Native Hawaiians may receive $6.1 million in relief for impacts from federal government shutdown

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees will meet Thursday in Hilo to vote on a proposal to distribute more than $6.1 million in emergency aid to Native Hawaiian beneficiaries affected by the ongoing federal government shutdown and by delayed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

“We are addressing the needs of some of our most vulnerable beneficiaries,” said Kaiali‘i Kahele, chair of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

The Board is scheduled to take up the proposal at 9 a.m. at the Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs staff is recommending a relief program that would provide direct payments of up to $350 per person to verified Native Hawaiian households without child dependents, including kūpuna, disabled adults and low-income individuals who rely on SNAP but are excluded from the state’s Hawai‘i Relief Program.

A second tier of funding would provide up to $1,200 per person to verified Native Hawaiian federal civilian employees furloughed due to the shutdown. 

Eligible workers must earn no more than 400% of the federal poverty level — approximately $72,000 for an individual — and not qualify for other state relief measures.

“We look forward to approving this relief program and getting these emergency funds to our beneficiaries as soon as possible,” Kahele said. 

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs estimates that roughly 14,000 Native Hawaiians could qualify for the $350 payments, while another 1,000 furloughed federal workers may be eligible for the $1,200 tier.

“This targeted approach reflects our responsibility to deploy trust resources with intention and equity, avoiding duplication with existing state relief measures,” said Summer Sylva, interim administrator of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. 

“By filling the gaps left by other programs, we are ensuring kōkua reaches those who might otherwise be left waiting,” she said. 

If approved, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will begin distributing payments in the coming weeks once verification and disbursement systems are in place.

Hawaiʻi is home to approximately 24,600 civilian federal employees. While the precise number of Native Hawaiians within that workforce is not known, estimates place it at just under 5,000.