Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Congressman Ed Case (HI-01), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, voted in full Committee today against the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Interior Appropriations bill that cut $2.9 billion from programs and agencies that support public lands and our nation’s natural resources.
The Interior, Environment and Related Appropriations bill funds the U.S. Department of the Interior, including the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service and various independent agencies including the National Endowments on Arts and the Humanities. The bill’s FY 2026 discretionary funding level is $38 billion. This is a decrease of $2.9 billion from the FY 2025 enacted level.
“While these measures fund many critical Hawai‘i and priorities I requested, I regrettably had to vote against this version because it cripples efforts to deal with climate change by defunding all of the climate work by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” said Case.
“It further decimates public lands by slashing funding for the National Park Service and gutting key conservation agencies that protect our parks, forests and wildlife. It also undermines museums and cultural institutions, cutting support for the Smithsonian and slashing the arts and humanities by $72 million each.”
In full Committee debate on the measure, Case voiced his strong opposition to the bill’s proposed $1.7 billion in cuts to federal support for Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds (see remarks here: https://youtu.be/0w197WN4wys).
These vital programs offer low-cost financing to local communities for a broad spectrum of water quality infrastructure projects. They have played a critical role in efforts to remediate Red Hill, including supporting technical assistance for source water protection, and are critical to continued maintenance of Hawaii’s drinking water quality.
“Red Hill reinforced all over again that in an island community our water systems are fragile and priceless,” Case said.
“We need sustained investment not just to meet the urgent demands of remediation, but to ensure the long-term safety, resilience, and sustainability of our water infrastructure. We cannot cut back now on the very programs that have made that possible over the last half century,” Case said.
Continued support for the State Revolving Funds is also essential to Hawaii’s ability to confront emerging contaminants like PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” which pose serious risks to public health and the environment. Furthermore, these funds are critical for moving forward on 38 high-priority water infrastructure projects across the state. These projects strengthen drinking water safety, improve wastewater treatment, and build long-term resilience in Hawaii’s water systems. Without adequate federal investment, many of these initiatives risk delay or cancellation, leaving our communities vulnerable.
However, the measure added several of Case’s priority requests, including:
· $5 million for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s State of the Birds Activities to respond to the urgent needs of critically endangered birds that now face possible extinction. These funds will help save numerous endemic birds in Hawai‘i that have been devastated by climate change and avian malaria.
· $45 million for the U.S. Geological Survey Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program.
· $66 million for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Climate Adaptation Science Centers, which includes the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center based out of the University of Hawai‘i-Mānoa. These centers provide regionally relevant scientific information, tools and techniques to resource managers and communities in Hawai‘i in response to our changing climate.
· $63 million for State Historic Preservation Offices, which will help preserve Hawaii’s treasured historic properties.
· $80 million for State Fire Assistance, which provides financial and technical support directly to states to enhance firefighting capacity, support community-based hazard mitigation and expand outreach and education to homeowners and communities concerning fire prevention.
· $20 million for the Joint Fire Science Program, which supports a national collaboration of fire science exchanges providing science information to federal, state, local, tribal and private stakeholders.
· $5 million for Japanese Confinement Site Grants and funding for the Amache National Historic Site, which was one of ten incarceration sites established by the War Relocation Authority during World War II to detain Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their communities on the West Coast.
Through his assignment on the Committee, Case was also able to secure a Member-designated Community Project Funding (CPF) project of $1,092,000 for the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) to upgrade the sewer infrastructure at Papakōlea.
“Papakōlea is the only Hawaiian Home Lands community located in central Honolulu with more than 300 homes and some 1,300 residents,” said Case. “As the infrastructure in Papakōlea ages, the sewer system has become susceptible to cracks, root intrusions and other defects that diminish the effectiveness of the service lines. My CPF will assist DHHL to work on a sewer line rehabilitation/replacement program for the community.”
The House’s CPF rules require that each project must have demonstrated community support, must be fully disclosed by the requesting Member and must be subject to audit by the independent Government Accountability Office. Case’s disclosures are here: https://case.house.gov/services/funding-disclosures.htm.
A summary of the bill is available here.
This is the eighth bill of twelve separate bills developed and approved by the Appropriations Committee that would fund the federal government at some $1.6 trillion for FY 2026 commencing October 1st of this year. The bill now moves on to the full House of Representatives for its consideration.
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