{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://case.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2406", "Case Secures Key Funding For The Indo-Pacific Including $2.1 Billion For The U.S. Government's Indo-Pacific Strategy And $60 Million Toward Another Coast Guard Vessel For Honolulu", "2024-06-12", "2024", "2024-06", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Ed Case", "C001055", "case.house.gov", "case", "https://case.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27&Page=10", "scraper", "(Washington, DC) \u2013 U.S. Congressman Ed Case\u2019s (HI-01) U.S. House Committee on Appropriations today approved two key measures funding federal homeland security and foreign affairs programs with important ties to Hawai\u2018i for the upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 (commencing October 1, 2024).\n\nBoth the homeland security and foreign affairs funding measures included Case\u2019s requests for critical funding for American priorities in the Indo-Pacific, including $2.1 billion for the U.S. government\u2019s 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\u2019s expanded presence in the Pacific Islands region.\n\nAmong the other projects for which Case advocated and that were included in the measures are:\n\n$19.6 million for the East-West Center in Honolulu.\n\nLanguage requiring the Coast Guard to pursue acquisition of additional pier and related space at Base Honolulu.\n\n$1.2 million specifically for the Coast Guard\u2019s Indo-Pacific Workforce Support Project.\n\n$3 million for the increased presence of regional Coast Guard advisors in the Indo-Pacific.\n\nReport language supporting Indo-Pacific young leaders programs.\n\n$43.6 million for the Asian Development Fund.\n\nReport language supporting the Peace Corps\u2019 expansion in the Pacific.\n\nThrough his assignment on the Committee, Case also secured $1.1 million in partial funding for the Hawai\u2018i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) to develop a Community Disaster Preparedness Information Platform for Hawai\u2018i. This is one of Case\u2019s Member-designated Community Project Funding (CPF) projects that specifically focuses on local needs in Hawai\u2018i. 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.\n\n\"This new tool for HI-EMA will ensure accurate, timely and unified messaging in the event of a disaster response,\u201d explained Case.\n\n\u201cIn the wake of the 2023 Maui wildfires, our Hawai\u2018i is in need of a statewide unified messaging system to improve coordination with local and county emergency response agencies more than ever.\u201d\n\nThe House\u2019s CPF rules require that each project must have demonstrated community support, must be fully disclosed by the requesting Member and be subject to audit by the independent Government Accountability Office. Case\u2019s disclosures are here: https://case.house.gov/services/funding-disclosures.htm.\n\n\u201cFor me, these bills are a mixed result,\u201d said Case. \u201cWhile the measures fund many critical national, Indo-Pacific and Hawai\u2018i 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.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe deep and unfortunate policy differences in Congress on foreign affairs and homeland security can clearly been seen in the drastic cuts to these funding measures,\u201d said Case, who is in his sixth year on Appropriations and currently serves on the Subcommittees on Defense and Homeland Security. \u201cThese cuts will further erode our standing with our friends and partners around the world who relied on the United States for global leadership when it comes to the defense of freedom, democracy and human rights and for assistance on critical human needs. They also fail to take a balanced and comprehensive approach to securing our homeland including our borders.\u201d\n\nIn his remarks during the debate in the Appropriations Committee this morning, Case strongly criticized the funding cuts to foreign aid programs saying in part, \u201cWe cannot and will not prevail in the geopolitical challenge we face by military might alone. Authoritarianism is based on might and democracy on values. We stand a far better chance with both might and values.\u201d (See video clip of his extended remarks in Committee here).\n\n\u201cI am committed to fixing these problems as we work through the legislative process toward final versions of these bills that can correct these deficiencies, secure bipartisan support and be signed into law.\u201d\n\nFurther details follow:\n\nHomeland Security\n\nThe FY 2025 Homeland Security bill, one of twelve total bills funding the federal government annually, proposes to spend $65 billion for all programs under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security, an increase of $800 million over the FY 2024 enacted level. When combined with the $22.7 billion in additional funding for major disaster response and recovery, and $6.1 billion for programs offset by fee collections, the bill as a whole provides $93.8 billion to the Department of Homeland Security for FY 2025.\n\nThe bill supports the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard, the U.S. Secret Service and more. Case is a member of the Appropriations Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on Homeland Security which is responsible for this bill.\n\nThe bill provides a critical increase in funding for the Coast Guard, whose 14th District is headquartered in Honolulu and represents the Coast Guard\u2019s largest geographic area of responsibility.\n\n\u201cUnfortunately, even with these proposed resources for Hawai\u2018i and the Indo-Pacific, I could not support the overall measure in its current form because of the areas in which it underfunds critical operations,\u201d said Case.\n\n\u201cThe proposal generally supports a one-sided approach to immigration policy and does not secure the border by failing to invest in sustainable and critical immigration reform that would both strengthen border security and benefit American families and businesses.\u201d\n\nCase was able to secure a number of key programs and provisions for Hawai\u2018i, including:\n\n\u00b7 $355 million for Emergency Management Performance Grants, which support state and local emergency management agencies like HI\u2011EMA.\n\n$360 million for assistance to firefighter grant programs, which are a major source of funding for county fire departments.\n\n$360 million for FEMA\u2019s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant Program.\n\n$101 million for the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, a $10 million increase over FY 2024, which funds University of Hawaii\u2019s National Disaster Preparedness Training Center.\n\n$40 million for FEMA\u2019s Next Generation Warning System.\n\n$1.2 million specifically for the Coast Guard\u2019s Indo-Pacific Workforce Support Project.\n\nLanguage requiring a report on the opportunity for the Coast Guard to acquire additional pier and related space at Base Honolulu.\n\nLanguage requiring a report on exposure of TSA security equipment to the elements at open air airports.\n\nLanguage requiring a report on an update on the infrastructure at the Coast Guard\u2019s Air Station Barbers Point.\n\n$3 million for the increased presence of regional Coast Guard advisors in the Indo-Pacific.\n\nThe measure also provides the following priorities requested by Case:\n\n$14.2 billion for the Coast Guard.\n\n$51.1 million for the National Computer Forensic Institute, through which the Honolulu Secret Service Field Office has sponsored 72 state and local officials from nine agencies to attend forensic training courses since 2023.\n\n$45 million for the TSA Law Enforcement Officer Reimbursement Program.\n\nReport language supporting CISA support in the Pacific Islands.\n\nLanguage requiring a report on the Coast Guard\u2019s role in combatting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.\n\n$615 million for the Urban Area Security Initiative under FEMA.\n\nLanguage requiring a report on Coast Guard engagement in the Indo-Pacific.\n\n$100 million for FEMA\u2019s Port Security Grant Program.\n\n$520 million for the State Homeland Security Grant program, which provides funding to protect against terrorism and other threats.\n\n$105 million for the Transit Security Grant Program, which protects critical transportation infrastructure from acts of terrorism.\n\n$130 million for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program.\n\nState, Foreign Operations and Related Programs\n\nThe Appropriations Committee approved an overall funding level of $51.7 billion, a cut of $7.6 billion from the FY 2024 level, for the State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations.\n\nThis measure funds (or should fund) U.S. foreign policy programs and agencies, including the Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. contributions to the United Nations and its agencies and more. The bill provides for international diplomatic presence and outreach as well as foreign assistance in public health, basic education, educational and cultural exchanges, climate change and more.\n\n\u201cI strongly disagreed with the funding cuts to various important international assistance efforts,\u201d said Case, who spoke on his opposition in Committee. \u201cBut the bill also advanced many importance priorities for the Indo-Pacific,\u201d explained Case.\n\n\u201cAs we continue to focus on the growing influence of China in the Indo-Pacific, our national security interests must also include diplomatic engagement and assistance to promote peace and diplomacy in the region,\u201d said Case.\n\n\u201cContinued funding for our East-West Center and other institutions in Hawai\u2018i helps to support our country\u2019s standing in an area widely seen as the most dynamic and fastest-growing region on earth.\u201d\n\nPrograms and provisions in the measure secured by Case and related to Hawai\u2018i and the Indo-Pacific include:\n\n$19.6 million for the East-West Center, down from the $22 million final appropriation for FY 2024.\n\n$2.1 billion for the implementation of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, which promotes peace, prosperity and democracy in the region.\n\n$175 million for the Pacific Islands region, an increase of $25 million from FY 2024.\n\nReport language supporting the Peace Corps\u2019 expansion in the Pacific.\n\nReport language supporting funding for a flexible fund for Democracy and Governance funding in the Pacific Islands.\n\nReport language supporting funding for a Flexible Microfinance Facility launched by the Development Finance Corporation in partnership with USAID, to expand access to finance for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in Pacific Islands countries.\n\n$500,000 for the Global Innovation through Science and Technology Program\u2019s expansion to the Pacific Islands.\n\nReport language supporting Indo-Pacific young leaders\u2019 programs.\n\nReport language supporting funding for trade capacity building in the Pacific Islands.\n\nReport language supporting the U.S. Agency for Global Media in the Pacific Islands.\n\nLanguage requiring an update on a report on efforts to assist the Pacific Islands in transnational crime.\n\nLanguage requiring an update on a report on international engagement with indigenous groups.\n\n$1.3 million for the Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Center.\n\nReport language supporting funding for the Pacific Islands Infrastructure Initiative.\n\nReport language supporting funding for the Quad Investors Network.\n\nLanguage requiring a report on ways to strengthen U.S. trade and investment with Pacific Islands countries.\n\nLanguage requiring a report on engagement with faith-based organizations in the Pacific Islands.\n\n$3 million for the Advancing Port Enhancement and Customs Security program in the Pacific Islands.\n\n$2.5 million for unexploded ordinance removal in the Solomon Islands.\n\n$6 million for the Pacific American Fund, a USAID program that supports projects from Pacific Islands-based organizations that address climate change adaptation and resilience.\n\n$43.6 million for the Asian Development Fund.\n\nThe bill also includes funding for several foreign policy programs supported by Case, although some at unacceptable low levels. Among them are:\n\n$411 million for the Peace Corps, a decrease of $68.5 million from FY 2024.\n\n$421 million for peacekeeping operations, an increase of $10 million.\n\n$1.1 billion to support international peacekeeping activities, a decrease of $299 million.\n\n$721 million for educational and cultural exchange programs, which include the Fulbright programs, a decrease of more than $20 million.\n\n$270 million for contributions to international organizations, a decrease of $1.3 billion.\n\n$1.3 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.\n\n$915 million for maternal and child health programs.\n\n$2.4 billion for migration and refugee assistance, a decrease of $1.5 billion.\n\nThese two measures are part of the twelve bills to be taken up by the House Appropriations Committee that will collectively fund the federal government for FY 2025 (commencing October 1, 2024).\n\nThe proposed discretionary funding level is $147.5 billion, a decrease of almost $6.4 billion over the FY 2024 enacted level.\n\nThe bills now move onto the full House of Representatives for consideration.\n\nAttachments:\n\nA summary of the FY 2025 funding measure for the Homeland Security bill is here.\n\nA summary of the FY 2025 funding measure for the State\n\nDepartment and Foreign Operations bill measure is here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:11:47Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://case.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2406"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9456910192966461, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}