Ed Case

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And I’ll keep doing what I’ve always done: speak honestly, listen carefully, represent all of Hawai’i, and fight for real solutions, just as I did through COVID-19, Red Hill and the Maui wildfires.

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Education is one of my major focuses in our U.S. Committee on Appropriations, on which I have served since my return to Congress in 2019. Appropriations is responsible for funding and overseeing all discretionary federal education efforts. Over the years I have worked to secure funding for a wide range of education programs that help our state. For example, for FiscalYear 2026 my Appropriations Committee provided $22.5 billion for Pell Grants, $19.1 billion for grants to Title I schools, $1.6 billion for Impact Aid, $890 million for English language acquisition education and $15.5 billion for special education. I also secured Community Project Funding (funding of specific projects) for several worthy education-related projects in my district, including $45.8 million for the Native Hawaiian Education Program (NHEP), $850,000 for Kalihi Waena Elementary School to build a new ADA-compliant pedestrian bridge, and $300,000 for Highlands Intermediate School to modernize its media center. While we were able to push back against many of the cuts proposed by the current administration in FY 2026, we still continue to face a systematic attack by the administration on federal support for education including proposed elimination of the U.S. Department of Education. The Department also continues to attempt to withhold funds or move programs to different departments without providing concrete plans for how the programs will function, leading to much concern among entities that rely on this funding. As part of this effort, I previously fought to restore $33 million in federal education funding for Hawai‘i after the administration illegally froze $6.8 billion nationwide, funds that support teacher training, afterschool programs, English language instruction and adult literacy. I will continue to oppose anti-education administration efforts and support robust funding for critical federal education programs.

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One of the core obligations of government is to assure that all of our our people can access a high-quality, affordable education. Our collective investment in education must start at life’s early stages and continue through an education that provides the skills necessary to earn a good living in a rapidly changing economy. The federal government has a major role in achieving this goal, and my own efforts are devoted to assuring that our federal government is provided the proper legislation and policies, along with sufficient funding, staff and other resources, to deliver across a variety of needs.

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I believe that our federal budget should not be, as it has become, a routine exercise, but instead a document and agenda that comprehensively address our nation’s needs and expenses in a fiscally sustainable way. We have urgent challenges, from climate change to health care and beyond, and we need a full and difficult debate on how best to balance their cost with our ability and commitment to raise and allocate scarce resources.

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As a result of efforts by the Hawai‘i Congressional delegation, the Department of Defense is required to produce annual reports on the health of impacted individuals. These reports detail efforts by the military to track and monitor the long-term health impacts of exposure to aviation fuel, as well as outside efforts by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and the University of Hawaii's independent Red Hill Health Registry. I will continue to engage with the military to ensure compliance with all requirements for cleanup and reporting as well as continued funding to ensure that any impacted individuals are monitored and receive the appropriate care.

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Maintaining a Capable Military For our military to remain the best in the world, it must have up-to-date equipment and state-of-the-art technology. I am committed to making the investments needed to defend our nation against evolving threats and prepare for future challenges. This especially includes programs and organizations that are closely linked to our Hawai‘i, such as the Hawai‘i National Guard and the research programs conducted by high-tech businesses and universities in Hawai‘i. Caring for Military Personnel and Their Families We must ensure that our Armed Forces remain the finest in the world, which begins with investing in our servicemembers and supporting their families. I have supported pay increases for our troops and improving their benefits. In addition, I am committed to ensuring that when we deploy our troops, they know we will care for their spouses and children. Through my Appropriations Committee, I have conducted oversight over the Department of Defense’s management of military housing and other activities throughout Hawai’i, our country and overseas. I have also advocated for and was able to secure $2 billion in Fiscal Year 2024 to fund the construction, operation and maintenance of family housing projects. The additional funds above the initial budget request helped address long-standing issues affecting our servicemembers’ quality of life.

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My foreign policy priorities extend throughout the globe, but central to our foreign policy in this century is the Indo-Pacific region, stretching from the West Coast through the Pacific and Asia to well into the Indian Ocean. As stressed in our nation’s previous National Security Strategies, this region is critical to our county. It holds over sixty percent of the world’s population and seven of the top fifteen largest standing armies in the world. Sixty percent of global maritime trade flows through Asia, and eight of the world’s ten busiest seaports are in the Indo-Pacific. In this “Pacific Century,” Hawai‘i should and will continue to play a leading role in our country’s overall foreign relations. Hawai‘i is the bridge between the United States and Asia, and I am proud to champion our leadership and values here in Congress as your representative.

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Telehealth and Connected Care. Telehealth and Connected Care programs benefit Neighbor Island and Pacific Island veterans who must otherwise fly to O‘ahu to receive certain kinds of care. I have advocated for these programs, and Congress has since directed the VA to expand telehealth availability and connected care programs, which has been helping more veterans in Hawai‘i receive the health counselling and consultation they need without having to visit the congested Tripler campus.

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My goal is to preserve the best of American health care while closing the unacceptable gaps in availability, affordability, access and quality. It is critical to get this right for current and future generations, and I believe we need a renewed national debate, including within Congress, on how best to do so. That is why it is critical for Congress to remain focused on protecting and improving the Affordable Care Act, lowering prescription drug prices and increasing investments in biomedical research. You can view a summary of my efforts in healthcare here (https://case.house.gov/uploadedfiles/healthcare_leg_history.pdf).

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Our national debt (the total amount owed by our federal government to our creditors) has now past $36 trillion, an unprecedented amount both overall and by various other measures such as in relation to our overall economy (debt-to-GDP). As just one consequence of great concern, the annual interest payments on our debt are now the fastest-growing part of our federal budget. This year, we’ll spend more money on interest payments on the debt than all federal funding on our American children, and on our current path by 2030 our interest payments will exceed our defense budget. This not only presents a great risk to economic, social and defense stability, but also is a stark indicator of fiscal unsustainability.

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Bills and resolutions go through a lengthy process involving preparation, discussion, debate, often compromise and votes. For a bill to become law, it must generally follow these steps in the U.S. House (the procedure is basically the same in the U.S. Senate):

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Protecting our precious environment is one of my top priorities. My assignments on the House Committee on Appropriations provides me with specific responsibilities and opportunities to combat climate change, safeguard our oceans and public lands and oppose attempts to roll back critical environmental protections.

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Break Partisan Gridlock We must forge a new way of governance that rejects pure partisan politics and incorporates our best ideas regardless of origin.

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Secure Our Homeland We must provide for our common defense against the reality of terrorism and international uncertainty.

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Lead Our World We must work within our global community toward worldwide peace and prosperity.

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Invest In Our Future We must provide the foundation and tools today with which our next generations can succeed.

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Fulfill Our Promises We must preserve and strengthen Social Security and Medicare and fulfill our commitments to our veterans and others.

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Care For Ourselves We must assure available healthcare and help our fellow citizens in need.

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Protect Our World

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Strengthen Our Country We must include all Americans in our national decisionmaking and demand integrity and honesty in our governance.

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Cherish Our Country We must keep alive, strengthen and hand down to the next generations the foundations and values of our great nation.

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Perpetuate Our Hawai‘i We must preserve the soul of our special home and pass it on.