The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee announced it approved a $24 million budget item for the East-West Center at the University of Hawai�i for next year.

The budget item still must be approved by the full Senate. The exact date of the vote is unknown.
Sen. Dan Inouye said in a prepared statement that the appropriation is necessary because the center serves as an "invaluable education center and meeting ground for representatives of the Asia-Pacific community wishing to work toward a peaceful Pacific Rim."