The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee announced it approved a $24 million budget item for the East-West Center at the University of Hawaiçi 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."