Rep. Case secures $1.1M in FY25 budget for HI-EMA to develop disaster preparedness platform

The US House Committee on Appropriation on Wednesday approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget for State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, one of 12 bills that collectively fund the federal government. The proposed discretionary funding level is $147.5 billion, a decrease of almost $6.4 billion over the FY24 enacted level.

US Rep. Ed Case (D-HI), serving his sixth year on Appropriations, expressed mixed feelings about the bills that passed his committee on Wednesday. Despite seeing some of his requests included in the funding measures, such as securing $1.1 million for Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) to develop a Community Disaster Preparedness Information Platform, he ultimately voted against them.

“While the measures fund many critical national, Indo-Pacific and Hawai‘i priorities which I support, I regrettably had to vote against them overall because it reduces funding far below what is needed, including massive cuts to and prohibitions against funding to key United Nations agencies, and includes harmful partisan policy riders,” said Case.

The committee approved two key measures funding federal homeland security and foreign affairs programs with important ties to Hawai‘i for the upcoming FY25 (commencing Oct. 1, 2024).

Both the homeland security and foreign affairs funding measures included Case’s requests for critical funding for American priorities in the Indo Pacific, including $2.1 billion for the US government’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, $175 million for assistance specifically for Pacific Island countries, $60 million to allow the Coast Guard to base another Medium Endurance Cutter with District 14 in Honolulu and other funds set aside for the Coast Guard’s expanded presence in the Pacific Islands region.

Among the other projects for which Case advocated and that were included in the measures are:

• $19.6 million for the East-West Center in Honolulu.
• Language requiring the Coast Guard to pursue acquisition of additional pier and related space at Base Honolulu.
• $1.2 million specifically for the Coast Guard’s Indo-Pacific Workforce Support Project.
• $3 million for the increased presence of regional Coast Guard advisors in the Indo-Pacific.
• Report language supporting Indo-Pacific young leaders programs.
• $43.6 million for the Asian Development Fund.
• Report language supporting the Peace Corps’ expansion in the Pacific.

Through his assignment on the Committee, Case secured $1.1 million in partial funding for the HI-EMA to develop a Community Disaster Preparedness Information Platform for Hawai‘i. This is one of Case’s Member-designated Community Project Funding (CPF) projects that specifically focuses on local needs in Hawai‘i. The project would work to establish an information sharing platform that enables direct collaboration between HI-EMA and local companies, nonprofit organizations and anchor institutions during normal times and in events in disasters.

“This new tool for HI-EMA will ensure accurate, timely and unified messaging in the event of a disaster response,” said Case. “In the wake of the 2023 Maui wildfires, our Hawai‘i is in need of a statewide unified messaging system to improve coordination with local and county emergency response agencies more than ever.”

Case initially requested $3 million in FY25 funding to help HI-EMA to create the platform.

The bills now move onto the full House of Representatives for consideration.