Statements from the Hawaii Delegation on President Obama's Budget

Press Release

Today, following President Obama's release of his fiscal year 2016 budget that prioritizes the middle class, Hawaii's Congressional delegation released the following statements:

Senator Mazie K. Hirono:

"Many of the priorities laid out in the President's budget reflect a commitment to stand on the side of middle class families, with key investments in research and innovation, early and higher education, national security, military construction, veterans and infrastructure. These will help create jobs and accelerate economic growth while the reforms to our broken tax system will make sure everyone pays their fair share.

"As a member of armed services and intelligence, I continue to advocate for Hawaii's major role in the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific. The budget also includes project and priorities to support a sustainable future in Hawaii and across the country, like Hawaii's "Islands Forests at Risk' Collaborative Landscape, which will provide crucial protection of native species and their habitats and is the first time Hawaii's application has ranked in the top three proposals to receive current and permanent funding. I look forward to working with the delegation to ensure these priorities are funded."

Senator Brian Schatz:

"The President's budget proposal lays out a clear path forward to ensure that our economy continues its recovery and that our economic priorities are focused on strengthening and expanding the middle class. I am pleased that the President has made clear that we should put an end to the automatic across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration, and invest in research and development, a strong national defense, education, and our nation's infrastructure.

"The budget proposal creates a fairer tax system by ending some tax breaks for the wealthiest one percent in order to provide more resources for middle-class workers and their families, clean energy programs, and investments in education programs like universal pre-K and affordable community college. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the appropriations committee to protect Hawaii's priorities and build a stronger economy for our middle class."

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard:

"We have far too many families all across Hawai'i, who are struggling just to break into the middle class so they can take care of their families and provide for their keiki, while across the country, the power and wealth lies in the hands of a very few special interests and Wall Street banks. The budget that President Obama has presented to Congress focuses on closing tax loopholes for special interests and the mega-rich, investing in infrastructure for our communities, and ending the inflexible across-the-board sequester cuts that have had a crippling effect on our military's readiness. However, there are portions of this budget that I oppose and which give me great concern. As Congress examines and amends this budget, I will continue to advocate for the unique needs of Hawai'i families, and oppose provisions which disproportionately negatively affect Hawai'i residents, like the proposed increase to airline fees which burdens our families and hurts our economy. States like Hawai'i, where air travel is the only option for necessary inter-island travel, must be exempt from these rate hikes."

Congressman Mark Takai:

"President Obama has laid out a bold commitment to help working class families, boost education, improve America's infrastructure and ensure national security. Hawaii will benefit from many of the proposals that were outlined today.

"I am glad to see proposals to increase spending on STEM education, make preschool more accessible, and increase access to affordable college education by granting students free tuition at two-year community college programs. All of these initiatives will provide our sons and daughters the knowledge and skills they require for future upward economic mobility.

"I reiterate my call to find a remedy from the harmful cuts of sequestration, for both defense and non-defense spending. If spending were to be enacted at the levels proposed within the budget, without further action from Congress, then mindless, across-the-board cuts would affect programs at every level and cause harm to our economy and national security. I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find responsible solutions to the issue of sequestration."

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