US Rep. Case secures housing, environment funding in House committee votes, but opposes final bills

US Rep. Ed Case opposed two federal spending bills approved last week by the House Appropriations Committee, saying the measures cut too deeply into affordable housing and environmental programs—even as he successfully secured millions for Hawaiʻi-specific priorities embedded in both measures.

The committee approved the fiscal year 2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill and the Interior/Environment bill on June 5. The T-HUD bill proposes $92.2 billion in total funding, an 8% reduction from current levels. The Interior/Environment bill proposes $39 billion, a 2% cut on top of steep reductions already made in FY 2026.

Case, who represents Hawaiʻi’s 1st Congressional District covering urban Honolulu, said the bills’ overall direction was unacceptable.

“In both cases, I could not accept the overall result which is to walk away from key federal programs to assist with top priorities for our country and Hawaiʻi in affordable housing, transportation, environmental protection and historical and cultural preservation,” Case said in a statement.

He cited cuts or eliminations targeting the HOME Investment Partnerships Program — the only federal program dedicated exclusively to developing affordable housing — along with housing counseling assistance, homeless services, the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, clean water revolving funds, and the Asian Pacific American Center.

Despite his opposition to the final bills, Case said he was able to incorporate Hawaiʻi-specific funding into both measures.

On the housing front, the Transportation-HUD bill includes $15 million for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant and $28 million for the Native Hawaiian Housing Loan Guarantee Fund. Case characterized the funding as a significant win given that the Trump administration had proposed eliminating both programs entirely.

The bill also includes $175 million for the National Transportation Safety Board, which Case said is critical for Hawaiʻi given the state’s history of fatal helicopter and small aircraft accidents.

Two locally directed “community project” earmarks secured by Case would fund specific Honolulu-area needs: $1.8 million to upgrade mechanical systems, roofing, and accessibility features at a Chinatown affordable housing complex, and $250,000 for a new security camera system at Princess Ruth Keliʻikōlani Middle School.

Additional T-HUD funding secured by Case includes $38.8 billion for Section 8 tenant-based rental assistance, $3.3 billion for Community Development Block Grants, $372 million for the Maritime Security Program, $123 million for port infrastructure, $105 million for assistance to small shipyards including Kalaeloa/Barbers Point, and $21.7 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration — including $1 million to evaluate transponder landing systems at airports with space and weather constraints, like those in Hawaiʻi.

On the Interior/Environment side, Case secured $5 million for US Fish and Wildlife Service bird conservation programs to address the threat of extinction facing Hawaiʻi’s endemic bird species; $65 million for the US Geological Survey’s Climate Adaptation Science Centers, which includes the Pacific Islands center at UH Mānoa; $80 million for State Fire Assistance; and $62 million for State Historic Preservation Offices.

The two bills are the eighth and ninth of twelve FY 2027 appropriations measures moving through the House Appropriations Committee. Both now advance to the full House for consideration. The federal fiscal year 2027 begins Oct. 1.