Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, released the following statement after the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced it has approved the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit’s updated Recovery Plan. “We still have a long way to go, but this is an important step that recognizes the work HART and the city have done to provide more...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) today introduced bipartisan legislation to fund free confidential support services to incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse and harassment. Many correctional facilities are reluctant to fund support programs or collaborate with outside partners willing to offer these services. This new program would ensure that survivors in prisons across the country have access to important emotional support...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that Hawai‘i K-12 schools will receive $58,193,270 in new federal funding for the 2022-2023 school year to support programs aimed at helping educate students in low-income communities. These funds will go toward new technology, teacher professional development, additional educators, and other academic programs. Title I schools, where a disproportionate number of students live in poverty, will be the direct...

WASHINGTON – Last night, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution authored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) designating September 18-24 as “Telehealth Awareness Week.” The resolution recognized that telehealth has helped millions of people access quality health care, and has become a critical component of health care delivery. “Telehealth helps people get quality health care safely and when they need it, and our...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today released the following statement after the Department of Defense announced it had named Rear Admiral John Wade to serve as commander of Joint Task Force Red Hill. “Shutting down Red Hill cannot be delayed. With a commander now in place, the Joint Task Force can become fully operational and begin to work on-site with state, local, and community leaders to...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement on the Department of Defense’s (DoD) updated plan to defuel and shut down the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. “Shutting down Red Hill cannot be delayed. While the updated plan to close the facility sooner is a step in the right direction, DoD must make it a priority to move fast and permanently shut down Red Hill as quickly as possible. We also need the Joint Task Force to...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that the Hawai‘i Department of Health will receive more than $1 million in new federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for preventive and community health measures. “By supporting preventive health programs, this new federal funding will help keep more people healthy and stop medical problems before they become major health issues,” said Senator Schatz, a member of...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced Hawai‘i will receive more than $55 million in new federal funding for new electric public transit buses across the state. The new money, allocated by U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from the recent infrastructure law, will provide Hawai‘i residents and visitors with more travel options while cutting air pollution. “This new federal funding will make it easier for people to get to where they...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D- Hawai‘i) today released the following statement after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it is seeking public comment on the harms stemming from commercial surveillance and whether new rules are needed to protect people’s privacy and information. “The status quo on data privacy has left consumers with hundreds of microdecisions for each new website or app we visit that we are somehow supposed to make informed choices...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that Kaua‘i and Maui will be receiving nearly $50 million in combined grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The funding was awarded through the highly competitive Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) Grant program. As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation and...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today voted to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate action ever taken by the United States. “This is a historic victory for the United States and the planet. We have met the ambition this crisis requires, and passed the biggest climate action in American history,” said Senator Schatz. “By investing in clean energy, clean transportation, and climate-smart manufacturing, we’ll cut emissions 40...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing, today released an interactive map to help Hawai‘i residents track where and how federal funding he helped secure is being spent. Since joining the Senate, Schatz has delivered more than $16 billion in federal funding to Hawai‘i, including more than $240 million in earmarks this year, placing him at number seven in bringing home the most...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement on the climate provisions within the Inflation Reduction Act. “I am pleased to report that this will be, by far, the biggest climate action in human history. Nearly $370 billion in tax incentives, grants, and other investments in clean energy, clean transportation, energy storage, home electrification, climate-smart agriculture, and clean manufacturing makes this a real climate bill. The...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that Moloka‘i Airport and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport will receive nearly $34 million in combined funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve their runways and taxiways. “This new federal funding will improve our airports on Moloka‘i and O‘ahu, helping us rebuild runways to make them safer and last longer,” said Senator Schatz, Chair of the Senate...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D- Hawai‘i) today announced that Hawai‘i will receive $1,262,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to repair Awalau Road from damages caused by last year’s mudslides. “This new federal funding will repair Awalau Road from the damage it suffered in last year’s mudslides and make the road more resilient to flooding, helping families on Maui to safely and easily get around,” said Senator Schatz,...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement after President Joe Biden announced he would take action to address the climate crisis. “We are experiencing the climate crisis in real time. Heatwaves and wildfires around the world are killing people, driving families from their homes, and breaking critical infrastructure. Sea levels are rising. Droughts are shattering records. Extreme weather events are becoming more severe and more...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of 12 senators in calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to support online protections for Americans with disabilities. The senators asked DOJ to restart a rulemaking process under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to establish new rules ensuring that the ADA applies to the Internet. “The United States has invested billions of dollars to develop technology and provide connectivity to all parts of the...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport will receive $10 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to upgrade its runways and improve its terminal lighting and draining systems. The funding is part of the at least $2.8 billion Hawai‘i has begun to receive from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed into law by President Biden last November.  “This new federal funding...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that that the five Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems and Papa Ola Lōkahi, which coordinates health care programs and services for Native Hawaiians, will receive $19.5 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This funding will support Native Hawaiian health care services, disease prevention, and health education. “Native Hawaiian families across our state use these health centers to get...

WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Honor to two U.S. Army soldiers from Hawai‘i, Staff Sergeant Edward N. Kaneshiro (posthumous) and Specialist Five Dennis M. Fujii. They were selected for the Medal of Honor as the U.S. military continues to review the records of soldiers previously overlooked for awards due to bigotry. “Few service members in our nation’s history have shown the courage Staff Sergeant Kaneshiro and Specialist Five Fujii did while...