[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 29, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H5943]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ADDRESSING THE DIRE HOUSING CRISIS ON MAUI

  (Ms. TOKUDA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, even before the fires destroyed over 2,000 
homes on Maui, our entire State faced a dire housing crisis.
  Three months later, over 6,500 people find themselves living 
temporarily in hotels. While many have had to move multiple times, 
these hotels have served as respite from an uncertain future.
  Yet, hundreds of survivors will be moved again today as some hotels 
opt against renewing their contracts. In the coming months, hundreds 
more will be moved, too. At the same time, efforts to secure long-term 
housing through existing short-term rentals on Maui have stalled. In 
both cases, the underlying motivation is the same--to accommodate the 
return of tourists to Maui.
  This isn't ``pono,'' ``right.'' This also isn't about choosing one 
over the other. Rather, it is a challenge to us to prioritize what is 
the most important: taking care of our people. That includes giving 
them stability and security when it comes to having roofs over their 
heads.
  For everyone in our Maui ``'ohana,'' ``family,'' this is a time of 
shared sacrifice, but it is also a call to live aloha.
  For too many, August 7 will be the day they lost their house to fire. 
Let's work together to make sure they know that they still have a place 
to call home.

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