On The Issues

As an 18-year veteran, United States Air Force pilot, and commissioned officer of the Hawaiʻi Air National Guard, Kai understands the critical needs of our veterans. With the Veteran Affairs (VA) health system suffering from a severe shortage of nearly 30,000 clinical staffers, many veterans are underserved and uncovered by the system. Our VA needs a major change in leadership and Kai supports the expansion of services and reduction of backlog by filling the agency's massive number of vacancies. Kai supports the use of VA grants to establish additional post-acute care and rehabilitation centers like the Yukio Okutso State Veterans Home in Hilo. He will work diligently with the VA to ensure a veterans home is built on O‘ahu and in additional locations throughout the 2^nd Congressional District to serve the 120,000 veterans that call Hawaiʻi home. Kai is also deeply concerned with the alarming rate of suicides, both locally and nationally, amongst our veterans suffering from PTSD and mental health issues and will make this one of his top priorities if elected to Congress.