Issue Position: Native Hawaiin Issues

Issue Position

I'm honored to have spent time working with my mentor and friend, Senator Daniel K. Akaka. The first Native Hawaiian elected to the United States Congress, Senator Akaka passed the Apology Resolution which acknowledges the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and acknowledges that the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished their claims to inherent sovereignty as a people.

On the path forward, regardless of the mechanism or process in getting there, Native Hawaiians, as a people, should be empowered to determine their own future and what kind of relationship they choose to have with the U.S. federal government.

The challenge we continue to face in Congress is a failure by many to recognize Native Hawaiians as indigenous people. Native Hawaiian services and programs are constantly under attack. It's important for us to work together, to find the path forward that best serves the interests of current and future generations of Native Hawaiians.

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