State Sen. Kai Kahele criticizes Tulsi Gabbard for missing House vote on Syria

[Celerity]

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/10/16/hawaii-news/kai-kahele-calls-out-tulsi-gabbard-for-missing-vote-on-syria/

State Sen. Kai Kahele (D-Hilo) is criticizing Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard for failing to show up to vote today on a House resolution that condemns President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of American forces from northern Syria. The overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in favor of the resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives was a stinging rebuke of the president’s actions, which have left America’s Kurdish allies in Syria vulnerable to attack by Turkish forces and thrown U.S. policy in the region into disarray.

Gabbard, who has been busy on the presidential campaign trail, was one of 14 representatives absent from the vote. The measure passed 354 to 60. Kahele, who is vying for Gabbard’s congressional seat, has repeatedly criticized Gabbard in recent weeks for being absent from her district.

“I support the action taken by the House today to pass this resolution,” Kahele said in a press release. “Unfortunately, the people of Hawaiʻi’s second congressional district were left without a voice because Congresswoman Gabbard, yet again, failed to show up and report to duty. “Appearing on national television the night before is not an excuse to miss work. The people of Hawai‘i deserve a representative who is committed full-time to this job.”

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She’s missed more than half of the votes in the House since July, according to GovTrack.us. She also hasn’t held a town hall in Hawaii since April 2017.