Press Releases

WASHINGTON – As the rapid spread of the coronavirus overwhelms prisons across the country, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) today introduced new legislation that would accelerate the Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) approval process for compassionate release during a public health emergency. Authorized under the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, which also eliminated parole for federal prisoners, compassionate release gives people incarcerated in federal...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a bipartisan group of senators to urge the leadership of both the Senate and House of Representatives to include $2 billion in the next coronavirus relief package to help health care providers expand telehealth services by improving their access to broadband. “The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically increased the need to expand telehealth,” the senators wrote in a letter to Senate Majority...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called for the Federal Reserve (“Fed”) to reconsider its recent changes to the Main Street Lending Program, which will give oil and gas producers access to loans meant for small businesses suffering from the economic effects of the coronavirus. The senators urged Fed Chair Jerome H....

HONOLULU — U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) today announced new legislation, the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act of 2020. The bill would establish an Emergency Rental Assistance program to provide $100 billion in emergency rental assistance to help families and individuals pay their rent and remain housed during and after the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. Stabilizing renters and the rental market through this...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) today announced legislation that would establish a new $10 billion Coronavirus Emergency Assistance Grant program to help low-income families and individuals experiencing significant financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Families who were already struggling to get by before this crisis have been hit hard by this pandemic, and they need help,”...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that Hawai‘i will receive $4,337,445 in new federal funding to protect Hawai‘i’s fresh fish supply and help the local fishing industry survive the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “This new federal funding will help us maintain our supply of fresh ahi during this pandemic, ensuring Hawai‘i families will continue to have access to the locally sourced fish they rely on,”...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that 14 health centers across Hawai‘i will receive $3.8 million to expand COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. “Ramping up testing is critical to reopening our economy,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This new federal funding will give our local health centers additional resources to test more people for COVID-19, conduct contact tracing, and help stop the...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced Hawai‘i will receive more than $5.5 million in new federal funding to support local law enforcement agencies and cover the cost of COVID-19 response efforts, including personal protective equipment for law enforcement personnel, training, and overtime pay for officers on the frontlines. “Our police and correctional officers are on the frontlines of this pandemic and are putting their health at risk to keep...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that Hawai‘i will receive $22,379,622 in new federal funding to help 12 colleges, universities, and community colleges transition to distance learning and provide emergency grants to students. “Hawai‘i colleges and universities are refunding millions for housing, struggling to pay for salaries, and are incurring new expenses in the transition to digital...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that Hawai‘i will receive $58 million in new federal funding to support 56 rural hospitals and community health centers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The funds will cover lost revenue due to delayed or canceled non-emergent services or procedures, as well as additional health care expenses attributable to the coronavirus, including testing, treating patients, and instituting preventive...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement on the decision to scale down the 2020 Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) and conduct at-sea-only events. “This is the right decision for the health and safety of Hawai‘i’s residents, our armed forces, and our allies. I thank Commander Davidson and Commander Aquilino for working with our state to find a solution that keeps people safe and maintains our military...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representatives Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawai‘i) and Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i) today called on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza to fix the unfair loan distribution process that favors mainland big banks over Hawai‘i’s lenders and small businesses. “We are writing to express, in the most direct and...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), both members of the Senate Banking Committee, called on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza to prioritize smaller banks and smaller loans in the Paycheck Protection Program. “We write to urge you to issue guidance to ensure that the processing and disbursement of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans prioritize Main Street small...

    HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that Hawai‘i will receive $2,394,556 in new federal funding to preserve the housing choice voucher program (section 8 housing) for Hawai‘i families during the coronavirus pandemic. The funding will help Hawai‘i’s public housing authorities maintain normal operations and offset increases...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that Hawai‘i County will receive more than $30 million in new federal disaster relief funding. This grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be used to repair water delivery systems that were damaged during the 2018 Kilauea eruption. “As Hawai‘i Island continues to recover from the 2018 Kilauea eruption, more federal funding is on the way,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the...

HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai?i) led a group of 27 senators to urge Senate leadership to include additional emergency funding for nonprofit organizations in the next COVID-19 relief bill. Nonprofits are an essential part of the frontline coronavirus pandemic response, providing important social services such as nutrition assistance, shelter for those experiencing homelessness, child care and education programs, and care for victims of domestic and sexual...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that 55 health care providers in Hawai‘i will receive $33,205,143 in new federal funding to respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The funds will cover lost revenue due to delayed or canceled non-emergent services or procedures, as well as additional health care expenses attributable to the coronavirus, including testing, treating patients, and instituting preventive measures. “Hawai‘i's hospitals...

HONOLULU – The lead Democratic appropriators who oversee the Veterans Administration health system in Congress implored President Donald Trump over the weekend to fully deploy the Defense Production Act to address the mounting concerns over shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) among all health care workers, especially those who protect veterans in the nation’s VA hospitals. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today called on Senate leaders to include the Scientific Integrity Act in next coronavirus relief package. The Schatz-authored Scientific Integrity Act would protect public scientific research and reports from the influence of political and special interests.“Federal doctors and scientists have unparalleled expertise about public health and safety, as well as the care of the sick—and they...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that Hawai‘i will receive at least $21.3 million in new federal funding to support the state’s testing capacity, including for the research, development, validation, manufacturing, purchasing, and administration of tests and testing supplies. “The only way we can begin to reopen our economy is by ramping up testing,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee....