Case's House Appropriations Committee Fiscal Year 2027 Veterans And Military Construction Measure Advances His Priorities For Hawaii And Indo-Pacific

This press release from Representative Ed Case (D-HI) was published on 2026-04-22 and titled "Case's House Appropriations Committee Fiscal Year 2027 Veterans And Military Construction Measure Advances His Prioritie". It focuses on healthcare and touches on the economy, taxes.

Case's House Appropriations Committee Fiscal Year 2027 Veterans And Military Construction Measure Advances His Priorities For Hawaii And Indo-Pacific

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (HI-01), an eight-year member of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, responsible for all federal discretionary funding, reported that Appropriations yesterday approved its first of twelve annual Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 funding measures, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations bill. The measures fund military facilities throughout the Department of Defense, as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and various small agencies and programs supporting our nation’s some 18 million veterans, including over 112,000 throughout Hawai‘i. As passed by the Committee, the bill’s FY 2027 total funding is $157 billion, nearly $20 billion above the FY 2026 enacted level. “I voted for our MilCon-VA FY 2027 measure because it advances our key military infrastructure worldwide as well as our multiple efforts for our veterans and their families, secures further hundreds of millions in investments in Hawaii’s military facilities which strengthen our state’s number two economic driver, protects key Native Hawaiian programs from elimination, and moves forward a second national cemetery to supplement a near-capacity Punchbowl,” said Case, who previously served on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and currently serves on its Subcommittees on Defense and Homeland Security. During full Committee consideration of the bill, Case spoke on the critical need to reinvest in Hawaii’s aging military infrastructure (see here ). He highlighted several key deficiencies, including failing sewage treatment systems at Pearl Harbor. Also in this bill, Case successfully worked to protect Native Hawaiian programs that are under direct threats from by the Trump administration. “My Committee agreed with my requests to maintain contracting preferences for Native Hawaiians in the VA; continue funding for the Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program that assists Native Hawaiian veterans; and support the VA Center for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islander (NHPIUSAPI) Veterans Health." Case further worked to advance the health care needs of veterans residing in the Freely Associated States (Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of Palau), as agreed to in the renewed Compacts of Free Association between the U.S. and those countries. Further details follow: Veterans-Related Programs The bill provides $137 billion in discretionary spending for veterans-related programs, an increase of $4 billion above the FY 2026 enacted level. “Hawaii’s veterans and their families make up one of the largest percentages of any state in our nation including in such key areas like women and minority veterans,” said Case. “While this bill includes some important investments both parties can support, we must continue to do everything we can to lower the cost of living for our veterans and ensure they are able to find jobs, feed their families and keep roofs over their heads.” The measure also continues support for the VA Center for NHPIUSAPI Veterans Health. The Center’s doctors and scientists coordinate research from all over the Pacific Islands and the United States to specifically address veterans healthcare in the Hawaiian Islands and throughout the Pacific. The Center works with the University of Hawai‘i, and the bill encourages the VA to continue partnering with universities in the Pacific region focusing on issues unique to the NHPIUSAPI community. The Committee accepted Case’s amendment (see here ) to redirect the VA’s efforts to expand medical care for veterans living in the Freely Associated States (FAS), as previously instructed to do so by Congress. Citizens of the FAS enlist in the U.S. military at some of the highest enlistment rates per capita. In exchange for exclusive military basing rights, the U.S. provides the military defense of these countries as part of a decades-long compact agreement. In 2024, the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act gave the VA the authority to provide medical services and beneficiary travel benefits to U.S. veterans in the FAS. To date, the VA has not exercised this authority. “U.S. veterans in the FAS deserve the same care as all other service members without having to navigate unjustified barriers or traveling long distances to get the case they need,” said Case. “Today's amendment will help clarify Congressional direction to provide these veterans the care they earned.” The Committee included language requested by Case directing the VA to provide a report assessing the need and options for building a new national veterans cemetery in Hawai‘i, including the costs and size of land needed to support burials for the next 50 years. Case secured the language because the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific has been essentially closed to casketed burials since 1991 and will stop accepting cremated re