Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the heavy rainfall and flooding on Kaua‘i. “I am closely monitoring the severe flooding on Kaua‘i, and am in touch with Mayor Kawakami. I stand ready to work with county, state, and federal agencies to make sure that Kaua‘i gets all the support it needs from the federal government. I encourage everyone to stay safe by following the advice of county officials and avoiding flooded areas.” ###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) this week introduced a resolution calling out the attacks on LGBTQI+ students in schools and urging communities across the country to demand equal educational opportunities, basic civil rights, and freedom from erasure for all students in K-12 schools. “Every child deserves to feel safe at school,” said Senator Schatz. “As attacks against LGBTQI+ students are on the rise across the country, we need to take action to protect these students and...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addressed a joint session of Congress. “Japan is one of our closest and most important allies, and our long-standing shared values and interests provide incredible opportunities to deepen our partnership in every sector. As Prime Minister Kishida highlighted in his address to Congress, our two countries are working...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today delivered remarks on the Senate floor to call on lawmakers in Congress to pass additional disaster relief funding for Maui and other disaster-impacted communities across the country. “Eight months on from the devastating fires on Maui, the needs remain enormous. Thousands of people are still living out of hotels and vacation rentals, unable to rebuild their lives. Roads and water systems have yet to be repaired. Small businesses and their...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is awarding Hawai‘i with two grants totaling more than $5.2 million to protect and strengthen Kamehameha Highway. “Thousands of people on O‘ahu rely on Kamehameha Highway every day to get to where they need to go, whether that’s school or work. But rockfalls and erosion can cause disruptive traffic delays and can be dangerous. This new funding will help strengthen Kamehameha...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of 26 senators in introducing a resolution to celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility, uplift the contributions and bravery of the transgender community worldwide, and highlight the continuing discrimination the community faces. “International Transgender Day of Visibility is about celebrating the transgender community around the world – their achievements, their courage, and their right to live openly and...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) secured a $500,000 federal earmark to support collaboration between the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) and indigenous communities to share traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and scientific information with each other during the Hokule‘a’s Moananuiakea Voyage via the digital Wa‘a Honua platform. “For 50 years, the Polynesian Voyaging Society has been reclaiming traditional wayfinding techniques and revitalizing Polynesian culture,” said...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) secured $1.1 million in new earmark funding to help build a new adult day care center on Lana?i. The funding for Lana?i Kina‘ole will be used to construct the first ever adult day care facility on the island. “Too many seniors on Lana?i are being forced to move away from their homes and off island just to get the care they need,” said Senator Schatz. “This new funding will help build Lana?i’s first ever adult day care center, giving seniors a...

WASHINGTON – As part of the second tranche of a bipartisan appropriations package that Congress passed last week, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) helped secure $20.2 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) which helps Maui and other communities across the country recover from disasters. The funding is in addition to $16 billion Congress allocated for the DRF last fall. Schatz also secured a provision directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to report on its progress in...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate passed the second half of a bipartisan government funding bill which includes $31.8 million in new congressionally directed spending, also known as earmarks, secured by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. The new funding follows nearly $400 million in earmark funding for Hawai‘i secured by Schatz in the first half of the appropriations deal signed into law...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today criticized a new Republican budget proposal which would cut and weaken Medicare and roll back the Affordable Care Act, leaving tens of millions of Americans – including seniors, young people, and people with pre-existing conditions – without health care or paying exorbitant insurance premiums and prescription drug costs. Speaking on the Senate floor, Schatz underscored the disastrous consequences of the proposals if enacted, and...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) today reintroduced the State Public Option Act, bicameral legislation to create a Medicaid-based public health insurance option by providing Americans with a new high-quality, low-cost choice when purchasing health insurance. “Even with all of the progress we’ve made in recent years to expand access to health care and make it more affordable, many Americans still lack coverage,” said Senator Schatz. “By opening up...

WASHINGTON – Today, congressional leaders released the second half of a bipartisan appropriations deal that will deliver billions in federal funding for critical programs that benefit Hawai‘i. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, successfully secured funding for Hawai‘i’s priorities in the final deal. The newly released bills follow the passage of the first half of the spending deal, which included billions in federal funding to improve...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) led six of their Senate colleagues in reintroducing the Telehealth Modernization Act, which updates coverage restrictions that have long prevented life-saving telehealth services for many of the nation’s roughly 65 million Medicare beneficiaries. With telehealth flexibilities set to expire at the end of 2024, this legislation is urgently needed to protect access to telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries,...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and U.S. Representatives Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.) and Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) today introduced legislation to curb the sending of sexually explicit images online, also known as cyberflashing, by creating a federal private right of action for victims who receive such images and imposing civil penalties for individuals who send them.  “No one should fall victim to unwanted flashing, whether in real-life or online,”...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chair of both the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, spoke on the Senate floor to highlight the record $1.34 billion in federal funding for Native housing programs as part of a six-bill Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations package that was passed by Congress and signed into law last week. The new funding is a 30 percent increase from last year. In...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services and the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation will receive $19.1 million in federal funding for the construction of a bike and pedestrian bridge over Kamehameha Highway, allowing Pearl City residents to access the Waiawa Skyline Station safely. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation following Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s visit to O‘ahu last...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representative Tom Cole (R-La.) – chairs of the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Housing, respectively – secured more than $1.34 billion in funding for Native housing programs as part of a six-bill Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations package that was passed by Congress and signed into law last week. The funding is a record increase of $324 million dollars from last year. “This historic increase in funding will help provide...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, today released the following statement after Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge announced her resignation. “Amid a national housing and homelessness crisis, Secretary Fudge has done an incredible job working in unprecedented times though the pandemic to prevent massive evictions, make housing more affordable,...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate passed the first half of a bipartisan government funding bill which includes $394 million in new congressionally directed spending, also known as earmarks, secured by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. Additional earmark funding for Hawai‘i is expected to be included the second half of the funding deal which is set to be announced on March 22. “We are bringing...