Enforcing Our Immigration Laws, Delivering for Hawaiʻi, and Staying Connected

Aloha, Friend.We continue through difficult times facing difficult challenges. Division and dysfunction hinder effective solutions. Each week brings a new crisis that must be addressed. Through it all, I remain focused on my core mission: helping lead our country, delivering for our Hawaiʻi, helping you and yours and staying in touch back home. Here are a few key updates. As always, I welcome your guidance and questions.Enforcing Our Immigration Laws. We must enforce our immigration laws. If those laws are broken or outdated, we must fix them. For decades we have failed to do either, leading to the challenges we face today.But enforcement, as with other laws, must always be fair, consistent, and grounded in our Constitution, laws and values. That is not the path of the current administration and leadership of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in Minnesota and elsewhere in our country.Last week, I spoke before the full House to condemn ICE’s recent actions, saying: “Brutality and death in our streets. So-called leaders trashing victims and their grieving families. Warrantless searches. Fear in our own citizens. This is unacceptable. This is un-American. ICE must be reformed, and until it is, neither ICE nor DHS should be fully funded.” Here is a video of my speech, and here is my written speech.I was speaking in support of a measure to fund over 70% of our government and avoid still another shutdown, while providing a very short ten-day window to fully reform ICE. I said: “The best way for us to reform ICE is to keep our laser focus on ICE.” Our immigration enforcement should follow the same rules we expect in our other law enforcement: basic standards and training, body cameras, court-approved search warrants, no stops based on ethnicity, transparency, and consequences for misconduct. Unless and until then, ICE, CBP and other DHS agencies charged with enforcing our immigration laws should not be funded.Delivering Results Through Appropriations. As an eighth-year member of the exclusive House Appropriations Committee, I am responsible for how all federal discretionary funding is spent each year (some $1.6 trillion currently). For Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, with all parts of our government except DHS now fully funded, I’m proud of the results, which again deliver billions of dollars in federal assistance to Hawai‘i for key areas like our unacceptably high cost of living.You can find detailed summaries of each funding bill, both nationally for Hawai‘i, here:Commerce-Justice-Science and Related AgenciesDefenseEnergy and Water and Related AgenciesFinancial Services and General GovernmentInterior, Environmental Protection Agency and Related AgenciesHomeland SecurityLabor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related AgenciesNational Security, Department of State and Related ProgramsTransportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related AgenciesAgricultureVeterans Affairs and Military Construction Legislative BranchHere’s just a sampling of many highlights from the many areas where our federal government assists us:$22 million for the East-West Center in Honolulu, which is central to Hawaii’s leading role in the Pacific.$8.2 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, on which over a hundred thousand of our residents depend for food security. $460 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides food assistance to our low-income seniors.$67 million for Sanctuaries and Marine Protected Areas, which supports Papahānaumokuākea and our Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale sanctuaries. $104 million for the Climate Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes program, which supports our Atmospheric Baseline Observatories, including the Mauna Loa Observatory where the famous Keeling Curve proving rapid climate change was developed. $30 million to continue efforts to replace Oahu's outdated air surveillance radar, which is a key part of the defense of Hawai‘i from missile attacks$267 million for Civil-Military Programs, which supports Hawaii’s Youth Challenge Academy. $329 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program, which focuses on reducing energy costs.$220 million for the Solar Energy Program, which advances our renewable energy goals.$324 million for the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, which provides affordable financing for community improvement efforts. $116 million for U.S. Coast Guard operations and support for Indo-Pacific expansion.$76 million for State Fire Assistance, which assists our foresters and local communities in wildfire prevention, mitigation, control, and suppression on non-federal lands.$5 million for the State of the Birds Program, which funds recovery activities for endangered Native Hawaiian birds.$12.4 billion for Head Start, one of our core anti-poverty and advancement programs.$285 million for Registered Apprenticeships Program, which focuses on workforce development to solid, well-paying jobs.$6.8 million for the Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program, which focuses on Native Hawaiian veteran needs.$175 million for assistance to our Pacific Island country ‘ohana. $4.4 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, which focuses on getting those in critical need off our streets.$66 billion for rental assistance programs, which focuses on keeping people sheltered and focused on self-sufficiency. I also secured another strong year for my Community Project Funding (CPF), where Members of Congress, under strict guidelines, can request specific project funding for district priorities. My Appropriations Committee approved all fifteen of my CPF requests. Here’s the list:$142 million (joint with my Hawai‘i Congressional delegation colleagues) for the Water Treatment Plant project at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to ensure safe drinking water for Pearl Harbor and the surrounding military installations. $2 million for the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation to repair Aloha Tower, including its 40-foot mast, the crown of the tower and windows to weatherproof this iconic landmark of our Honolulu.$1 million for the Hawai‘i Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to upgrade the sewer infrastructure at Papakōlea. $1 million for the City and County of Honolulu for its Waikīkī Vista Project, which will convert former Tokai University and Hawai‘i Pacific University classrooms into a consolidated, family-friendly emergency shelter and additional affordable housing units for low-income families.$1 million for the Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources to survey and remove invasive coral spread at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. $1 million for the University of Hawai‘i for its Fireshed Partnerships program, which would facilitate wildfire risk reduction. $1 million for the Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources to restore fishpond habitat and enhance water quality at Maunalua Fishpond in East Honolulu. $1 million for Hawai‘i Pacific University to develop its Aquaculture Program, to improve our local workforce pipeline and bolster the aquaculture industry in Hawaiʻi. $1 million for the Honolulu Police Department to acquire a new Emergency Mobile Command Vehicle to replace its current vehicle which is over 20 years old. $850,000 for the City and County of Honolulu to support its Safe Harbor Support for Housing Survivors of Domestic Violence project, which will expand the Domestic Violence Action Center’s successful housing program by supporting property acquisition and staffing to increase safe and stable housing options for survivors and their children.$850,000 for Kalihi Waena Elementary School to construct a new single-span pedestrian bridge with American with Disabilities Act-compliant access between Kūhiō Park Terrace and the school.$300,000 for Highlands Intermediate School to modernize and expand its media center infrastructure to create a collaborative, technology-driven learning environment that fosters student creativity, innovation and digital literacy. $250,000 for the Hawai‘i State Parks System and Hawai‘i Nature Center in Makiki to upgrade educational and operational facilities, including classroom expansion and replacement of a sustainable wetland wastewater system supporting environmental education for thousands of Title I students annually. $250,000 for the Hawai‘i State Broadband Office for broadband infrastructure development in our local community centers.$1 million for the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Operations Center IT Modernization Project (pending DHS measure approval).Although we are still finishing FY 2026, I have been working on upcoming FY 2027 since late last year. Your input matters; what should be my top priorities for Hawaiʻi? Learn more and share your thoughts here.Overseeing the Trump Administration. I have always said that I will work with any administration and congressional colleague where it benefits our country and Hawaiʻi. One area where I work with the current administration and many of my Congressional colleagues on a nonpartisan basis is strengthening our national defense in the Indo-Pacific. But where policies and actions are harmful, unlawful, or contrary to our values, I will oppose them. For those reasons, I have opposed many initiatives of this administration, and continue to use every tool available, from oversight, legislation and votes to public statements and litigation and more, to fulfill my duty to act as a check and balance on the executive branch and hold it accountable. Here is an updated summary of my actions.Staying Connected With You; Six More Talk Stories. In these difficult and uncertain times, staying fully connected with our Hawai‘i and you matters more than ever. I’m deeply grateful to the hundreds of you who joined my six recent in-person Talk Story community meetings, in Hawaiʻi Kai, Mō‘ili‘ili, Pearl City, Mililani, Waipahu, and Kapolei. Your questions, concerns, and manaʻo are invaluable to my efforts on Capitol Hill, and reflect the best of the democracy we all want and deserve.Here are a reel and a video with highlights from my Talk Stories: YouTube Highlight Reel| Excerpt video.Mahalo for your continued engagement and guidance. The best way to keep up with what I’m doing, provide your concerns, get your questions answered and ask for assistance is by visiting my website at https://case.house.gov/. Please also feel free to call my Honolulu office at (808) 650-6688 or email me at [email protected].

Aloha, Friend.

We continue through difficult times facing difficult challenges. Division and dysfunction hinder effective solutions. Each week brings a new crisis that must be addressed. Through it all, I remain focused on my core mission: helping lead our country, delivering for our Hawaiʻi, helping you and yours and staying in touch back home. Here are a few key updates. As always, I welcome your guidance and questions.

Enforcing Our Immigration Laws. We must enforce our immigration laws. If those laws are broken or outdated, we must fix them. For decades we have failed to do either, leading to the challenges we face today.

But enforcement, as with other laws, must always be fair, consistent, and grounded in our Constitution, laws and values. That is not the path of the current administration and leadership of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in Minnesota and elsewhere in our country.

Last week, I spoke before the full House to condemn ICE’s recent actions, saying: “Brutality and death in our streets. So-called leaders trashing victims and their grieving families. Warrantless searches. Fear in our own citizens. This is unacceptable. This is un-American. ICE must be reformed, and until it is, neither ICE nor DHS should be fully funded.” Here is a video of my speech, and here is my written speech.

I was speaking in support of a measure to fund over 70% of our government and avoid still another shutdown, while providing a very short ten-day window to fully reform ICE. I said: “The best way for us to reform ICE is to keep our laser focus on ICE.” Our immigration enforcement should follow the same rules we expect in our other law enforcement: basic standards and training, body cameras, court-approved search warrants, no stops based on ethnicity, transparency, and consequences for misconduct. Unless and until then, ICE, CBP and other DHS agencies charged with enforcing our immigration laws should not be funded.

Delivering Results Through Appropriations. As an eighth-year member of the exclusive House Appropriations Committee, I am responsible for how all federal discretionary funding is spent each year (some $1.6 trillion currently). For Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, with all parts of our government except DHS now fully funded, I’m proud of the results, which again deliver billions of dollars in federal assistance to Hawai‘i for key areas like our unacceptably high cost of living.

You can find detailed summaries of each funding bill, both nationally for Hawai‘i, here:

Here’s just a sampling of many highlights from the many areas where our federal government assists us:

$22 million for the East-West Center in Honolulu, which is central to Hawaii’s leading role in the Pacific.
$8.2 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, on which over a hundred thousand of our residents depend for food security.
$460 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides food assistance to our low-income seniors.
$67 million for Sanctuaries and Marine Protected Areas, which supports Papahānaumokuākea and our Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale sanctuaries.
$104 million for the Climate Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes program, which supports our Atmospheric Baseline Observatories, including the Mauna Loa Observatory where the famous Keeling Curve proving rapid climate change was developed.
$30 million to continue efforts to replace Oahu's outdated air surveillance radar, which is a key part of the defense of Hawai‘i from missile attacks
$267 million for Civil-Military Programs, which supports Hawaii’s Youth Challenge Academy.
$329 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program, which focuses on reducing energy costs.
$220 million for the Solar Energy Program, which advances our renewable energy goals.
$324 million for the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, which provides affordable financing for community improvement efforts.
$116 million for U.S. Coast Guard operations and support for Indo-Pacific expansion.
$76 million for State Fire Assistance, which assists our foresters and local communities in wildfire prevention, mitigation, control, and suppression on non-federal lands.
$5 million for the State of the Birds Program, which funds recovery activities for endangered Native Hawaiian birds.
$12.4 billion for Head Start, one of our core anti-poverty and advancement programs.
$285 million for Registered Apprenticeships Program, which focuses on workforce development to solid, well-paying jobs.
$6.8 million for the Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program, which focuses on Native Hawaiian veteran needs.
$175 million for assistance to our Pacific Island country ‘ohana.
$4.4 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, which focuses on getting those in critical need off our streets.
$66 billion for rental assistance programs, which focuses on keeping people sheltered and focused on self-sufficiency.

I also secured another strong year for my Community Project Funding (CPF), where Members of Congress, under strict guidelines, can request specific project funding for district priorities. My Appropriations Committee approved all fifteen of my CPF requests. Here’s the list:

$142 million (joint with my Hawai‘i Congressional delegation colleagues) for the Water Treatment Plant project at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to ensure safe drinking water for Pearl Harbor and the surrounding military installations.
$2 million for the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation to repair Aloha Tower, including its 40-foot mast, the crown of the tower and windows to weatherproof this iconic landmark of our Honolulu.
$1 million for the Hawai‘i Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to upgrade the sewer infrastructure at Papakōlea.
$1 million for the City and County of Honolulu for its Waikīkī Vista Project, which will convert former Tokai University and Hawai‘i Pacific University classrooms into a consolidated, family-friendly emergency shelter and additional affordable housing units for low-income families.
$1 million for the Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources to survey and remove invasive coral spread at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
$1 million for the University of Hawai‘i for its Fireshed Partnerships program, which would facilitate wildfire risk reduction.
$1 million for the Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources to restore fishpond habitat and enhance water quality at Maunalua Fishpond in East Honolulu.
$1 million for Hawai‘i Pacific University to develop its Aquaculture Program, to improve our local workforce pipeline and bolster the aquaculture industry in Hawaiʻi.
$1 million for the Honolulu Police Department to acquire a new Emergency Mobile Command Vehicle to replace its current vehicle which is over 20 years old.
$850,000 for the City and County of Honolulu to support its Safe Harbor Support for Housing Survivors of Domestic Violence project, which will expand the Domestic Violence Action Center’s successful housing program by supporting property acquisition and staffing to increase safe and stable housing options for survivors and their children.
$850,000 for Kalihi Waena Elementary School to construct a new single-span pedestrian bridge with American with Disabilities Act-compliant access between Kūhiō Park Terrace and the school.
$300,000 for Highlands Intermediate School to modernize and expand its media center infrastructure to create a collaborative, technology-driven learning environment that fosters student creativity, innovation and digital literacy.
$250,000 for the Hawai‘i State Parks System and Hawai‘i Nature Center in Makiki to upgrade educational and operational facilities, including classroom expansion and replacement of a sustainable wetland wastewater system supporting environmental education for thousands of Title I students annually.
$250,000 for the Hawai‘i State Broadband Office for broadband infrastructure development in our local community centers.
$1 million for the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Operations Center IT Modernization Project (pending DHS measure approval).

Although we are still finishing FY 2026, I have been working on upcoming FY 2027 since late last year. Your input matters; what should be my top priorities for Hawaiʻi? Learn more and share your thoughts here.

Overseeing the Trump Administration. I have always said that I will work with any administration and congressional colleague where it benefits our country and Hawaiʻi. One area where I work with the current administration and many of my Congressional colleagues on a nonpartisan basis is strengthening our national defense in the Indo-Pacific.

But where policies and actions are harmful, unlawful, or contrary to our values, I will oppose them. For those reasons, I have opposed many initiatives of this administration, and continue to use every tool available, from oversight, legislation and votes to public statements and litigation and more, to fulfill my duty to act as a check and balance on the executive branch and hold it accountable. Here is an updated summary of my actions.

Staying Connected With You; Six More Talk Stories. In these difficult and uncertain times, staying fully connected with our Hawai‘i and you matters more than ever. I’m deeply grateful to the hundreds of you who joined my six recent in-person Talk Story community meetings, in Hawaiʻi Kai, Mō‘ili‘ili, Pearl City, Mililani, Waipahu, and Kapolei. Your questions, concerns, and manaʻo are invaluable to my efforts on Capitol Hill, and reflect the best of the democracy we all want and deserve.

Here are a reel and a video with highlights from my Talk Stories: YouTube Highlight Reel| Excerpt video.

Mahalo for your continued engagement and guidance. The best way to keep up with what I’m doing, provide your concerns, get your questions answered and ask for assistance is by visiting my website at https://case.house.gov/. Please also feel free to call my Honolulu office at (808) 650-6688 or email me at [email protected].

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