#Congress
Rep. Tokuda introduces bipartisan rural emergency hospital designation to strengthen local hospitals
US Rep. Jill Tokuda has joined congressional lawmakers in introducing the Rural Emergency Hospital Designation Improvement Act, also known as REH 2.0. Also introducing the measure were: US Reps.Tracey Mann and Sharice Davids of Kansas, Jack Bergman of Michigan, Don Davis of North Carolina and Carol Miller of West Virginia.
AFGE union endorses Tokuda and Case for re-election to Congress
The American Federation of Government Employees has endorsed US Reps. Jill Tokuda and Ed Case for re-election to Congress representing Hawaiʻi in the 2026 midterm election. Tokuda represents Hawaiʻi’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes Neighbor Islands and rural Oʻahu. She has held that seat since 2023. Voters have until Aug. 8 to cast ballots in […]
Tokuda votes against defense bill, but provision protecting Hawaiʻi lands from military condemnation preserved
Hawaiʻi US Rep. Jill Tokuda voted against the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027, saying she opposed provisions in the bill unrelated to military policy, even as she credited the final version with excluding language that would have given the military authority to condemn and take Hawaiʻi lands. The House passed the bill […]
Schatz: US State Department illegally withholding global health funding
Hawaiʻi US Sen. Brian Schatz took to the Senate floor this week to accuse the US State Department of illegally withholding congressionally approved global health funding, saying the delays are costing lives around the world. Schatz, ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, said the department has failed to release […]
Hirono co-sponsors bill to protect federal language access services
Hawaiʻi US Sen. Mazie Hirono has joined Sens. Andy Kim of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York in introducing legislation aimed at protecting language access requirements at federal agencies, a potentially impactful measure for Hawaiʻi’s large population of residents with limited English proficiency.
Rep. Case calls on Trump to extend Jones Act waiver for another 60 days to tamp down fuel costs
Hawaiʻi US Rep. Ed Case is asking President Donald Trump to extend a waiver of the Jones Act for another 60 days, warning that its expiration next month could worsen fuel supply disruptions and drive up energy costs across Hawaiʻi. The current waiver, which allows international shipping vessels to deliver oil and other energy products […]
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.
US Rep. Tokuda joins bipartisan effort to keep Taiwan off the table at Beijing Summit
With President Trump heading to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Hawaiʻi 2nd District Rep. Jill Tokuda is leading a bipartisan congressional effort to make clear that US support for Taiwan is not up for negotiation.
Kamehameha Schools Maui students place 1st and 2nd in Congressional District art competition
Two Kamehameha Schools Maui students took first and second place in the 2026 Congressional District Art Competition for Hawaiʻi’s 2nd Congressional District, US Rep. Jill Tokuda announced Monday. Linnea Poepoe claimed first place for her charcoal and colored pencil drawing “Beneath the Jacaranda,” a reflection of paniolo culture, while classmate Makaliʻahu Hewahewa earned second place […]
Second Kona low storm showed flood risks in Lahaina’s fire-bared landscape
Residents say more a new flood control project and better stormwater management is sorely needed.
Congressional resolution introduced to protect abortion access for veterans
US Sen. Mazie Hirono joined a group of Democratic colleagues to introduce a resolution aimed at protecting abortion access for veterans, according to a news release from the senator’s office. Hirono and 14 other senators filed a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn a recent Trump administration rule. The federal rule ends abortion counseling and […]
Senate passes Schatz measure to extend medicare telehealth coverage for two years
The US Senate passed a bipartisan funding bill that included a provision authored by US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) that will extend telehealth access for Americans enrolled in Medicare through the end of 2027.
Trade wars take toll on Maui farmers and ranchers already battling deer and drought
Farmers and ranchers say prices have gone up after a year of Trump’s tariffs, making their operations even more costly on an island where everything has to be shipped or flown in.
Hawaiʻi lawmakers call Trump’s military action in Venezuela ‘reckless’
US Rep. Jill Tokuda was among the Hawaiʻi lawmakers who criticized the Trump administration’s recent military actions in Venezuela, questioning the financial and human costs of the conflict.
Congressman Case introduces bill to help make electricity more affordable for isolated communities
Hawaiʻi US Rep. Ed Case has introduced a bill to codify into law a federal program to expand energy resilience and reliability for some of the nation’s most vulnerable regions – isolated island, Native Hawaiian and Tribal communities. Residents of these regions often face common and unique energy obstacles, including limited energy infrastructure, high costs of imported […]
U.S. Rep Tokuda tells Maui residents fearful of Trump’s changes: ‘You need to help us agitate’
Local voters are growing frustrated with Democratic leadership in the face of mass federal funding and job cuts.
Schatz: Nearly $9.8 million in federal funding to rebuild historic Lahaina landmarks
Hawai‘i US Sen. Brian Schatz says Hawai‘i will receive nearly $9.8 million in new federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help rebuild wildfire-ravaged historic Lahaina landmarks, like the Old Lahaina Courthouse, Waiola Church, Hale Aloha Museum and the Master’s Reading Room.
Case introduces congressional bill to end discriminatory shipping practices
Hawai‘i US Rep. Ed Case has reintroduced a bill in the US House to end what he called “the discriminatory and exclusionary shipping practices faced by residents and businesses in Hawai‘i, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and other US territories.”
Hirono joins Democratic senators in introducing legislation to protect parents of transgender children
Hawaiʻi US Sen. Mazie Hirono has joined 20 Democratic colleagues in introducing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. If passed by Congress, the amendment would remove language that would strip away service members’ parental rights to access medically necessary health care for their transgender children.
Maui coalition of the Hawaiʻi Workers Center departs to Washington D.C. to demand Congress release disaster recovery funds for Lahaina
A Maui coalition of the Hawaiʻi Workers Center has departed to Washington D.C. where they will demand that Congress release disaster recovery funds for Lahaina.