Jill N. Tokuda
Representative for Hawaii · Democratic · United States
“If President Trump has an opportunity to speak to Kim Jong-un, he must raise these abductions directly. He must press for the return of every abductee and a full, credible accounting for those who remain missing, including David Sneddon. Diplomacy cannot be limited to weapons, sanctions, and security agreements.”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“They relayed calls from listeners who were reporting weather, road conditions, and power outages in their neighborhoods. They told people where they could find food, ice, water, and help. They played music to keep people calm. In the digital age, when clocks and phones had gone dark, they even reminded people what time it was.”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, imagine sending your 13-year-old daughter to school and waiting nearly 50 years for her to come home. That is what Sakie Yokota has endured since North Korean agents abducted her daughter, Megumi, in 1977. As a parent, that thought is absolutely heartbreaking. I think about my own sons.”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“However, I also saw Hawaii at its best: neighbors checking on neighbors, community hubs feeding families, supplies flown in by helicopter and carried on horseback to communities cut off by damaged roads, school workers preparing food and hygiene supplies for our ``children,'' ``keiki,'' even while their campuses were closed.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“I am fighting to get relief for Olowalu, but we cannot fight these tariffs one fire station, one small business, or one community at a time. Congress has the constitutional authority over tariffs and trade, and it is time we take that responsibility back.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“It will also cut fire insurance costs by nearly half for homeowners, saving families thousands of dollars annually. The land was donated. The money was raised. The project was fully funded.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
The complete record
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“They relayed calls from listeners who were reporting weather, road conditions, and power outages in their neighborhoods. They told people where they could find food, ice, water, and help. They played music to keep people calm. In the digital age, when clocks and phones had gone dark, they even reminded people what time it was. KKCR was founded after Hurricane Iniki to provide emergency communication. More than three decades later, Hurricane Lowell shows us why that mission still matters. This is what Congress put at risk when it cut public broadcasting-- not entertainment but a lifeline. We must restore this funding because when the next disaster comes, the question is not whether people will need KKCR. It is whether KKCR will still be on the air to answer the call. ____________________”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“If President Trump has an opportunity to speak to Kim Jong-un, he must raise these abductions directly. He must press for the return of every abductee and a full, credible accounting for those who remain missing, including David Sneddon. Diplomacy cannot be limited to weapons, sanctions, and security agreements. It must also be about human beings. Democracies must stand together in defense of our people and their most basic human rights. Time has already taken far too much from these families. We cannot allow silence to take away their last hope for answers. restoring funding for public broadcasting Ms. TOKUDA. Madam Speaker, this is not the first time I have taken to the floor to talk about Kauai Community Radio, KKCR. When Congress defunded the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, KKCR lost $83,000.”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, imagine sending your 13-year-old daughter to school and waiting nearly 50 years for her to come home. That is what Sakie Yokota has endured since North Korean agents abducted her daughter, Megumi, in 1977. As a parent, that thought is absolutely heartbreaking. I think about my own sons. I imagine them growing up without me at an age so young that, after all those years, they might not even recognize my face.”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“A cluster mailbox is not a welcome mat for families who fought to come home. It is an insult. Now, adding insult to injury, the U.S. Postal Service is considering permanently closing the downtown Lahaina post office damaged in the fires, with little notice and virtually no meaningful community input. The United States Postal Service needs to restore home delivery, stop the closure, and listen to Lahaina. Our community has already lost enough. Recovery means restoring what was lost, not taking more away. ____________________”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Roads, homes, schools, farms, and businesses need to be repaired and rebuilt. Even as we recover, we have to prepare, because the Pacific is still churning. More storms are coming, and they will not wait for Hawaii to recover. We need to replenish supplies, strengthen critical infrastructure, restore essential services, and make sure our most isolated communities are prepared to withstand whatever comes next. Help our people recover, prepare for what is coming next, and do it now. That is what Hawaii needs from Washington. ____________________”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“However, I also saw Hawaii at its best: neighbors checking on neighbors, community hubs feeding families, supplies flown in by helicopter and carried on horseback to communities cut off by damaged roads, school workers preparing food and hygiene supplies for our ``children,'' ``keiki,'' even while their campuses were closed. When disaster strikes, Hawaii shows up. Now Washington needs to show up for Hawaii. I am grateful the President approved an emergency declaration, bringing critical FEMA resources to Hawaii, Maui, and Honolulu counties, but we need a major disaster declaration and individual assistance to help our families, farmers, and small businesses recover. The storm may be gone, but the emergency is not. Families are still without power. People still need food, medicine, clothing, and basic necessities.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Over 3 days, an estimated 1.3 trillion gallons of rain fell across our State. Hawaii Island took the brunt of it, with some communities seeing 20 to 40 inches. I saw the damages myself. At Na'alehu Elementary, buildings were pushed off their foundations by the force of water and debris. Parts of Highway 11 were washed away. At Na'alehu Cemetery, floodwaters tragically disturbed the resting place of generations of loved ones. Hundreds of homes across Hawaii were damaged or destroyed. At the height of the storm, over 200,000 people were left without power.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“I am fighting to get relief for Olowalu, but we cannot fight these tariffs one fire station, one small business, or one community at a time. Congress has the constitutional authority over tariffs and trade, and it is time we take that responsibility back. No President should be able to unilaterally impose tariffs that make it harder and more expensive for Americans to protect their homes, their communities, and their lives. West Maui has already paid too high a price. We should be making communities safer, not making safety more expensive. Hurricane Lala Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, Hurricane Lala never technically made landfall in Hawaii, but disasters aren't measured by whether the eye of a storm crosses a shoreline. They are measured by what they leave behind, and Lala left devastation.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“It will also cut fire insurance costs by nearly half for homeowners, saving families thousands of dollars annually. The land was donated. The money was raised. The project was fully funded. Then President Trump's steel tariff slapped over $300,000 to the cost, not because the project changed, not because it went over budget, but because the President changed our trade policy. This is what reckless tariffs look like in real life. Today, it is a fire station on Maui, but across our country, families, businesses, and communities are paying more because of the President's tariffs, including for the things that they need to keep themselves safe. A fire station is not a luxury, not in West Maui, not after Lahaina.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, after the Lahaina wildfire, West Maui knew we could not afford to wait to strengthen fire protection and emergency response, so the community got to work. They donated land and raised $3 million to build a new fire station in Olowalu. This station will cut emergency response times by up to 15 minutes. That can mean the difference between life and death, between a home burning and a home being saved.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“There are 20,000 DoD civilian employees in Hawaii and about 800,000 worldwide. They are essential to readiness. At a time when Americans are struggling to make ends meet, they are good jobs. They have been and should remain stable jobs, too, allowing people to serve their country and care for their families. Bottom line, our war fighters rely on civilian employees for everything, from maintenance to acquisition, to healthcare, to childcare. They keep our subs and jets battle-ready and our servicemembers healthy. Mr. Chair, it is time we stop treating them as disposable. Instead, we should be investing in the civilian workforce, not continuing to threaten to cut their jobs. I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives22 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Chair, I strongly oppose this amendment, which would require the Department of Defense to develop plans to eliminate 200,000 civilian employees. I have news for you: This administration already did that, and I saw the consequences with my own eyes. I had lunch with junior enlisted marines in Hawaii. They told me it took months to fix their broken washing machines, a full year to fix a sink in a barracks room. I saw windows duct taped and mold painted over. Childcare rooms were empty because they had no staff to care for servicemembers' children. When I asked the base commander why it took a year to fix a sink, he said it is because almost all of the maintenance staff took the deferred resignation program, and with the hiring freeze, they couldn't find replacements.”
House of Representatives22 July 2026Source ↗
“Public schools are legally required to identify students with disabilities and provide the services and accommodations they need. Private schools are not. They may lack specialized staff or refuse to admit a child altogether. Unlike public schools, private schools are not required to follow the same Federal civil rights protections. Taxpayer dollars could fund schools that discriminate in admissions based on disability, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and other characteristics. A voucher is not a real choice if a school can simply turn a child away. Our military families deserve better. Let's strengthen the schools they rely on, fully support DoDEA and public schools through Impact Aid and ensure every military child has access to a well-funded, accountable education.”
House of Representatives21 July 2026Source ↗
“This year, taxpayers are investing $3.6 billion in DoDEA schools, but the majority of military-connected students attend local public schools, which receive just $70 million in Impact Aid, even though they lose local property tax revenue because of nearby military installations. These schools welcome military children every time new orders arrive, helping them navigate new classrooms, new communities, and the challenges of constant moves and deployments. If Congress is prepared to invest more in military children's education, and I fully support that, we should be investing where most of them are already learning: our public schools. This amendment also falls short for families raising children with disabilities.”
House of Representatives21 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to this amendment. Mr. Chair, we all want the same thing for our military families. While our servicemembers carry out the mission to protect and defend our Nation, we have a duty to care for the loved ones whom they leave behind. For families with school-aged children, that means investing in safe, stable, high-quality schools where every child can learn, grow, and thrive. This amendment does the opposite. It creates a new, unfunded voucher program that diverts taxpayer dollars to private, including religious, schools instead of strengthening the public schools that educate most of our military-connected children.”
House of Representatives21 July 2026Source ↗
“It is un-American, and it must stop. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to honor the oath we all took in this very Chamber to uphold the Constitution, protect due process, and defend the values that define our Nation.”
House of Representatives30 April 2025Source ↗
“During World War II, the same law was used to imprison over 120,000 Japanese Americans, including our families. My great-grandfather was taken from his home, incarcerated without cause, solely because of his ethnicity. Now, we are seeing the same injustice unfold again. In communities like Kona, Hawaii, a child was taken from his elementary school classroom. Families are taken from their homes, and people live in fear. Children miss school. Parents avoid lifesaving care and their doctors. Faith communities grow quiet, not because of guilt but because of government overreach. Let us be clear. These individuals are our neighbors, workers, students, and friends. They deserve dignity and due process, not detention and deportation. Sending people to foreign prisons without a trial, without rights, and without hope is not only unconstitutional.”
House of Representatives30 April 2025Source ↗
“Maui's recovery is not just a priority. It is a promise to those who have lost so much. I will keep fighting to ensure that promise is kept. ____________________”
House of Representatives9 April 2025Source ↗
“The National Dislocated Worker Grant has been vital in funding such disaster recovery work and providing job training, temporary employment, and career services to wildfire survivors. I am grateful to the Department of Labor for awarding Hawaii $2.5 million in dislocated worker grant funding. While this is a step in the right direction, the livelihoods of displaced workers, the health of our local economy, and the long-term trajectory of Maui's recovery remain in the balance. We must continue working to secure all remaining dislocated worker funds available--$8 million--to ensure the program continues through September 2025. We can and must give our local workers this certainty during an uncertain time. Without these funds, we risk losing momentum in the recovery and leaving workers without crucial support.”
House of Representatives9 April 2025Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the workers and families of Maui, still recovering from the devastating wildfires of 2023. Displaced workers continue to drive Maui's recovery, rebuilding homes, clearing debris, restoring infrastructure, and supporting their communities.”
House of Representatives9 April 2025Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my deep concern and disappointment with the passage of H.R. 28. As a mother of teenagers in public schools, I am appalled that instead of addressing urgent challenges, like the youth mental health crisis, gun violence in our schools, and the growing teacher shortage, this legislation diverts our attention to dangerous and divisive policies. H.R.”
House of Representatives15 January 2025Source ↗