Press Releases

HONOLULU – In response to Donald Trump’s suggestion that the United States ban immigrants from a number of countries including the Philippines, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) issued the following statement: “Donald Trump’s latest rant suggesting we ban immigration from countries like the Philippines that are helping us fight terrorism is another example of his reckless rhetoric that’s based on fear and division and further proves he is unfit to lead our...

HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Senate Democrats released a new letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan urging the Republican leaders to immediately call Congress back into session to pass emergency funding legislation to address the growing Zika crisis. Since Republican leaders shuttered both chambers of Congress for a seven-week recess – the longest in 60 years – without passing legislation to help stem...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today welcomed $3.7 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support the Hawai‘i State Department of Health’s epidemiological and laboratory capacity to respond to public health threats. This funding will specifically help the department’s work on infectious disease surveillance and investigation, including flu and foodborne diseases, as well as...

HONOLULU –  President Barack Obama has signed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) into law, which includes a provision co-authored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). The Schatz-Hatch legislation, titled the Safe Treatments and Opportunities to Prevent (STOP) Pain Act, will strengthen research for treatment of chronic pain and find alternatives to opioids, which can be dangerous when abused. “Millions of Americans suffer from...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) issued the following statement on the passing of U.S. Representative Mark Takai. “This is the deepest of losses and one that I feel very personally because of my friendship with Mark.  Throughout his life, he was all about serving the people of Hawai‘i.  He gave so much, and had so much more yet to give.  My condolences to his wife Sami, his children, his parents, and his whole ohana, whose pride and support...

HONOLULU – At the invitation of U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will conduct public meetings to accept comments on Senator Schatz’s proposal to expand the Papah?naumoku?kea Marine National Monument (PMNM).  Participants are welcome to submit written materials to supplement their spoken comments to NOAA and FWS at the public meeting. “It’s really...

HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) will lead a congressional delegation to the Asia Pacific to participate in high-level meetings with leaders in Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. Before heading to Asia today, the delegation toured the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) headquarters at Camp Smith and met with Admiral Harry Harris, PACOM commander.  Following a briefing with Admiral Harris, the delegation boarded the USS AMERICA.  While onboard, the group...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) have introduced a new bipartisan measure to expand access to rural telehealth services by allowing non-rural hospitals and health care providers that service rural areas to make better use of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF). Specifically, the “Reaching Underserved Rural Areas to Lead (RURAL) on Telehealth Act,” S. 3218, would allow these...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate today passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Conference Report which included the Safe Treatments and Opportunities to Prevent (STOP) Pain Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) that will strengthen research for treatment of chronic pain and find alternatives to opioids, which can be dangerous when abused. “I’m glad the House and Senate were able to come together...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, today called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the commercial use of the rapidly expanding short-term lodging rental market.  The letter, which was also signed by U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), urges the FTC to study the commercial manner in which individuals or firms are using online services such as Airbnb, HomeAway, VRBO,...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement after the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that China’s sovereignty claim over the South China Sea has no legal basis. “Today's ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration reaffirmed what we have known all along: that China’s outsized claim to the entire South China Sea has no basis in international law. It also showed...

WASHINGTON – In response to the staggering amount of food wasted in the United States every year, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced comprehensive legislation to reduce food waste in stores and restaurants, at schools and institutions, on farms, and in American homes. Forty percent of food across the food supply system in the United States is never eaten— damaging...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) welcomed the announcement today that Hawaiian Airlines has begun ticket sales for a new non-stop service between Kona International Airport and Haneda International Airport. “I congratulate Hawaiian Airlines on their new route from Kona to Tokyo’s Haneda airport. This new service is not just great news for Hawaiian, it’s excellent news for our visitor industry and for Hawaii Island’s local...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) introduced the Restoring Education and Learning (REAL) Act, a bill that would restore Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals in order to reduce recidivism rates, lower corrections spending, and improve safety. “Giving those in prison the opportunity to earn an education has not only proven to be a successful tool for reducing recidivism and crime, we also know it will save taxpayer money,” said Senator...

WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $16.7 million in federal funding for the East-West Center.  U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Appropriations Committee, worked to maintain federal funding levels for the East-West Center, which directly supports the U.S. rebalance to the Asia Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue with countries in the region. “As we work through the appropriations process this year,...

WASHINGTON – The Honolulu International Airport was selected to participate in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that will add additional screening capability to the facility, help decrease airport wait times, and improve the travel experience for visitors and residents.  U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked with the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) and the U.S. Department of Homeland...

WASHINGTON– U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that Hawai‘i has received $2.7 million in AmeriCorps funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency for volunteering and service programs. “This new funding is great news for Hawai‘i,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.  “AmeriCorps members supported by these grants will serve across the state, teaching in...

WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans today blocked two sensible measures that would have helped keep guns out of the hands of terrorists and protect Americans from gun violence.  Following the vote, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) renewed calls for commonsense gun safety regulation and vowed to continue pushing for much needed reforms. “More than 90% of Americans demand we take action on gun violence, but again Senate Republicans refuse to act. It’s...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) will introduce the Marijuana Effective Drug Studies (MEDS) Act of 2016, bipartisan legislation that would make it easier for researchers to study the medical effectiveness and safety of marijuana. Similar legislation is being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Andy Harris (R-Md.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), H. Morgan Griffith...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) sent his proposal to expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM) to President Barack Obama following the tenth anniversary of President George W. Bush’s executive order that established the original boundaries for the PMNM.  At 582,578 square miles, the proposal would create the world’s largest marine protected area by expanding the PMNM west of 163° West Longitude out to the full 200...