Aloha! 

This week the Senate is debating the federal Budget for the upcoming fiscal year.  I took to the Senate floor Monday to speak in support of this important bill, and I will continue to fight for its passage.  This is hugely important for millions of Americans.  Our Budget Resolution honors our nation's veterans by providing the necessary funds for our wounded warriors.  It increases funding for veterans' health care, as well as children's health care.  It provides a substantial increase over the President's budget for education and Head Start.  It promotes greater energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.  It extends middle-class tax cuts like marriage-penalty relief and the child-tax credit, and it brings more middle class Americans into the 10-percent tax bracket.  The budget resolution also invests in building and repairing roads, bridges, harbors, airports and schools - because we recognize that our economic success depends on public infrastructure investment.

Tuesday, I am chairing a hearing of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to improve care for the families of our wounded warriors.  We will hear, first hand, the struggles of spouses and parents of troops and veterans who were severely wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan.  I am pushing VA and the Department of Defense to create a "seamless transition" for our troops and their families.  When they leave the military, our brave warriors and their loved ones should be able to focus on recovery, and reintegrating with communities, not bureaucratic hurtles created by a separation of government agencies. 

On Wednesday, I will be busy in my role as Chairman of the Armed Services subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support.  This is one of my most important roles in the Senate: to make sure our military is ready to defend our national security.  In the morning, I will hear from military commanders in a closed-door briefing.  In the afternoon, I will chair a hearing with civilian military leaders on the base realignment process and Defense Department environmental issues.  

And as a former teacher and principal on Oahu, I'm really looking forward to a hearing on Washington, D.C.'s public schools.  As Chairman of the subcommittee on oversight of the District of Columbia, I am in charge of looking after our nation's capital.  On Friday, we will be talking to the head of DC schools, to get an update on her ambitious plans to improve education in this unique city. 

If you plan a visit to Washington, D.C., let us know!

Aloha!