Press Releases

Legislation Now Moves To Full Senate For Consideration WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act. The bipartisan bill, authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop a standard methodology for identifying the country of origin of red snapper and certain...

Bill Now Moves To Full Senate For Consideration WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved the Kids Off Social Media Act. Authored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.), the bipartisan legislation will keep kids off social media and help protect them from its harmful impacts. To do...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement after President Donald Trump said the United States will “take over the Gaza Strip.” “A two-state solution, which Democratic and Republican administrations have supported for decades, must continue to be U.S. policy. Palestinians, including those in Gaza, deserve a chance at a better future, one where they can live with dignity and security. Israelis and...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, today announced that he will place a blanket hold on all of President Donald Trump’s nominees to the State Department until its illegal attempt to shutter the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as an independent agency is reversed. On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he would be acting...

WASHINGTON — At yesterday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the “Malign Influence of the People’s Republic of China at Home and Abroad: Recommendations for Policy Makers,” U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) underscored the importance of U.S. leadership and global engagement in advancing American interests. Using the Philippines and Papua New Guinea as examples, Schatz asked witnesses to lay out the dire consequences of U.S. disengagement, as well as the opportunities it would...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after voting against Lee Zeldin's nomination to be Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “In just the last week, Donald Trump banned wind energy and stopped federal funding for clean energy projects – actions that will create an energy shortage and raise people’s energy bills. Republicans aren’t trying to cut costs for people – they’re focused on helping their Big Oil friends make money. And...

WASHINGTON — At today’s Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing for Secretary of Commerce nominee Howard Lutnick, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) pressed Lutnick on conducting a fair census count, protecting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from Project 2025 threats, consulting with Hawai‘i leaders on Pacific fisheries decisions, and strengthening artificial intelligence (AI) safety. First, Schatz asked Lutnick if he would pledge to carry...

WASHINGTON – Ahead of confirmation hearings this week on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) again urged his colleagues to vote no, highlighting Kennedy’s pivotal role in causing a measles outbreak in Samoa in 2019, which resulted in over 5,700 people getting infected and 83 people – mostly young children – dying. “The unique threat that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. poses to our country really...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today was named Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. Schatz is also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “This new role will put me in a better position to continue the hard work of strengthening U.S. diplomacy overseas. I’m committed to working with Chairman Graham and my committee colleagues to stand by our friends, partners, and allies around the world, honor our...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) took to the Senate floor today to speak about the Trump Administration's recent decision to freeze all federal grants, ignoring Article I of the Constitution. “There is real pain starting today because of this funding freeze. Schools, child care facilities, fire departments, community health centers, domestic violence shelters all of them will instantly lose their funding at 5 p.m. today because somebody said, ‘we're fiscal conservatives,’” said...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) introduced bipartisan legislation to keep kids off social media and help protect them from its harmful impacts. The Kids Off Social Media Act would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media platforms and prevent social media companies from feeding algorithmically-targeted content to...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement on the Trump Administration's recent decision to freeze all federal grants. “This Trump shutdown is completely illegal, and we expect the courts will stop this. But what is clear is this: They are creating chaos. They are going after your health care. They are trying to take aid away from people recovering from hurricanes and fires. They’re defunding police departments and firefighters. They’re cutting off...

WASHINGTON – Following reports that the Trump Administration has paused critical communications from federal health agencies, including warnings on disease outbreaks and food contamination, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced a resolution calling for uninterrupted health...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that Hawai‘i will receive nearly $9.8 million in new federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support the ongoing recovery effort on Maui following the devastating fires. The funding, which Schatz helped secure, will help the community of Lahaina rebuild the Waiola Church, Hale Aloha Museum, the Old Lahaina Courthouse Building, and the Master’s Reading Room. “Waiola Church is an important part of Lahaina’s...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) took to the Senate floor today to detail how President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., spread dangerous lies about vaccines which directly led to disease outbreaks and caused preventable deaths. Schatz recounted the story of how Kennedy traveled to Samoa in 2019 to discourage people from taking the measles vaccine which ultimately led to an outbreak in which thousands of people were...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement after meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez. “Ambassador Romualdez and I had a constructive discussion about opportunities and challenges in the Indo-Pacific. We discussed how we can better coordinate and strengthen U.S. military and economic support to the Philippines and further elevate...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chair of the Senate Korea Caucus, released the following statement after meeting with a bipartisan delegation from the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the Republic of Korea’s National Assembly. “I had a productive and substantive conversation with a bipartisan delegation from the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the Republic of Korea’s National Assembly. We...

WASHINGTON — At today’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee nomination hearing for U.S. Representative to the United Nations nominee U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) urged Stefanik to commit to strengthening relations with key Pacific Islands partners and countering China through international organizations. He pressed her on the Trump administration’s 90-day blanket aid pause executive action, arguing that it may cause dire human and geopolitical...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz released the following statement on President Donald Trump’s recent executive actions. “Nothing Trump did on his first day in office will lower costs for people. Instead, his actions will threaten people’s constitutional citizenship rights, separate families, and reverse hard-fought progress to save our planet. One thing is clear: it was never about the price of eggs for them.” ###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was confirmed by a vote of 99-0 to serve as Secretary of State. “Having served with Senator Marco Rubio on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I know he has the experience to advance American interests around the world. “During the confirmation process, Senator Rubio recognized the importance of deepening our...