THE SENATE
S.R. NO.
20
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII
SENATE RESOLUTION
Urging an immediate and permanent ceasefire and an end to hostilities in Iran.
WHEREAS, in February 2026, the United States initiated Operation Epic Fury, which targeted high-ranking members of Iran's government and military; and
WHEREAS, thirteen United States soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in Iran; and
WHEREAS, the conflict has claimed the lives of 3,636 people, including 1,701 civilians; and
WHEREAS, the United States has deployed approximately ten thousand additional troops to the Middle East, increasing the total number of United States troops deployed in the region to over fifty thousand; and
WHEREAS, the United States lacks coherent objectives and has failed to provide a clearly defined timetable for its ongoing participation in the conflict in Iran; and
WHEREAS, the White House has declined to provide Congress with an estimate of the current costs of the conflict, but independent experts have provided an approximation of $25 billion to $35 billion; and
WHEREAS, these direct financial costs, when averaged across each household in the United States, total around $260; and
WHEREAS, the costs of the conflict for the United States and its taxpayers will only grow as the conflict continues, with the estimated daily costs totaling around $2 billion and the total potential costs reaching over $1 trillion; and
WHEREAS, the White House has requested $1.5 trillion dollars for defense in its budget request; and
WHEREAS, the conflict has also incurred indirect costs to the United States and the global economy, especially through the closure of the Strait of Hormuz; and
WHEREAS, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted a critical trade route responsible for delivering approximately twenty percent of the world's energy supply; and
WHEREAS, recent reports indicate that China has also taken steps to block transit around the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a region through which roughly thirty percent of global maritime commerce passes; and
WHEREAS, these disruptions to global trade and energy supplies have led to a thirty percent increase in the average cost of gasoline in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the average taxpayer in the United States paid $4,049 for war and weapons in 2025 and will likely pay more in 2026 if the conflict in Iran continues; and
WHEREAS, the destabilizing effects of global conflict have compounded the effects of tariffs enacted within the past year, which have significantly disrupted local businesses and negatively impacted the broader economy; and
WHEREAS, the ongoing conflict in Iran and prior foreign wars over the past fifty years have weakened the ability of the United States to adequately fund domestic programs and services that benefit residents; and
WHEREAS, the loss of life, human suffering, and long-term social and economic harms of armed conflict will continue to proliferate without a permanent ceasefire and an end to hostilities in Iran; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that this body urges an immediate and permanent ceasefire and an end to hostilities in Iran; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, United States Secretary of State, United States Secretary of Defense, and members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.
Report Title:
Iran; Middle East; Operation Epic Fury; Ceasefire