Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the failure of TrumpCare.“This victory is proof that TrumpCare was never on the level. Instead of trying to pass a health care bill, Republicans tried to ram through a tax cut for the wealthy, paid for by 24 million Americans who would lose their health care in the process. As Americans breathe a sigh of relief that Republicans walked back from the edge of this reckless cliff, we can only...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), co-chair of the Senate Climate Action Task Force, released the following statement on reports that the State Department plans to approve the Keystone XL pipeline on Monday.“The Keystone XL pipeline is not in our national interest. While countries like China and Germany continue to make progress in their transition away from the dirty energy of the past, this action will roll back the progress we have made. Encouraging the...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on President Donald Trump’s budget proposal. “The president’s budget proposal is simply that – a proposal.  It’s not going to happen. If enacted, President Trump’s proposed budget cuts would have a terrible impact on Hawai‘i, but Congress holds the purse strings, not the president.  We will not cede...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on U.S. District Court Judge Derrick Watson’s ruling today granting Hawai‘i’s request to block President Donald Trump’s revised Muslim ban. “Judge Watson properly concluded that President Trump’s second executive order continues to target Muslims, and is, in fact, a Muslim ban.  I commend the State of Hawai‘i for taking swift action against this...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) took to the Senate floor to oppose Trumpcare, legislation that would replace the Affordable Care Act with a plan that would offer less care, impose an age tax, and cut Medicaid while giving tax breaks to the wealthy. “Trumpcare is one of the worst pieces of legislation I’ve seen in decades,” said Senator Schatz.  “There’s no doubt that there’s plenty of room for improvement in existing...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and his colleagues on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs today demanded answers from Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson on a report that the Trump Administration has considered slashing the department's fiscal 2018 budget by more than $6 billion. The lawmakers stressed that cuts of this magnitude would be devastating for children and families nationwide, and would contradict Carson’s...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) issued the following statement on the passing of Judge James Burns. "We have lost a leader whose deep humility was matched only by his clear sense of justice. We will remember his contributions to the courts, to excellence at the University of Hawai‘i especially in mentoring young attorneys, and for his island style approach to life. I will personally remember the pride he took in supporting our own Barack Obama from the...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), co-chair of the Senate Climate Action Task Force, released the following statement in response to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s comments denying facts about climate change. “If there was ever any doubt that Scott Pruitt is a climate denier, this settles it. Anyone who denies over a century’s worth of established science and basic facts is unqualified to be the administrator of...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet Subcommittee, released the following statement in response to legislation backed by Republicans in the Senate that would undermine the Federal Communications Commissions’ (FCC) authority to protect consumers’ data privacy and security. “If this CRA is passed, neither the FCC nor the FTC will have clear authority when it...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, along with Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), John McCain (R-Ariz), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today introduced legislation to improve the VA Choice Program and extend access to timely care for more of America’s veterans in their own communities. The Veterans Choice Program...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on President Trump’s new executive order that bans refugees and immigrants from certain Muslim-majority nations. “This administration continues to use immigrants and refugees – those fleeing from violence –  as scapegoats for global terrorism.  This ‘updated’ Muslim ban is still a Muslim ban. It may be more carefully constructed, but it is still racist and...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee, released the following statement after a Washington Post report revealed that the Trump Administration plans to make deep cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “I am shocked by reports of a proposal to cut the agency that forecasts our weather and manages our fisheries by almost a billion dollars—close to twenty...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement regarding Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “The Department of Justice has a unique position in our constitutional democracy that relies on trust and respect for the law. Given the challenges that the Department faces with its investigation into Russia’s ties to the campaign and to this administration, it is essential that we have an Attorney General who has the full faith and confidence of...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress. “The speech that was written for the President was conventional in terms of Republican policies, but the actions of this administration in its early days have been radical and reckless. I will continue to work with my colleagues to seek opportunities for bipartisan compromise on behalf of Hawai‘i...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced his subcommittee assignments for the 115th Congress. Senator Schatz is a member of the Committees on Appropriations; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Indian Affairs; and Ethics. He also serves as Chief Deputy Whip of the Senate Democratic Caucus. Appropriations Subcommittees: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs – Ranking Member Defense Labor, Health and Human...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced today the names of 43 students nominated to attend one of our nation’s service academies. The four service academies are: the United States Air Force Academy, the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy and the United States Merchant Marine Academy. “These nominees are some of Hawai‘i’s best and brightest students and represent a new generation of future military...

WASHINGTON – The Hawai‘i congressional delegation introduced legislation to ensure the Navy, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) meet their obligations to the State of Hawai‘i to protect drinking water and improve the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on Oahu. “The EPA, the Navy, and the State agree that protecting the aquifer that supplies Oahu’s drinking water is essential,” said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (FEPPLA), legislation that would provide federal employees with six weeks of paid leave, under the Family and Medical Leave Act, for the birth, adoption, or fostering of a child. “While private companies across the country are beginning to see the benefits of providing paid family leave, the United States is...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement in opposition to confirming Steven Mnuchin as secretary of the treasury. “Steven Mnuchin has a troubling business record using predatory business tactics. The United States government entrusted his company, OneWest, to help seniors and working families stay in their homes during the housing crisis. His company did the exact opposite, preying on vulnerable homeowners and profiting from it....

WASHINGTON – Today, a group of senators led by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a review of the actions and costs associated with President Donald Trump's recent executive orders to construct a wall on the southern border and to restrict refugees and immigrants from certain Muslim-majority nations. “Each of these executive orders will likely require significant new action on the part of the relevant...