the Native Hawaiian people.

But invasive species are not just a localized problem; they pose a significant threat to the integrity of our natural world. Addressing this crisis requires a coordinated and comprehensive approach, focusing on prevention, early detection and effective management strategies to safeguard our vulnerable ecosystems.

The National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act will do just that, codifying the existing Invasive Species Strike Teams program currently operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). These specialized teams play an essential role in managing emerging invasive species, employing strategies tailored to local conditions across the National Wildlife Refuge System. With 21 teams strategically positioned in various Fish and Wildlife Service regions, they are on the front lines, addressing the unique challenges posed by invasive species.

As just one example, the Big Island Invasive Species Committee has been a part of a strike team for over a decade, working withing the Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge on the eastern slopes of Mauna Kea to manage little fire ant threats and remove fountain grass and holly plants, which can choke out our critical native plants. The Big Island Invasive Species Committee is just one of the many shining examples of this effective program, and reminds us of its crucial work.

This bill also mandates enhanced coordination and reporting through integrated systems and standardized procedures, ensuring transparency and enabling us to track progress with annual reports to Congress and the public. Furthermore, it authorizes $15 million annually through Fiscal Year 2029 to support ongoing initiatives.

This legislation is a crucial step forward in protecting our natural resources and enhancing our capacity to respond swiftly to the threats posed by invasive species. I humbly request my colleagues lend their support this bill and ensure the preservation of our ecosystems and promote a resilient future for our environment.

Mahalo nui loa, Mr. Speaker, I yield back.

Industrial Base and Workforce Development for Skilled Trades

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Thank you to Chair Calvert and our witnesses for this opportunity for us all to address critical industrial base workforce challenges that are in turn critical to the defense industrial base that is required for our national defense over the next generation. I also express greetings and appreciation from my Ranking Member, Ms. McCollum, for whom I’m filling in today.

We all know that our defense industrial base has eroded significantly over the past generation-plus, adversely affecting our advanced manufacturing and repair and maintenance capacity across several integral areas including supply chains, access to critical minerals and especially our trade workforce. What we are focused on here is not how we got here but where we must go over the next decades.

Our specific focus in this hearing is on our industrial workforce and how to develop and implement thoughtful, sustainable solutions to recruit, train and retain skilled workers not just now but over the next generation. In doing so, we must realistically assess our challenges, including a shortage of welders, electricians, pipefitters and other skilled trades, 76 million baby boomers retiring, a too-prevalent bias against careers in the trades, and difficulty recruiting international talent from our allies and partners over the last two years. We must also factor in changes in industrial production over that same generation that will significantly alter our projections and assumptions as to workforce needs such as AI and robotics, and maximize leverage of expertise and funding across government and the private sector.

Mr. Secretary, we appreciation this administration’s building on previous administrations’ efforts to develop our nation’s defense industrial base workforce. And on this Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, we are especially interested in specific programs, funding and other efforts inside and through the Department of Defense that will amplify your efforts.

As part of that, we need a better understanding of the current administration’s strategy for workforce development and the “Build Freedom Campaign.”

· What is the ultimate goal?

· What metrics will you utilize to track our progress?

· And what it will cost?

I understand that the FY 2027 Industrial Base and Analysis Sustainment (IBAS) request for workforce programs is about $160 million in discretionary funding and close to $2.3 billion in mandatory funding.

It would help to understand how, if provided, these funds will help the administration meet its goals, and over what time period. How would your efforts be impacted if the proposed $350 billion reconciliation package is not enacted?

Are there existing programs that meet our needs, and are they properly identified and funded? What are the known gaps in our current approach, and what unexpected challenges have we faced along the way?

Finally, we need to better understand how this program ties into other programs within the Department of Defense or across other departments and agencies. For example, many current Department of Labor programs serve to enhance community colleges and other workforce training programs; how are you working with them to avoid overlap?

We also cannot solve this problem through spending alone. I would like to understand how we can help find, develop and meet our workforce needs by working directly with primary schools. Regarding the administration’s proposal to “deploy a national K-12 curriculum aligned with DIB skills,” we need to understand:

· Which groups and business partnerships will inform this curriculum?

· Will it be an accredited program?

· How many educational institutions are you hoping to reach with this effort?

· What will it cost?

It would also be helpful to hear from our witnesses how they plan to retain trained workers, since training and recruitment is only half the challenge.

I also would like to consider the BuildFreedom.US website’s representation that these defense industrial jobs are “AI proof. Six figure jobs,” because hands-on trades are harder to automate. This characterization overlooks the major leaps forward in robotics, which are made possible by AI and machine learning. As we encourage our young people to train for trade jobs, we must consider how robotics can augment, but not replace, our skilled shipbuilding workforce.

Ultimately all these challenges will require multi-generation investment, so we need to continue this work in earnest.

I offer Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and other efforts in my home state of Hawai‘i as examples of how the defense industrial workforce of today and tomorrow can be trained, recruited and retained. The shipyard’s success in these areas, with close to 7,000 high-quality industrial jobs maintaining and repairing some of the most complicated and sophisticated equipment in our military has been sustained by its investment in the workforce. The shipyard’s apprentice program, which reaches initially down into the middle schools, draws thousands of applicants each year and has secured jobs for multiple generations within the same family.

Outside the shipyard, Hawai‘i is investing in the high-tech expertise that innovative companies need now. For example, with support from the Department through you, Mr. Secretary, Honolulu Community College offers advanced manufacturing courses to meet defense industrial base requirements in the Indo-Pacific, the heart of our nation’s priority theater. We also involve our high schools in the recruitment process, letting students know that jobs are available at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and we can start building their skills even before they graduate.

As we look across the nation, there are many unresolved issues on this topic. I appreciate that our collective effort to face and solve them as we will need to do to maintain our armed services as preeminent over the next generation is a bipartisan effort that I’m sure will be sustained over time, and thank you, Mr. Chair, for your personal focus.

With that, I yield back.

Federal Aviation Administration Denies Trident Adventures' Petition To Operate Tour Helicopter Snorkel and Scuba Drops Into State Waters

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (HI-01) announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has denied a petition from Trident Adventures for an exemption to the FAA’s rules governing the use of aircraft safety belts and supplemental restraints which would allow the company to continue operating its so-called “helocast” jumps from helicopters into the ocean while hovering at low altitude above the water.

Case had joined many others in communicating his strong opposition to the petition. In his letter to the FAA, Case said that Trident Adventures “has temporarily suspended this activity and is seeking an exemption from applicable Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations to resume conducting helocast jumps as part of its tour operations.

Case noted that the petition called for an exemption “that would allow temporary release of passenger restraints during a stabilized helicopter hover approximately 10 to 35 feet above open water for the purpose of conducting controlled water-entry operations.

“These provisions are critical to maintaining the safety of air travel, regardless of flight altitude or aircraft stability. Trident Adventures seeks to rely on its low-altitude, stable flight operations as grounds for an exemption from passenger restraint requirements and the resumption of helocast operations.”

“Any uncertainty regarding whether air-tour services such as those proposed by Trident Adventures are authorized to operate and comply with the applicable regulatory framework would place public safety at risk.”

The FAA noted that Trident Adventures was “not seeking a reduction in safety standards or operational oversight but believes that their operational history, documented procedures, training programs, and conservative performance based operating limitations together demonstrate an equivalent or greater level of safety” as called for in the agency’s rules.

However, in its analysis of the company’s helocast operations, the FAA noted that while the company made assurances for passenger safety “the operational and environmental controls do not provide an equivalent level of protection against slip, loss of footing, aircraft motion, turbulence, windblast, sudden control input, or human error that the regulation’s restraint framework is intended to provide.”

The FAA went on to say that “even under favorable conditions a participant remains exposed to the possibility of a fall caused by unexpected aircraft movement, momentary loss of balance, wet or unstable footing, downwash effects, or sudden participant movement.

“Therefore, although the controls put in place by Trident Adventures may reduce the probability of encountering a degraded operating environment and reduce the likelihood of an inadvertent separation of persons from the aircraft, the FAA finds that they do not provide for a level of safety at least equivalent to the restraint-based protections required by § 91.108 once the participant is no longer seated and restrained inside the aircraft.”

After reviewing the petition, the FAA in its 21-page ruling found that “a grant of exemption would not provide an equivalent level of safety” as defined in its rules “and therefore would not be in the public interest.”

FAA denial of the petition is here
Case letter opposing the petition is here

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Resolution Reaffirming the Partnership Between the Pacific Islands Forum and the United States

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT

I rise today in support of my resolution reaffirming the enduring partnership between the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and its eighteen members and the United States toward stability, prosperity and peace in the Pacific, and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States will continue to remain a strong, reliable and active partner in advancing a peaceful, resilient and prosperous Blue Pacific.

The PIF is the Pacific Islands region’s premier political and economic policy organization, bringing together 18 member countries and four associate members to advance shared priorities across the Blue Pacific. The Forum provides an important platform for Pacific Island countries and territories to work collectively on regional security, disaster resilience, economic development, ocean governance and other issues that directly affect the people of the Pacific.

The United States has longstanding ties with the PIF and the Pacific Island countries it represents. The United States has been a PIF Dialogue Partner since 1989, and our relationship is grounded in shared interests and longstanding connections across the Pacific. The United States is itself a Pacific nation, home to millions of people with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander heritage, and our Pacific territories of Guam and American Samoa are Associate Members of the PIF. We also share close relationships with the Freely Associated States through the Compacts of Free Association.

Our interests in the Pacific are clear. The United States and the PIF share a commitment to maintaining a peaceful and secure region, strengthening economic opportunity, responding to natural disasters, protecting our oceans and supporting a free and open Pacific. Strong engagement with the PIF is an important part of advancing these shared priorities while respecting Pacific leadership and the sovereignty of Pacific Island nations.

One of the PIF’s principal annual gatherings is the PIF Leaders Meeting, where Pacific leaders and Dialogue Partners come together to discuss regional priorities and set the Forum’s agenda for the year ahead. The 55th PIF Leaders Meeting will take place in Palau from August 30 to September 4. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is also expected to participate, making this an important opportunity to demonstrate continued U.S. engagement with the region.

This resolution reaffirms the United States’ commitment to the PIF and encourages continued high-level engagement with Pacific regional institutions. It also supports Pacific-led implementation of the PIF’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and calls for continued cooperation on regional security, disaster resilience, economic development, ocean stewardship, technology and connectivity and other shared priorities.

The United States has a strong interest in a peaceful, resilient and prosperous Pacific, and the PIF is an essential partner in achieving that goal. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution and reaffirm that the United States will remain a strong, reliable and active partner to the Pacific Islands Forum and the people of the Blue Pacific.