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Above: President Obama speaks to his first official function, an Inaugural luncheon in the Capitol's Statuary Hall, after being sworn into office on Jan. 20th. Below: Neil, top, attending the luncheon where he told the President, "Imua." See "Notebook" entry. |
The House this week Neil’s been busy this week, as the House got set to vote on an economic stimulus bill that would leverage federal funds and tax credits to boost the nation’s economy. Neil’s been involved in an array of meetings and discussions on the bill with congressional leaders and the Obama administration. The week of January 26th also brought additional organizational committee meetings for Neil, this time for the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness. Earlier, he chaired a similar meeting for his Air and Land Forces Subcommittee. He was also set to meet with Hawaii groups involved in youth services. Neil delivers President’s message Neil read, what is believed to be, one of the first official messages of congratulations from President Barack Obama, in which he acknowledged the 100th anniversary for pediatric care at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. The President’s message recognizes the center’s service to generations with distinction: 62,000 kids per year, including the President himself. Settling the question once and for all, he states that Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children "is the place of my birth. Hawaii has always been home to me." More than 700 community leaders and supporters gathered at the Hawaii Convention Center Saturday (1/24/09) to celebrate the anniversary.
Inauguration Day reflections Neil wrapped up his day and evening of Inauguration festivities with a small group of guests at the White House. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama returned from the evening's last ball well after midnight to greet their guests. Neil says it was an honor to be a part of that special gathering-- the last event of the night--which he described as being "emotionally powerful and moving." Earlier in the day, Neil relayed “Twitter” and “Jott” messages from the Inauguration platform outside the U.S. Capitol. While he waited on the platform, a little more than an hour before President Obama took the oath of office, Neil said: “This is the greatest day ever…It’s bright, it’s clear, it’s sunny and it’s joyous. Everybody has a smile on their face. Everybody’s having a great time.”
Looking out at the mass of humanity gathered on the National Mall, Neil said, “There are people as far as the eye can see. There must be a couple million people in front of this platform waiting for Barack Obama. It’s just the greatest.”
After the Swearing-In Ceremony, Neil attended the Inauguration luncheon in the Capitol's Statuary Hall. After spotting Neil wearing a maile lei, the President approached Neil and said, “Look who's brought Hawaii to Washington today."
“Barack went all around the room,” said Neil. “I was able to say hello to him, wish him ‘imua’ (go forward). We were able to give each other a big hug and a big ‘aloha.’ He had a big smile on his face.”
Improving our quality of life Neil's work on the House Armed Services Committee has yielded big results for Hawaii's economy and our quality of life. more> Barack's aloha spirit Congressman Abercrombie, who attended the University of Hawaii with the President-elect's parents, comments about Barack Obama's Hawaii roots in articles by New York Times and Washington Post reporters. Neil's graduation speech: "Riding that wave of change" From Maui Time Weekly: "A representative in the truest sense" Improving safety of our troops
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Hawaii attorney will realize "dreams of equality" on Inauguration Day
Daphne Barbee-Wooten of Hawaii will realize a dream and honor her ancestors while attending the Swearing-In Ceremony of President-elect Barack Obama. She shares some personal reasons to describe the importance of this event to her family. (more)
"Diversity defines us, rather than divides us"
Congressman Abercrombie says the President-elect's story is a stunning one that demonstrates how "our diversity defines, rather than divides us."
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Former Hawaii journalist's unique world perspective on Inauguration
Susan Manuel, a former Hawaii journalist, currently works at the United Nations. She will be attending the upcoming Presidential Inauguration and shares a world view on the event-- a view that draws from her decade traveling around the world on UN peacekeeping missions.
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Manoa family going to Inauguration
Sean, Lisa-Maria, and "Jazz" Priester of Manoa will be among the tens of thousands of people who are expected on the National Mall to see Hawaii-born President-elect Barack Obama get sworn into office. Sean, the Executive Chef at the Top of Waikiki restaurant, says he hopes to get the chance someday to cook for President-elect Obama.
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Race and Politics in the 2008 presidential election
Congressman Neil Abercrombie attended the University of Hawaii with President-elect Barack Obama’s parents, starting in 1959. In two videos, he talks about them and the sociopolitical climate of the times when Barack Obama’s parents met and Obama was born. The video excerpts are from Neil's television show, “Hawaii Now.”
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House passes economic recovery and reinvestment plan
1/28/2009
The U.S. House today approved President Obama’s $825 billion Economic Stimulus Plan, legislation to inject a combination of federal funds and tax credits into the U.S. economy to bring it back from the worst recession since the Great Depression. The House version of the legislation targets more than $2.3 billion to Hawaii.
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Economy needs strong jump-start
1/15/2009
Rep. Neil Abercrombie says a strong jump-start is urgently needed to revive our economy.
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House renews and expands children's health care coverage
1/14/2009
The U.S. House today reauthorized and expanded the State Children’s Health Insurance Coverage program, or S-CHIP, a federal program which helps states cover as many as 11- million uninsured children across the country whose families make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but can’t afford health care coverage. In 2007, Hawaii covered 24,000 children through SCHIP. However, there are still 18,000 keiki in Hawaii with no health insurance. ...more»
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- Iraq—"I believe the war in Iraq has been one of the greatest geopolitical blunders in the history of the United States."...More
- National Defense—"Congress articulates our nation’s defense policy, authorizes all operations of the U.S. Department of Defense and sets priorities for defense spending."...More
- Native Hawaiian Issues—"The term Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous, native people of the Hawaiian archipelago, which was a sovereign kingdom until 1893, and a U.S. territory until it became a state in 1959."...More
- Environment—"We in Hawaii have been blessed with one of the most unique and breathtakingly beautiful—yet fragile—environments on the planet."...More.
- Energy—"We need to think about where we get our energy and how we use it in a whole new way because what we've done for more than a hundred years isn't going to work any longer."...More.
- Education—"In an increasingly complex, technological and globalized economy, the keys to the future are in the classroom."...More
- Housing and Transportation—"If people cannot afford decent housing, then nothing else really matters. "...More
- Military Veterans and Retired—"Our country has always made promises to the men and women who serve in our armed forces."...More
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