U.S. Representative Colleen Hanabusa (HI-01), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted to approve the 2015 Defense Appropriations Act, which appropriates $570.4 billion for the Pentagon and defense-related programs for FY 2015.
"The Defense Appropriations Act includes funding for programs and projects that are good for Hawaii and our nation," Hanabusa said. "We continue to see how defense spending can promote educational programs, and I am happy that we were able to restore funding to programs like STARBASE and improvements to 3 DOD-impacted schools in Hawaii, which were cut as a result of the Bipartisan Budget Act. These are excellent investments in our state and our country.
"I requested additional funding for these programs in my appropriations request this year, and testified in support on Members Day, so I am pleased to see they were included in the final bill.
"I am also proud to have introduced and passed an amendment that will prevent the president from unilaterally committing U.S. forces to operations in Iraq. I believe that is a vital step in ensuring that we act responsibly and with due concern for the men and women who have volunteered to defend our nation. The amendment passed without opposition, which I take as a clear indication that we share a profound reluctance to commit our nation again to combat in the region.
"As is always the case, the Appropriations Act was not perfect. For example, I am concerned that it prohibits funding for transfers of Guantanamo detainees to the U.S. or its territories and denies funding to modify any facility in the U.S. to house detainees. I have long called for the closing of the GTMO facility, and our nation will have to confront the question of how we will accomplish that very soon. It's among the important issues that I will continue to focus on going forward."
Provisions in the bill that benefit Hawaii include:
· Builds two Virginia class subs and provides funding for two DDG-51 vessels, which will be active at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (PHNSY).
· Rejects the Obama Administration's plan to retire 11 cruisers, two of which are at PHNSY.
· Funding for 19 V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft for the Marines.
· Restores $100 million to the Defense Commissary Agency to provide reduced-price food and household goods for service-members and their families.
· Provides funding to maintain 100% of troop housing costs through the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
· Bars the use of funds for the National Security Agency (NSA) to target U.S. citizens under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
· Increases funding for sexual assault prevention and response programs.
· Funds the Defense Health Program which supports medical research, medical facility upgrades, and suicide prevention outreach programs.
· Increases funding for DoD's STARBASE program, which focuses on motivating elementary school students to explore, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
· Provides funding for Defense Department dependent schools, which educate more than 100,000 military children every year.
· Increases funding for the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, a program for at-risk youths that the Hawaii National Guard participates in.
The Defense Appropriations Act includes $491 billion in "base" funding and $79.4 billion for the war in Afghanistan and other overseas contingency activities, although 85% of the contingency funds could not be used until the Defense secretary provides Congress with a detailed spending plan for the account -- including an assurance that no funds will be used in contravention of current-law notification requirements to Congress regarding transfers of Guantánamo detainees.