I am deeply honored to represent some 108,000 Hawai‘i veterans and their families. This is a responsibility I take very seriously, especially as our veterans ‘ohana is one of the largest percentages of any state in our nation both overall and in key areas like women and minority veterans and delivery of services is often complicated by our unique qualities. As a result, our veterans community sometimes faces unique challenges in Hawai‘i and throughout the Pacific that require targeted advocacy with our federal government and tailored solutions. I am especially able to address these issues and the broader challenges facing all of our country’s veterans as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which has responsibility for overseeing and funding of all of our federal veterans programs. My focus areas are: Addressing the unique concerns of veterans living in Hawai‘i, Improving the healthcare and other benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and Assisting veterans with their individual needs.