Government Shutdown Ends: Haleakalā National Park is Open for Sunrise

Photo: Asa Ellison

Haleakalā National Park is open for sunrise viewing today following a nearly three day federal government shutdown.

Visitors must have a current sunrise reservation to enter the park between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. Sunrise reservations can only be made in advance, online, at recreation.gov.

Senators voted 81-18 on Monday to temporarily end the shutdown. US Sen. Brian Schatz voted in favor of the bill to end the shutdown, while US Sen. Mazie Hirono cast a vote against the proposal. The short-term spending proposal temporarily funds government operations for three weeks and give the Senate more time to address immigration policy. Under the bill, federal agencies are funded through Feb. 8, 2018.

US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (left); and US Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (right). US House Office of Photography: Official photo.

In the House the bill also passed by a vote of 266-150. Hawaiʻi’s Representatives were also split with Rep. Colleen Hanabusa voting in support of a Continuing Resolution to keep the government operating until February 8; and Rep. Tusli Gabbard voting against the short term spending bill.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Votes No: Legislation “Lays Path to Another Shutdown, Puts Politics Over People”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) voted against Congress’s 4th short-term spending bill in 5 months that she said fails to include a year-long budget for our military and government agencies, funding for community health centers, and a permanent fix for our country’s DREAMers.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said she “has consistently opposed destructive Continuing Resolutions that fund the government for a few weeks at a time, holding the American economy hostage, damaging military readiness, and creating uncertainty that bars any long-term planning around federal funding.”

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard released as statement saying:

“The only thing more irresponsible than this reckless government shutdown is another shutdown in three weeks—which is exactly where we are headed with today’s temporary funding bill. This bill was founded on empty promises and a record of failure to solve the problems that led to the shutdown in the first place. It prolongs uncertainty for federal workers, our troops and their families, DREAMers, and millions that rely on federal services.

“This is not about politics. It is about standing up and fighting for what is right for the people of Hawaiʻi and this country. I will not stand by while political games in Washington threaten the health of our keiki and struggling low-income families, the readiness of our troops, and the ability for DREAMers, who were brought here as children through no choice of their own, to come out from the shadows and live free in the only home they’ve ever known. Until we actually work together to solve the challenges our country is facing, people in Hawaiʻi and across the country will continue to suffer. We need real solutions, not the same old broken status quo.”

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said she has remained committed to a long-term, bipartisan budget. She is a cosponsor of the Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act (H.R.4694) and the Military Pay Protection Act (H.R.2220) to ensure furloughed federal employees and military personnel are paid during any government shutdown, and also announced she will return her salary for the days the government was shutdown.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is a cosponsor of the bipartisan, bicameral DREAM Act (H.R.3440) to enact a permanent solution for millions of DREAMers across the country, and strongly opposed President Trump’s decision to end DACA.

Congresswoman Hanabusa’s Statement on Vote to Re-Open the Government

Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa issued the following statement after voting in support of a Continuing Resolution to keep the government operating until February 8.

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“This shutdown was an unnecessary reminder that our inability to work in a bipartisan fashion has real consequences for our constituents. Given the shutdown, my top priority is ensuring that the 33,264 federal employees who live and work in Hawaii, and the 40,034 members of the military serving here on active duty, are on the job and paid for their hard work and sacrifices. The nation’s business must continue and today I voted in support of our federal workers and their families. I maintain that a 17-day stop gap measure is no way to pay for the operations of the federal government. We need to pursue a comprehensive funding plan through the regular order, but shutting down the government is unacceptable, and unheard of in American history when one party controls the House, Senate and the White House. I urge my colleagues in Congress to approve a budget that meets our responsibilities to all our constituents. I am extremely disappointed that the CR through February 8th does not fully resolve the immigration status of our Dreamers, but I will not abandon the cause as l continue to fight for a bill on the floor of the House that provides permanent protections for our Dreamers.”

Congresswoman Hanabusa signed onto the Welch/Cicilline/Jeffries letter (attached) outlining the Democratic Priorities for the FY18 budget and is a co-sponsor of HR 4871, the Pay our Military Act of 2018, which provides pay to our servicemen and women, during the federal government shutdown.