Culture wars in Congress: The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act passed last week by the U.S. House of Representatives is loaded with big bucks for Hawai‘i. It includes $75 million for the Red Hill Water Treatment Plant, $33 million for an aircraft hangar and parking apron at Marine Corps Base Kāne‘ohe Bay and $1.2 billion for the new dry dock at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.
It’s no surprise that Hawaiʻi Rep. Ed Case voted for the NDAA, which totals $1.4 billion for military construction in the islands. The projects, Case said, assure that the U.S. military will create well-paying local jobs, support the energy grid and assist in wildfire mitigation, among other benefits for local communities.
But Case’s colleague, Rep. Jill Tokuda, was among a majority of Democrats to vote against the $895 billion NDAA because it bans gender-affirming care for some transgender children.
As a mother, I can’t vote for a bill that strips away healthcare from the children of our military families. Every child deserves to be their authentic selves & receive the care that helps them live freely.
Gender-affirming care is healthcare. pic.twitter.com/LU8TaIvAnP
— U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda (@RepJillTokuda) December 11, 2024
The bill moves next to the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.
On Monday, however, Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz have co-sponsored an amendment to remove the transgender language in the NDAA so that service members could access medically necessary health care for their transgender kids. The amendment came from Democratic colleague Tammy Baldwin, of Wisconsin.
The 2025 NDAA is must-pass legislation that faces a deadline this week before the holiday recess. It’s clear the GOP is already exerting its power before it officially takes over the House, the Senate and White House in January.
Not every vote counts: Speaking of Schatz, he and Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) on Monday introduced a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College “and restore democracy” by allowing the direct election of presidents through popular vote alone.
“In an election, the person who gets the most votes should win. It’s that simple,” Schatz said in a press release. “No one’s vote should count for more based on where they live. The Electoral College is outdated and it’s undemocratic. It’s time to end it.”
The Blog wishes them good luck with that one, even if it’s long overdue. Just ask Hillary Clinton. Or Al Gore.
Hawai‘i’s Electoral College, by the way, will convene Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol Auditorium so that four presidential electors from the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi may cast their votes for president and vice president of the United States. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz easily defeated Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in Hawai‘i, of course, but lost nationally.
Congress is expected to certify the 2024 election on Jan. 6. The occasion has been deemed a National Special Security Event by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
I beg your pardon: Speaking of Jan. 6 — 2021, that is — President Joe Biden, who pardoned his son Hunter Biden on Dec. 1, is considering pardoning critics of President-elect Donald Trump (Lynne Cheney for one), who himself is considering pardoning people convicted in the assault on the U.S. Capitol (like the Proud Boys and maybe the guy with the horns and face paint).
And speaking of pardons, Schatz, Hirono and Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) want Biden to pardon Leonard Peltier, the Native American activist convicted of murder in 1977. The lawmakers say there are serious concerns about the fairness of Peltier’s trial and note that he is now 80 and in poor health.
Dog fight: And if you needed more evidence that Hawaiʻi is the most expensive state to live in, the American Veterinary Medical Association says even canine kibble is costly here.
The recently released 2024 AVMA Pet Ownership and Demographic survey has Hawaiʻi at No. 1 in the nation when it comes to the annual cost of dog food, nearly 75% above the average. We rank No. 2 overall as the most expensive state for pet owners, 31% above average.
The Blog finds it interesting that the cost of annual vet visits are reported to be slightly below average here. But then again, The Blog has a cat who doesn’t get out of the clinic for less than $150 a visit.
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