From www.Djou.com

A year ago I had the great privilege of serving the people of Hawai‘i as their representative in Congress. While there, I worked with Republicans and Democrats alike and woke up every morning with the sole purpose of making life better for the people I was elected to represent.

As I watched the partisan squabbling over the debt ceiling, I expected our congressional representatives to come forward with proposed solutions, some plan or at least an explanation of what the debate meant and how it affected Hawai‘i. My expectations were met with silence. I heard no solutions, saw no plans and heard precious few updates.

As we look to our future, we cannot afford passive representation. The budget debate matters as our nation’s debt has been downgraded for the first time in history. At stake is nothing less than whether we will continue to be a great nation or whether we will slide into obsolescence. At stake is whether our children will find good jobs, whether our families will be able to stay in Hawai‘i, whether we will have the resources to protect our environment and provide the social services we pledged to provide.

The policies of Washington D.C. today have created too few jobs and too little economic growth in Hawai‘i and the U.S. Our nation’s budget deficit needs to be contained, and we must find a long term solution to our looming national debt.

After much thought and consideration with my wife Stacey and our family, I have decided to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Hawai‘i’s 1st Congressional district next year.

Before I do, however, I will serve our country in Afghanistan. As many of you may know, I've been a JAG officer in the Army Reserve for the last decade. I expect to leave next month and return in March.

I realize that the timing of this deployment is far from ideal. But, I am thankful to be able to do my small part. The heavy load of defending our great nation does not fall evenly between all families. I applaud the thousands of men and women who place themselves in harm’s way, and the families who support them. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Aloha,

Charles K. Djou 

Member of Congress, 2010-2011