Trump’s Public Charge rule could cost Hawaiʻi tens of millions in revenue
The financial cost of the rule change is in addition to the harm done to the health and resilience of immigrant families through the “chilling” effect on benefits-use that has already been documented in Hawaiʻi.
Hawaiʻi workers need four more work weeks a year to cover rent since 1985
Many of the cities with the highest rents also pay the highest average salaries, but Honolulu is not among them.
Adjusted for cost of living, Hawaiʻi’s wages are the lowest in the country
Hawaiʻi is almost a fifth more expensive than the rest of the country overall and more than twice as expensive in rents alone, which means our wages don’t really go that far.
Inequality on the rise in Hawaiʻi and the United States
Public policies based on the concept of “trickle down” economic, like the Trump Administration’s Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017, have exacerbated these problems over the past four decades.
Hawaiʻi’s economy is still highly vulnerable to global shocks and recession
The lessons of the last recession are clear; whether we heed them will determine Hawaiʻi’s economic future for decades to come.
Will Hawaiʻi always be the “Health State?”
Research has shown that “health” is correlated with income and wealth equity, decent housing, and education, from preschool through college.
Public charge rule change would hurt Hawaiʻi’s economy
Not only would the proposed rule change adversely impact the standard of living of Hawaiʻi’s immigrant families, it would also harm Hawaiʻi’s overall economy.