Jill Tokuda: “We have to do more, or it will turn deadly for many of our communities.”

Thank you, Representative Porter. And mahalo, Mr. Chairman, for holding this field hearing today.

I rise today with a warning--no, a plea. Rural America is already in crisis. People there die younger. Mothers face greater risks when giving birth. Hospitals teeter on the edge of collapse. Medicaid is the thin lifeline holding together…

I stood in a field where 20,000 saplings ready to be planted drowned before they ever had a chance to grow. I saw thousands of coffee trees lost, including heritage trees planted by the original owners generations ago, gone in a single…

I chuckled when Ken mentioned pet peeves and names. We need to add quinoa and potatoes to that list. He definitely didn't like those. For the record, my nickname was Barracuda, so figure that one out. God works in mysterious ways. In the…