House Agriculture Subcommittee Holds First Hearing with Rep. Tokuda as Ranking Member & Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council as Witness
Washington, DC - Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology held its first hearing of the 119th Congress with U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) servingas Ranking Member. Nicole Galase, Managing Director of the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, testified as a witness. Both women strongly supported and promoted food producers and conservation programs statewide. “The weather isn't what it used to be. No matter what you want to call it — climate … Continue Reading
May 29, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Condemns Decision to Pause Job Corps Operations
Washington, DC -- Today, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) announced plans to pause operations at all contractor-run Job Corps centers nationwide, including Hawaiʻi’s nationally recognized programs on Maui and Oʻahu. "I am outraged by the Department of Labor’s reckless decision to halt operations at Job Corps centers, a lifeline for young people in Hawaiʻi and across the country. This isn’t budget management; … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Warren, Merkley, Tokuda Renew Fight to Hold Soldiers Accountable for Wounded Knee Massacre
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), along with Congresswoman Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), reintroduced the Remove the Stain Act. The bill would revoke the Medal of Honor from the soldiers who perpetrated the Wounded Knee massacre on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota on December 29, 1890. During the massacre, U.S. soldiers slaughtered hundreds of Lakota men, women, and children—most of them unarmed. Twenty U.S. soldiers were awarded the … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Votes Against Republicans’ “Big Ugly Bill”
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) voted against passage of Republicans’ budget bill which implements President Trump’s agenda to permanently give tax cuts to the wealthy while gutting essential social safety net programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP that millions of Americans depend on for health care and food. Despite House Democrats’ united opposition and efforts to delay and prevent the bill’s passage, House Republicans rammed the budget bill through … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Hirono, Tokuda Lead Hawaii Delegation in Reintroducing Legislation to Improve Affordability of Health Care for Native Hawaiian Veterans
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representatives Jill Tokuda (D-HI) and Ed Case (D-HI) and U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Brian Schatz (D-HI) reintroduced the Parity for Native Hawaiian Veterans Act, legislation to improve the affordability of health care services for Native Hawaiian veterans. Among other things, the bill would eliminate copays for Native Hawaiian veterans for care received through the Department of Veterans Affairs … Continue Reading
May 13, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Introduces Bill to Empower Law Enforcement Efforts to Crack Down on Ghost Guns
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) introduced the Gun Hardware Oversight and Shipment Tracking (GHOST) Act to help law enforcement prevent the spread ofunserialized firearms, also known as “ghost guns.”Police departments across the country are reporting a surge in ghost guns recovered from crime scenes, including firearms assembled using 3D-printed parts. The GHOST Act would help law enforcement stay ahead of this emerging threat by developing a system to … Continue Reading
May 07, 2025
Hawai‘i Congressional Delegation Reintroduces Legislation to Safeguard Health Care For Seniors In Hawai‘i
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representatives Jill Tokuda (D-Hawai‘i) and Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) today introduced the PATCH (Protecting Access To Care in Hawai‘i) Act as part of a renewed push to address ongoing challenges in Hawai‘i’s health care system. This bipartisan, bicameral bill aims to ensure seniors across the islands can continue to receive quality medical care by adjusting Medicare reimbursement rates for local … Continue Reading
May 04, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Announces Winner of Congressional Art Competition
Kāneʻohe, HI - Yesterday, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) announced Hawaiʻi’s Second Congressional District Winner of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Artistic Discovery Contest in a ceremony held at Windward Community College. Artwork was submitted from multiple islands. Professors from UH West Oʻahu and Windward Community College assisted in judging and selecting the finalists. A pencil on paper drawing titled “Self-Portrait” was selected as the winner. The artist is Emily-Ann … Continue Reading
May 02, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Releases Statement on the Elimination of Funding for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant In President’s FY 2026 “Skinny” Discretionary Budget
“I am deeply disappointed, yet sadly not surprised, by President Trump’s ‘skinny budget’ proposal to eliminate funding for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant in the upcoming fiscal year. This action is a blatant betrayal and shows complete disregard for the federal trust responsibility to Native Hawaiians and unfairly shifts the duty solely to the State of Hawai‘i, ignoring generations of legal, historical, and moral obligations to this community. Claiming there is only one grantee shows … Continue Reading
April 24, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Joins Waiʻanae Community for Peace Pole Installation Fronting Makua Military Reservation
Waiʻanae, HI - This week, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) joined members of Mālama Mākua and the Waiʻanae Moku Kupuna Council, with support from U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii, for the installation of a Peace Pole in front of Makua Military Reservation. The Peace Pole, inscribed with “May Peace Prevail on Earth” and “Hoʻomaluhia Me Ka Honua,” is part of a global project to promote harmony and unity, while also acknowledging the harms and impacts of past and present conflicts. “During this … Continue Reading
April 10, 2025
McGovern and Tokuda Reintroduce Resolution Calling for Renewed U.S. Leadership on Nuclear Disarmament
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representatives James P. McGovern (MA-02) and Jill Tokuda (HI-02) reintroduced a House resolution urging the United States to return to the negotiating table on nuclear disarmament and to lead a global effort to reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons. The resolution, H. Res. 317, reaffirms the United States’ moral and strategic obligation to prevent nuclear war and calls on the United States to pursue a world free of nuclear weapons as a national security … Continue Reading
April 08, 2025
Reps. Tokuda, Timmons Launch Bipartisan Congressional Coffee Caucus
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representatives Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02) and William Timmons (R-SC-04) launched the Congressional Coffee Caucus to provide a forum to uplift coffee’s positive impact on the U.S. economy and help strengthen the resilience of the crop’s global supply chain. "Coffee is more than just a daily ritual—it’s a vital pillar of our economy, supporting millions of farmers, businesses, and communities across the country. From the fields in my home state of Hawaiʻi, to the … Continue Reading
April 07, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Leads Bipartisan Effort to Protect Labor Rights of DoD Educators
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) led 44 bipartisan Members of Congress in urging the Secretary of Defense to protect the collective bargaining rights of educators and educational support staff at the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). The letter requests that the Secretary of Defense respond by no later than Thursday, April 10, 2025. On March 27, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order removing collective bargaining rights for federal … Continue Reading
March 31, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Reintroduces Bill to Stop Illegal Campaign Coordination
Washington, DC - On Thursday, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) reintroduced the Stop Illegal Campaign Coordination Act to tackle the influence of dark money in federal elections and help restore Americans’ trust in their democracy. Federal law prohibits campaigns from coordinating their messaging and communications with outside groups like super PACs, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from corporate and special interests. Yet campaigns have skirted these laws … Continue Reading
March 27, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Recognized as One of the Most Effective Lawmakers in the 118th Congress
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) has been recognized as one of the most effective lawmakers of the 118th Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL), earning a Legislative Effectiveness Score (LES) that places her among the top ten most effective Democratic lawmakers in a Republican-controlled House. She was the only Democratic freshman to be recognized. The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is a joint research, education, and outreach initiative between … Continue Reading
March 26, 2025
Reps. Jill Tokuda and Nikema Williams Lead Colleagues in Demanding President Trump Cease Attacks on the U.S. Institute of Peace
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representatives Jill N. Tokuda (HI-02) and Nikema Williams (GA-05) led 20 members of Congress in demanding that President Trump halt his administration’s ongoing attacks on the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), including the unlawful firing of the USIP Board, trespass onto USIP property, and efforts to shut down the independent organization completely. On Friday, March 14, 2025, the Trump administration tried to unlawfully fire USIP’s board, even though Congress … Continue Reading
March 25, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Leads Colleagues in Urgent Request to Reinstate Terminated Agricultural Inspectors
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) announced she led 32 of her colleagues in a letter urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to urgently re-hire terminated Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) agricultural inspectors. Since February, USDA has terminated at least 5,692 probationary employees, including a reported 200 workers in the plant protection and quarantine program of APHIS. Court orders to reinstate employees have not immediately gone … Continue Reading
March 25, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Issues Statement on U.S. Department of Labor's Incremental Funding for Maui
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor announced an incremental award of $2.5 million to continue employment and training services for those impacted by the Maui wildfires: "I am happy to announce that $2.5 million in incremental funding through the National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG) has been released for Hawaiʻi to further support workers and communities impacted by the Maui wildfires. While this … Continue Reading
March 20, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Releases Statement on Trump Gutting the U.S. Dept. of Education
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) issued the following statement after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin dismantling the U.S. Dept. of Education: “Gutting the U.S. Department of Education is one of the most personal, egregious cuts, especially as a parent, that President Trump can make. He has already bullied employees into retirement or fired them, and by returning the DOE back to the State, he is robbing keiki of the quality education … Continue Reading
March 20, 2025
Rep. Tokuda Joins House Democrats Urging Administration to Protect Social Security Phone Service
Washington, DC -Yesterday, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) joined 61 House Democrats in a letter sent to the Social Security Administration (SSA) expressing deep concerns over their plan to eliminate or reduce telephone services for beneficiaries. Yesterday, SSA announced an overly burdensome change to seniors lacking transportation options and broadband connectivity, especially those living in rural and remote parts of the country. Beginning March 31, new and existing recipients who … Continue Reading