August 2024 Constituent Survey Results; Maui Wildfire Response Update; Constituent Services Highlight

Aloha, Friend.As we enter the last four months of our current 118th Congress, I report back to you on your responses to my recent constituent survey, update you on our Maui wildfire response, and highlight my office’s services for individual constituent needs.August 2024 Constituent Survey ResultsI deeply appreciate the many responses to my survey here, not only the answers but the individual comments, all of which I read. Your responses are invaluable guides for my actions and decisions in Congress on your behalf. Below are the straight results and some quick comments. There is much more on my actions in these and other areas at case.house.gov, and I welcome your further questions and comments at [email protected]’s most concerning you now? (Individuals could choose up to five)Inflation/cost of living50%Crime/public safety/gun violence39%Social Security/Medicare and other kupuna programs35%Environment/climate change35%Federal spending/budget deficits/debt31%Political division/polarization/gridlock30%Roe v. Wade/abortion/women's right of choice27%Economy/business/jobs27%Immigration/border security26%Other/Comment: 24%Health care22%Education, child care and other efforts for our keiki18%Taxes17%Israel-Hamas conflict16%Civil rights and justice15%How much are you being affected by inflation and higher costs of living? Somewhat affected57%Seriously affected35%Not affected8%If you are being affected by inflation and higher costs of living, which areas are affecting you most?Food85%Household goods and supplies59%Utilities/electricity50%Transportation/auto/gas43%Housing/rent40%Health care31%Other/Comment:15%Recreation14%Education8%Inflation and the cost of living rightly remain our top concern and continue to require our full attention. While the rate of inflation is back down to more normal levels and salaries and wages are up, the increased cost of food, housing, energy, gas, health care and other life necessities is a real hardship for way too many. There is no one answer; we must continue to pursue all of growing our economy and jobs, repairing shaky supply chains, removing barriers to fair consumer costs like artificially high shipping rates, and maintaining a responsible safety net for those in real need. As one bright spot, our Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 capped prescription drug prices for key diabetes and other medicines and finally forced the drug companies to negotiate a fair market rate for several other key drugs under Medicare. Lower prices are now under negotiation for the first ten drugs, for diabetes, heart and kidney disease, arthritis, blood clots and more. Details here.Crime is also a real issue, as just the last few weeks of tragic gun violence and death among our ‘ohana show. Although many crimes are decreasing (such as motor vehicle theft and aggravated assault), murders are up by 19% compared to this time last year. The answers lie at all levels of government and throughout our communities, from more and better law enforcement presence to addressing root causes of crime. I remain fully committed at the federal level to all of these efforts. As a few examples, I supported the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which included $1.5 billion of supplemental appropriations for various anti-crime grant programs, including the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative. Additionally, my House Appropriations Committee passed a Fiscal Year 2025 funding bill that included funding for key law enforcement programs, including:$848 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne-JAG). Byrne-JAG is the leading federal source of criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions.$667 million, for Violence Against Women Act programs. These programs support comprehensive, cost-effective responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.$670 million for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). The COPS program is designed to provide funding directly to law enforcement agencies to hire and/or rehire additional career law enforcement officers to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. $51 million for the Anti-Methamphetamine and Anti-Heroin Task Forces. You can learn more about my efforts to fight crime through our appropriations bills here. What are your views on our country’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? Current approach (defense and humanitarian aid but no troops is adequate42%Increase U.S. aid to Ukraine for defense and humanitarian needs33%Decrease U.S. aid to Ukraine18%Increase U.S. aid for humanitarian but not defense needs.4%Deploy U.S. troops to Ukraine to assist in Ukraine's defense3% The outcome of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to have very high stakes not only for Ukraine but for the whole world. The People’s Republic of China and other authoritarian regimes are watching very closely and are certainly guided in their own actions by our response and the result.As a member of our House Appropriations Committee, I helped draft and pass through Congress measures that have provided some $130 billion to assist Ukraine in its military, economic and humanitarian needs. More will be required, but what is certain is that the costs of not assisting Ukraine today will be far higher later.How concerned are you about the People’s Republic of China? Very concerned42%Somewhat concerned45%Not concerned13%I agree with the great majority that the People’s Republic of China (PRC), at least on its current path, is a real threat that, like Ukraine, will be far worse if not addressed now. As one response, earlier this year I supported our Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, which provided an additional $8.1 billion to counter the PRC’s actions in our Indo-Pacific.How do you rate the federal government’s response to the Maui wildfires disaster? Positive41%Neutral31%Very positive12%Negative9%Very negative7%I agree that on balance the federal government’s response has been positive, but much remains to be done and there are many lessons to be learned. Please see my further response below.How does Social Security affect you personally? It is currently a major source of income39%When I'm eligible I expect it to be a major source of my income27%When I'm eligible I expect it to be a minor source of my income17%It is currently a minor source of my income17%I am fully committed to protecting Social Security, an absolute core program of government since its establishment in 1935. But the reality – and this comes from the trustees of Social Security themselves – is that absent corrective action Social Security is on track to insolvency by the early 2030s, which may result in reductions of present and future benefits for millions of Americans. The good news is that there are common sense steps that can be taken which will avoid this result, but that will require facing reality and making the necessary decisions. I will devote a future e-newsletter to the realities and options and ask for your own input. What is your general political philosophy? Moderate35%Lean Liberal18%Strong Liberal16%Lean Conservative13%Strong Conservative8%Prefer Not to Answer10%Maui Wildfire Recovery / Hawai‘i Wildfire Prevention, Mitigation and Response PlanAs we pass through the one-year anniversary of the devastating and tragic Maui wildfires, our federal government has already devoted some $3 billion to Maui’s recovery, including some $463 million in direct assistance to survivors. But clearly much more remains to be done, starting with further federal funding of survivor assistance and recovery efforts. I have pursued and continue to pursue this assistance primarily through my Appropriations Committee including my Homeland Security Subcommittee with jurisdiction over our main federal agency currently helping Maui, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). I have also worked in full partnership with my Hawai‘i Congressional delegation partners; see our joint letter on further funding need here. And yesterday I joined Congresswoman Tokuda, along with Congressman Pete Sessions of Texas, Chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s Subcommittee on Federal Operations and Congresswoman Katie Porter of California, Maui Mayor Bissen, FEMA and other federal and state agencies and community members in a Congressional hearing in Lahaina to evaluate the federal government’s response, what more is required, and how to improve the federal response for future disasters.

Aloha, Friend.

As we enter the last four months of our current 118th Congress, I report back to you on your responses to my recent constituent survey, update you on our Maui wildfire response, and highlight my office’s services for individual constituent needs.

August 2024 Constituent Survey Results

I deeply appreciate the many responses to my survey here, not only the answers but the individual comments, all of which I read. Your responses are invaluable guides for my actions and decisions in Congress on your behalf.

Below are the straight results and some quick comments. There is much more on my actions in these and other areas at case.house.gov, and I welcome your further questions and comments at [email protected].

What’s most concerning you now? (Individuals could choose up to five)

Inflation/cost of living	50%
Crime/public safety/gun violence	39%
Social Security/Medicare and other kupuna programs	35%
Environment/climate change	35%
Federal spending/budget deficits/debt	31%
Political division/polarization/gridlock	30%
Roe v. Wade/abortion/women's right of choice	27%
Economy/business/jobs	27%
Immigration/border security	26%
Other/Comment:	24%
Health care	22%
Education, child care and other efforts for our keiki	18%
Taxes	17%
Israel-Hamas conflict	16%
Civil rights and justice	15%

How much are you being affected by inflation and higher costs of living?

Somewhat affected	57%
Seriously affected	35%
Not affected	8%

If you are being affected by inflation and higher costs of living, which areas are affecting you most?

Food	85%
Household goods and supplies	59%
Utilities/electricity	50%
Transportation/auto/gas	43%
Housing/rent	40%
Health care	31%
Other/Comment:	15%
Recreation	14%
Education	8%

Inflation and the cost of living rightly remain our top concern and continue to require our full attention. While the rate of inflation is back down to more normal levels and salaries and wages are up, the increased cost of food, housing, energy, gas, health care and other life necessities is a real hardship for way too many. There is no one answer; we must continue to pursue all of growing our economy and jobs, repairing shaky supply chains, removing barriers to fair consumer costs like artificially high shipping rates, and maintaining a responsible safety net for those in real need.

As one bright spot, our Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 capped prescription drug prices for key diabetes and other medicines and finally forced the drug companies to negotiate a fair market rate for several other key drugs under Medicare. Lower prices are now under negotiation for the first ten drugs, for diabetes, heart and kidney disease, arthritis, blood clots and more. Details here.

Crime is also a real issue, as just the last few weeks of tragic gun violence and death among our ‘ohana show. Although many crimes are decreasing (such as motor vehicle theft and aggravated assault), murders are up by 19% compared to this time last year.

The answers lie at all levels of government and throughout our communities, from more and better law enforcement presence to addressing root causes of crime. I remain fully committed at the federal level to all of these efforts.

As a few examples, I supported the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which included $1.5 billion of supplemental appropriations for various anti-crime grant programs, including the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative. Additionally, my House Appropriations Committee passed a Fiscal Year 2025 funding bill that included funding for key law enforcement programs, including:

$848 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne-JAG). Byrne-JAG is the leading federal source of criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions.
$667 million, for Violence Against Women Act programs. These programs support comprehensive, cost-effective responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.
$670 million for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). The COPS program is designed to provide funding directly to law enforcement agencies to hire and/or rehire additional career law enforcement officers to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.
$51 million for the Anti-Methamphetamine and Anti-Heroin Task Forces.

You can learn more about my efforts to fight crime through our appropriations bills here.

What are your views on our country’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

Current approach (defense and humanitarian aid but no troops is adequate	42%
Increase U.S. aid to Ukraine for defense and humanitarian needs	33%
Decrease U.S. aid to Ukraine	18%
Increase U.S. aid for humanitarian but not defense needs.	4%
Deploy U.S. troops to Ukraine to assist in Ukraine's defense	3%

The outcome of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to have very high stakes not only for Ukraine but for the whole world. The People’s Republic of China and other authoritarian regimes are watching very closely and are certainly guided in their own actions by our response and the result.

As a member of our House Appropriations Committee, I helped draft and pass through Congress measures that have provided some $130 billion to assist Ukraine in its military, economic and humanitarian needs. More will be required, but what is certain is that the costs of not assisting Ukraine today will be far higher later.

How concerned are you about the People’s Republic of China?

Very concerned	42%
Somewhat concerned	45%
Not concerned	13%

I agree with the great majority that the People’s Republic of China (PRC), at least on its current path, is a real threat that, like Ukraine, will be far worse if not addressed now. As one response, earlier this year I supported our Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, which provided an additional $8.1 billion to counter the PRC’s actions in our Indo-Pacific.

How do you rate the federal government’s response to the Maui wildfires disaster?

Positive	41%
Neutral	31%
Very positive	12%
Negative	9%
Very negative	7%

I agree that on balance the federal government’s response has been positive, but much remains to be done and there are many lessons to be learned. Please see my further response below.

How does Social Security affect you personally?

It is currently a major source of income	39%
When I'm eligible I expect it to be a major source of my income	27%
When I'm eligible I expect it to be a minor source of my income	17%
It is currently a minor source of my income	17%

I am fully committed to protecting Social Security, an absolute core program of government since its establishment in 1935. But the reality – and this comes from the trustees of Social Security themselves – is that absent corrective action Social Security is on track to insolvency by the early 2030s, which may result in reductions of present and future benefits for millions of Americans. The good news is that there are common sense steps that can be taken which will avoid this result, but that will require facing reality and making the necessary decisions. I will devote a future e-newsletter to the realities and options and ask for your own input.

What is your general political philosophy?

Moderate	35%
Lean Liberal	18%
Strong Liberal	16%
Lean Conservative	13%
Strong Conservative	8%
Prefer Not to Answer	10%

Maui Wildfire Recovery / Hawai‘i Wildfire Prevention, Mitigation and Response Plan

As we pass through the one-year anniversary of the devastating and tragic Maui wildfires, our federal government has already devoted some $3 billion to Maui’s recovery, including some $463 million in direct assistance to survivors. But clearly much more remains to be done, starting with further federal funding of survivor assistance and recovery efforts. I have pursued and continue to pursue this assistance primarily through my Appropriations Committee including my Homeland Security Subcommittee with jurisdiction over our main federal agency currently helping Maui, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

I have also worked in full partnership with my Hawai‘i Congressional delegation partners; see our joint letter on further funding need here. And yesterday I joined Congresswoman Tokuda, along with Congressman Pete Sessions of Texas, Chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s Subcommittee on Federal Operations and Congresswoman Katie Porter of California, Maui Mayor Bissen, FEMA and other federal and state agencies and community members in a Congressional hearing in Lahaina to evaluate the federal government’s response, what more is required, and how to improve the federal response for future disasters.

Congressman Case questioning witnesses at House Oversight Committee's Hearing on Maui Wildfires

Questioning witnesses at U.S. House Oversight Committee's September 4th hearing in Lahaina on federal government response to Maui wildfire disaster.

We must also learn the lessons of Maui in order to prevent and mitigate further wildfire disasters, especially as wildfire risks are high and growing throughout Hawai‘i. To this end, earlier this year I worked with federal and local leaders to create a comprehensive guide to federal resources to assist our Hawai‘i in preventing, mitigating and responding to continuing wildfire risks across the state.

My plan here identifies twelve key federal, state, county and non-government organizations responsible for wildfire risk and response, along with ten key existing federal programs offering financial and technical assistance. It also outlines specific further Congressional action items, from increased annual appropriations to greater military participation and changes to federal programs to improve federal participation and focus on specific needs.

My plan has guided my efforts maximize federal assistance toward preventing, mitigating and responding to any other wildfire disasters statewide. Some successes thus far include these provisions in the House Fiscal Year 2025 draft appropriations bills:

$125 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Damage Management Program.
Direction to our military to identify investments needed to support wildland firefighters located on Schofield Barracks.
$7.6 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop wildland-urban interface risk metrics to mitigate wildfire risk to communities.

I have also sent multiple letters to federal agencies on key issues related to wildfires in our state. For example, I have asked multiple federal agencies to improve federal coordination efforts on wildfire responses, requested the Army to advance efforts to build a new wildfire fighting headquarters on O‘ahu, and urged the U.S. Department of Interior to better support wildfire firefighting efforts in geographically isolated areas in the Pacific.

Constituent Services

A critical part of my job is to assist my constituents with your own needs and concerns, especially on federal issues like veterans and Social Security benefits, immigration and passports. Since 2019 I have responded to more than 10,000 individual constituent requests. Here are just a few examples:

I worked with the Navy to locate a sailor's detailed billing records for unexpected overseas medical care after his insurer would not honor his claim for tens of thousands of dollars without such records.
I worked to secure vital information for a constituent seeking help with the local tax office on eligibility for a GET tax rate for his business.
I connected a constituent with the Taxpayer Advocate Service that resulted in finally securing a delayed tax refund of more than $16,000.
A family received precious keepsakes after I worked to have several military service medals earned during WWII replaced including the coveted Silver Star that were lost in a fire.

You can learn more about my constituent services at my website here . Or by reading my recent postcard here. Or just contact us at my Honolulu district office at (808) 650-6688 or [email protected].

Constituent at Fairway Village Community Fair with Congressman Case Constituent Services Guide

A constituent at the Fairway Village Community Fair reviews my Constituent Services Guide

Pre-Election Blackout Period

This e-newsletter along with my occasional district mailers and texts are very important to my staying in touch with you. Under the rules of Congress, I cannot generally do such large-scale outreach during the sixty days before an election (the “blackout period”), which for the upcoming general election starts this Friday, September 6th. However, I can continue to send this e-newsletter report to anyone who has opted in to receiving it.

Please consider doing so here so that I can keep you fully informed and ask for your guidance for the next sixty days. (Of course, our work continues throughout the blackout period, you can continue to contact us directly, and we can continue to respond to your individual letters and calls and assist you with your concerns.)

As always, I deeply appreciate your consideration and assistance as we all work to find the best way forward for our country and Hawai‘i. For more information on my efforts and how we can help you, please visit my website at case.house.gov, email us at https://case.house.gov/contact/, or call us at (808) 650-6688.

Contact Me