Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 375, the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2025. The ohia lehua tree forms the backbone of Hawaii's forest and watersheds making up 80 percent of our native forests. It is the very first tree that you will see spring up from a recent lava flow. It grows from sea level to 8,000 feet above, and it protects our communities by literally holding up our mountains from eroding, keeping them together. Ohia lehua also provides critical habitat for Hawaii's federally endangered forest birds and many culturally important species. These trees are a keystone species in Hawaii's forest, and it is catastrophic to see its decline. It has the potential to trigger major imbalances in our ecosystem that would impact watersheds, cultural traditions, natural resources, and the safety and quality of life of our people. Because of the vital role they play in maintaining Hawaii's forest canopies and watersheds, rapid ohia death, or ROD, poses an existential threat to the ecological balance of our islands and the everyday life of our people. Initially reported in 2010, ROD has already spread to tens of thousands of acres and killed over a million trees on Hawaii island alone. If you visited the Big Island of Hawaii where our volcano erupts from time to time, literally, we have lost a million trees just on that island.…”