Daniel Akaka: “To use TANF funding as an offset abrogates this agreement. I hope my colleagues, the appropriators, are working to keep…”

“To use TANF funding as an offset abrogates this agreement. I hope my colleagues, the appropriators, are working to keep this agreement intact. Hawaii and other states need this money to assist poor families. And of all states, Hawaii needs assistance the most. Mr. President, our Nation is enjoying the longest peacetime expansion in American history--yet Hawaii is not benefiting from this expansion. While the country is enjoying the lowest unemployment in nearly 30 years and tremendous job creation, Hawaii is losing jobs and its people are having a difficult time finding work at a living wage. Our unemployment rate is at 5.7 percent as of November 1998--well above the country's average of 4.3 percent. Bankruptcy filings increased more than 30 percent from 1997 to 1998. Retail sales fell 7 percent from $16.3 billion in 1997 to $15.2 billion in 1998. These are some recent economic indicators. Hawaii has been suffering from an economic downturn for most of this decade. As if this were not enough, my state has had to endure the worst of all states from the economic crisis in Asia. The Aloha State welcomed 11 percent fewer tourists from Japan and other parts of Asia in 1998. If anything should be slated for emergency funding, Hawaii should. With all of this need, you can see why $800,000 in TANF funding means a lot to my state. The number of families in Hawaii receiving assistance under this program has increased since the new law was passed.”