In Case You Missed It: The Hill Highlights Senator Hirono's Expanding National Security Portfolio, Hawaii Delegation's Growing Clout
As the 114th Congress ramps up, The Hill newspaper highlighted Senator Mazie K. Hirono's role and expanding national security portfolio as a key part of the Hawaii delegation’s growing clout. In addition to expanding her portfolio by serving on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Energy and Natural Resources Committees, Senator Hirono is taking charge as the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on Seapower of the Senate Armed Services Committee on which she previously served. She also retains her important seat on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
From The Hill:
“…Sen. Mazie Hirono last week was named the ranking member on the Senate Armed Service Committee’s Seapower sub panel…. Hirono, who will also serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she is looking forward to expanding her national security portfolio this year on the Seapower Subcommittee. 'While we will face difficult decisions in the coming weeks and months, I look forward to engaging in important debates on issues that are critical to Hawaii and our nation,' she said in a statement.”
The full statement from Senator Hirono:
"I’m privileged to continue serving the people of Hawaii and expand my national security portfolio serving on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Armed Services Committee, and Energy and Natural Resources Committee. I look forward to stepping into my new leadership role as the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on Seapower. Hawaii has a longstanding and strong relationship with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, which will be critically important as we continue moving forward with the Asia-Pacific rebalance. Additionally the subcommittee is important for the maritime industry. I have good working relationships with my colleagues on the committee, and while we will face difficult decisions in the coming weeks and months, I look forward to engaging in important debates on issues that are critical to Hawaii and our nation."
You can read the entire piece below:
The Hill: Hawaii delegation seeks to restore clout
Hawaii’s congressional delegation is winning back influence on defense and national security.
The state’s power in Congress took a major hit after the retirement of Sen. Daniel Akaka (D) and the death of Sen. Daniel Inouye (D), who combined had served in the Senate for more than 70 years.
Now the state’s four-member, all-Democratic delegation is seeking to restore the Aloha State’s lost clout.
Sen. Brian Schatz has been awarded a spot on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, while Sen. Mazie Hirono last week was named the ranking member on the Senate Armed Service Committee’s Seapower subpanel.
In the House, Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and Mark Takai — both Iraq war veterans — are set to serve on the influential Armed Services Committee.
While the foursome has a long way to go before matching the outsized influence of Inouye, Akaka and former Rep. Neil Abercrombie, they are on a mission to ensure that Hawaii has sway in the national security debate.
“It is very helpful to have people on the authorizing side and the appropriating side,” Schatz told The Hill.
Schatz said members of the delegation have met several times to coordinate their goals for the new Congress and are “really pleased” with their opportunity to shape Pentagon policy, including the “pivot” of U.S. military forces toward the Pacific.
“We don’t want to overstate it, but we do feel like we’re in a good position,” Schatz said.
Takai, who was sworn in earlier this month, said the “small, tight-knit delegation” is trying to maximize its leverage.
“I think it’s very strategic to have all of our members focused on what matters most to the state of Hawaii and one of the things that matter is, definitely, defense,” Takai said.
A unified front could prove useful as sequestration is set to return in full force in fiscal 2016, potentially cutting billions from DOD’s funding stream.
Hawaii has long been a key outpost for the military, dating back to the attack on Pearl Harbor that pushed the United States into World War II.
Among the several Pentagon sites located in the state is U.S. Pacific Command, which is based near Honolulu and boasts a headquarters for each of the military services.
The command is responsible for roughly half the globe and takes hundreds of thousands of military and civilian personnel to maintain, making it a prime target for budget cuts or consolidation.
Hirono, who will also serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she is looking forward to expanding her national security portfolio this year on the Seapower Subcommittee.
“While we will face difficult decisions in the coming weeks and months, I look forward to engaging in important debates on issues that are critical to Hawaii and our nation,” she said in a statement.
Takai noted that while the delegation might lack seniority, all four of the lawmakers spent years working together in the Hawaiian statehouse before being elected to Congress.
Gabbard said that close working relationship gives them an advantage.
“The rapport is there,” said Gabbard. “At the beginning, middle and end of the day, Hawaii is a small state, and making sure that each of us individually and collectively advocates for Hawaii and the unique, both challenges and opportunities, that exist there, is something that is our focus.”
