HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Hawaii Representative Jill Tokuda (D) is back on the islands for the week of the 4th of July, but a busy week in Washington, D.C. was headlined by the United States Supreme Court decision on former President Donald Trump's case that gives legal immunity for official acts of a president taken in office. Rep. Tokuda stopped by Wake Up 2Day Tuesday morning to discuss the decision and what she's working on in D.C. and Hawaii.
"It was a surprise and yet it wasn't," Rep. Tokuda said of the controversial 6-3 SCOTUS decision. "I think this was a real blow to the checks and balance system that we have. It sent a really negative message to the public that while we always say no one is above the law, apparently in the eyes of this very conservative Supreme Court the president himself or herself is. I think that really is disturbing. It's absolutely disturbing when we talk about what is official and the fact that these official acts can't be used as evidence and unofficial acts it really set us back in terms of really being able to hold everyone, absolutely everyone at the highest levels of government, accountable for their actions."
While away from D.C., Rep. Tokuda will head across her territory of Hawaii's Second Congressional District, stopping first on Hawaii Island.
"I was just in Hilo yesterday and was sitting and doing a talk story with health professionals about health access and how we need to make sure we provide for our workforce in our most rural communities and helped volunteer at the kau kau for keiki event at UH Hilo," Rep. Tokuda said.
From there she will celebrate the 4th of July and head to Maui County, where she is working on the Lahaina National Heritage Area Act, which had a hearing in D.C. last week.
"This really is to make sure that as we're rebuilding we ground it in culture and history what Lahaina was before pre-contact historically to make sure that is preserved," Rep Tokuda said. "We don't have a heritage area in Hawaii at all. There are only 62 across the country and to make Lahaina the 63rd would be something special."