All four members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation voted Saturday to pass the stopgap funding measure, citing the need for the government to stay open and the addition of $16 billion in federal disaster assistance as critical to the continued recovery in Maui from August’s deadly wildfires.
“I have been clear over and over again — our Maui ‘ohana cannot afford a government shutdown that risks slowing down the relief they need to recover and rebuild,” Rep. Jill Tokuda said in a statement.
Rep. Ed Case said in his media release that “it is especially good news that the measure adds fully $16 billion to FEMA’s rapidly depleting Disaster Relief Fund which is providing most of our Maui wildfire emergency disaster assistance.
“We have a lot more work to do, but this is a good result for now,” Case said.
Sen. Brian Schatz, who worked with congressional leaders on ensuring disaster relief money was included in any stopgap spending measure, said in a release that “we will keep working as hard as we can to bring home more federal resources.”
Schatz is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Sen. Mazie Hirono also cited the temporary spending measure’s lack of Ukraine assistance as one reason that “work remains over the next 45 days.”
The legislation approved by Congress late Saturday funds the government until Nov. 17.
Hirono, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and chairs its subcommittee on readiness and management support, said in a statement: “In the critical days ahead, Congress must also keep its commitment to fund and support Ukraine, as we’ve consistently done on a bipartisan basis.
“Failure to do so would send a dangerous message to Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping about our commitment to defending democracy and our national security,” Hirono said.
