The House version of the defense authorization bill passed by the Armed Services Committee was a mixed bag that brings military dollars to Hawaii, but would leave in place sequestration cuts that could mean civilian furloughs again next year, said Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.

Still, Hanabusa voted for the package that will go to the full House next week. The authorization bill is a necessary counterpart to the appropriations bill passed by the House this, allowing the money in that bill to be spent.

“The more than $400 million in Hawaii military construction projects will protect our status as a primary base of operations as we continue the U.S. pivot to the Asia Pacific region,” said Hanabusa. “These projects bring jobs that support our local economy and upgrades existing facilities that will prepares our state to serve defense, economic, and humanitarian strategies for the future.

Still, she said, “I continue to oppose the bill’s attempts to further downsize our civilian workforce and prevent our civilian employees from being assigned new work. I will continue to press for a more responsible way of controlling defense.

— Kery Murakami