Aloha, Friend. Less than four weeks remain in the current two-year 117th Congress before the commencement of the 118th Congress on January 3, 2023. My office is fully focused on completing the unfinished business of the 117th while getting as prepared as possible for what promises to be a difficult 118th. Here’s a quick report on my activities on Capitol Hill and back home, and another constituent survey asking for your guidance on some of the issues we all face as well as a very basic question going forward: how am I doing as your Congressman and where must I improve? Completing the 117th Congress/Preparing for the 118th As legislative proposals do not automatically carry over from Congress to Congress, my focus is on concluding those we can in the next few weeks while getting others off to a fast start next Congress.  My top priorities remain the work of my House Committee on Appropriations to fund our federal government for the year, as well as our annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which authorizes our defense efforts. These include in particular direction, authorization and funding for defueling and closing Red Hill, as well as an array of initiatives in various areas critical to Hawai‘i and our Indo-Pacific.  My U.S. House of Representatives passed our NDAA today and the Senate is expected to pass it and send it to the President for enactment in the next few days. Here is my release highlighting the provisions of the NDAA I sought for Hawai’i including Red Hill. Here also are summaries of my Appropriations initiatives we are focused on achieving. Reports/Talk Stories Back Home In the last month I have also continued my regular reports and talk stories back home on issues of special importance. These have included:    -A Kūpuna Report to our some-276,000 Hawai‘i residents age 65+. Here is a copy of my report.   -A Veterans Report to our some-110,000 veterans and your ‘ohana, followed up with a live talk story Veterans Roundtable with special guests Dr. Adam Robinson Jr. (VA Pacific Islands Healthcare System Director); Stacey Bonnett (incoming Honolulu VA Regional Director), Jim Horton (Director, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific), and Kelle Raitz (Supervisor, Hawai‘i Office of Veterans Services). Here is my report, and here is a replay of our talk story.    (SPECIAL NOTE to our veterans: Under our just-enacted Honoring Our Promise To Address Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act, the VA has begun accepting and approving claims for VA benefits related to exposure to deadly toxins during your service. The VA strongly advises you to file a claim immediately even if you are unsure you may qualify. The VA is holding an open event to register/provide information on PACT (as well as provide COVID and flu vaccines and basic health screenings) next Saturday, December 17th, 7:30am to 1:00pm, Ke‘ehi Lagoon Memorial, 2685 N. Nimitz Hwy., Honolulu. More information in my newsletter, or call 1-800-214-1306.)   -A Talk Story on Illicit Drugs in Hawai‘i with special guests Gary Yabuta, Director of our federally-funded Hawai‘i High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (www.hi-hidta.org); and Heather Lusk, Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Health and Harm Reduction Center (www.hhhrc.org). We addressed the trafficking and use throughout Hawai‘i of destructive illicit drugs like crystal methamphetamine (ice) and opioids (illegal or legal but abused), including the increasing presence of destructive fentanyl, and their widespread public safety, public health and community and family disruption consequences. Here is a replay of our talk story. Constituent Survey For me the end of one Congress and beginning of another is always a time of reflection. Do my priorities remain aligned with my constituents’ concerns; am I fully addressing needs; am I contributing to national leadership in areas of special concern to our country both domestic and foreign; where do I need to adjust focus; how can I outreach, communicate and listen better back home; overall how is my performance and where must I improve? I need and ask for your kōkua in this end-of-Congress assessment. May I please ask you to take a few minutes to complete this anonymous online survey here. Please feel free to use the survey to add any additional input on any issue. Please note that as this is anonymous, I won’t be able to respond directly to you on any survey questions or comments. So if you’d like me to respond specifically, please mail me directly at [email protected]. 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 . If I can help you and yours with your own questions and needs, email us at [email protected], or call us at (808) 650-6688. My staff and I wish you and yours only the best of the Holidays. Be safe and be well.