U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke came under fire this week for what critics said was a "flippant" and "juvenile" use of a Japanese greeting when responding to a question from a congresswoman of Japanese descent during a House committee hearing.
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, of Hawaii, asked Zinke on Thursday whether he would continue a program that preserves sites where Japanese-Americans were interned during World War II. Zinke replied using a Japanese greeting typically spoken in the afternoon. The Democratic congresswoman, who said two of her grandparents were subjected to internment, corrected him and used the Japanese phrase for "good morning."
"Are you committed to continue to grant programs that are identified, I believe, as the Japanese-American Confinement Sites grants program, which were funded in 2017? Will we see them funded again in 2018?" Hanabusa asked in reference to a program that offers grants toward the preservation of internment camps where Japanese-Americans were held during World War II.