Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Representative Tokuda's legislation, the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act, directs the Secretary of the Interior to partner and collaborate with the Secretary of Agriculture and the State of Hawaii to address rapid ohia death. Rapid ohia death is a fungal disease that has devastated Hawaii's ohia tree population. The ohia tree is important ecologically and culturally to Hawaii. Ohias regulate water flow and help prevent soil erosion. The continued loss of ohia trees can have significant economic impacts, including the loss of tourism revenue and increased water treatment and erosion control cost. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure that can help the affected trees. H.R. 1726 would help address rapid ohia death by focusing Federal and State agencies' efforts on detection, prevention, and restoration efforts for combating this disease. I recognize Representative Tokuda for her work on this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture, Washington, DC, September 15, 2023. Hon. Bruce Westerman, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC, Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter confirms our mutual understanding regarding H.R. 1726, the ``Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2023''. Thank you for collaborating with the Committee on Agriculture on the matters within our jurisdiction.…”