Economic prosperity rises from the bottom up

Every person in Hawaiʻi deserves to live a happy, healthy life. We have the collective resources to create that reality—if we choose to invest them wisely. As federal policymakers prioritize tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent at the expense of critical programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and Section 8, our state must step up to protect our communities.

Decades of research shows that policies favoring wealth accumulation at the top fail to benefit our broader society. Instead, they exacerbate inequality while diverting resources away from the communities that need them most. When these communities struggle, the social and economic consequences ripple outward and impact all of us.

This legislative session, Hawaiʻi took meaningful strides toward stabilizing working families so that they can continue circulating money through our local economy—a crucial buffer against the impact of coming federal cuts. But we also missed key opportunities to build a more just, abundant future for all.