Schatz secured $6 billion for Hawaiʻi in 2024, including funds to support Maui’s recovery

In 2024, US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) helped secure more than $6 billion in federal funding for Hawai‘i as he led efforts to deliver resources to support Maui’s recovery from last year’s fires and advance a range of other priorities for the state.

Earlier this month, Schatz announced an estimated $1.6 billion in new funding for Maui’s continued recovery, aimed at building permanent housing for survivors, in addition to almost $500 million to support economic development, small business needs, water infrastructure, and more. The funding was approved following efforts led by Schatz for more than a year to press the need for long-term disaster aid both in Congress and with the Biden administration.

“Survivors on Maui are doing everything they can to recover – but they can’t do it alone. That’s why getting funding to build housing – which remains the top priority – was so important,” said Schatz. “People can’t fully recover without stable, permanent housing, and it’s critical that homes now get built as quickly as possible.”

Schatz added, “We also delivered significant funding this year to improve infrastructure of all kinds, expand access to high-speed internet, and help people transition to clean energy. Tackling Hawai‘i’s housing shortage is one of the biggest challenges of our time – and the new investments to encourage pro-housing policies and build housing on Hawaiian home lands are just the start. Whether it’s increasing SNAP benefits for families or preserving telehealth access or pushing to strengthen Hawai‘i’s security, we made real progress this year to help people across the state.”

Earlier this year, Schatz, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD), helped secure more than $6.6 million to build housing across the state by removing regulatory barriers that drive up the cost of housing. The funding came from a first-of-its-kind national program created by Schatz – the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) program – for which he secured $100 million in fiscal year 2024.

Additionally, as Chair of THUD and Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Schatz delivered record funding to build housing on Hawaiian home lands and in other Native communities. The more than $1.3 billion for Native communities nationwide was an increase of more than $320 million from last year, and is in addition to the $22.3 million he secured to address Native Hawaiian housing needs.

Additional highlights include:

• Helping increase SNAP benefits to reflect food costs in Hawai‘i: Following calls from Schatz to increase SNAP benefits in Hawai‘i in line with the local cost of food, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed a $40 – or 2.3 percent – increase in benefits. Schatz worked directly with USDA Secretary Vilsack to update the Hawai‘i cost analysis.
• Supporting flood management and environmental restoration projects: As part of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024, Schatz secured provisions authorizing feasibility studies for flood risk management projects on Maui, Kaua‘i, and O‘ahu and expediting projects already underway. 
• Improving air tour safety and addressing air noise: Schatz secured several provisions in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 to toughen safety requirements for air tour operators and require the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to participate in a state task force on air tour operations. The bill also helps airports in the state adapt to extreme weather and establishes the first-ever, Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary at the US Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection.
• Extending telehealth coverage: Schatz led a group of 100 lawmakers in calling for telehealth expansion that were set to expire at the end of the year. Schatz continues to push for the passage of his bipartisan bill to permanently extend telehealth flexibilities for Medicare beneficiaries.
• Leading the push to strengthen national security and protect Hawai‘i: Along with Sen. Eric Schmidt (R-Mo.) and a group of bipartisan colleagues, Schatz – a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to clarify that Hawai‘i would be protected by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) under Article V of its treaty should the state ever come under attack by an adversary. Hawai‘i is the only state in the country that does not have full protections under NATO.
• Renewing COFA agreements and making medical care accessible to US military veterans living in the FAS: Schatz helped extend the United States’ agreements with the Freely Associated States (FAS) of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia as part of this year’s appropriations process. Additionally, Schatz secured provisions to allow the US Department of Veterans Affairs to provide medical care to veterans of the US military living in the FAS.
• Working to improve evacuation route planning in the event of a disaster or emergency: Following the Lahaina fires, Schatz joined US Sens. Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) in introducing bipartisan legislation to develop guidelines for state and local governments to improve emergency evacuation preparedness. 

Funding highlights include:

• Nearly $108 million to rehabilitate bridges on Hawai‘i Island. $74.6 million in funding will help improve Nanue and Hakalau bridges on Hawai‘i Island in an effort to maintain traffic capacity and safety. The funding will also enable the completion of environmental remediation of lead paint under Hakalau Bridge that led to the closure of Hakalau Beach Park. $33 million of the funding will help strengthen the Wailuku River Bridge by making key improvements to reinforce its foundation.
• Nearly $100 million to improve airports statewide. The funding will help rehabilitate runways at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport on Hawai‘i Island as well as enable the construction of a new security screening checkpoint facility at Kahului Airport on Maui. At Daniel K. Inouye Airport on O‘ahu, the funding will help improve the Terminal 2 roadway for the Wiki Wiki Shuttle, expand sidewalks and update lighting to the Diamond Head Concourse, and upgrade fire sprinkler and alarm systems.
• $89 million to expand high-speed internet access on Hawaiian home lands. The funding will help bring broadband internet access to thousands of households on Hawaiian home lands through building new telecommunications infrastructure, workforce development programs, and digital equity initiatives for DHHL lessees.
• $68.4 million to conserve and restore watersheds and forests. The funding for the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College program will be used to help conserve and restore watersheds and forests; build natural infrastructure to protect communities and habitats; restore Native Hawaiian fishponds, limu, and coral reefs to reinvigorate habitat; and establish new green infrastructure projects to reduce risk and improve disaster resilience.
• $62.4 million to deliver solar power to low-income homes statewide. The funding will help finance residential rooftop solar projects as well as storage and community-owned solar systems.
• $42.5 million to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety on Hawai‘i Island and O‘ahu. The funding will be used to reconstruct roadways near Bayfront Highway and Waianuenue Avenue in Hilo to implement a slate of roadway improvements including ADA-compliant sidewalks, pedestrian signals, and traffic management devices. In Honolulu, the funding will be used to add an additional lane and execute a complete redesign of a 1.5-mile segment of Salt Lake Boulevard which includes dedicated bike lanes.
• $24.4 million to repair roads and structures damaged by storms on Maui and Kaua‘i. The funding will be used to cover the costs of repairs to roadways and structures on Maui and Kaua‘i that were damaged by landslides and severe rain in recent years.
• $20 million to support Native Hawaiian climate resilience efforts. The funding, awarded to 17 Native Hawaiian Organizations, will help restore native ecosystems and plants and enhance food security while incorporating Indigenous knowledge and practices.