Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, asked the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide more information about technology addiction and its effect on childhood development. “Technological progress has benefited society, but we must not neglect its...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on President Donald Trump’s approval of a presidential disaster declaration that will bring significant relief to communities on Hawai‘i Island impacted by the volcanic eruption of Kilauea. “We are appreciative of the good and quick work of our federal partners as we navigate this difficult and unpredictable disaster. This declaration will help our state and county governments and...

WASHINGTON – Following a report that the Department of Defense (DoD) revised a January 2018 vulnerability assessment by removing references to climate change and key findings on the risks from sea level rise, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, led a group of senators in calling on Defense Secretary James Mattis to release the unpublished draft of the report and explain why the...

WASHINGTON – Today, Hawai‘i’s Congressional Delegation urged President Donald Trump to act swiftly on Governor David Ige’s request for a presidential disaster declaration for areas on Hawai‘i Island impacted by the ongoing Kilauea Volcano eruptions. The declaration will help ensure that the affected communities can access important federal funding and resources to recover. “Based on the severity of the damage and preliminary assessments, it is clear that...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement in response to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) plan to dismantle its Office for Students and Young Consumers, the only office in the federal government dedicated to protecting student loan borrowers from bad actors in the financial sector. The move comes on the heels of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ effort to stop states from enforcing consumer protection laws against...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that President Donald Trump has signed a disaster declaration that will bring significant relief to communities impacted by devastating floods on Kauai and Oahu. “The people of Kauai have pulled together to respond to and recover from this disaster and the county, state, and federal governments have stepped up to support them,” said Senator Schatz. “FEMA has been a great partner in this process, and...

HONOLULU – Today, Hawai‘i’s Congressional Delegation urged President Donald Trump to act swiftly on Governor David Ige’s request for a Presidential disaster declaration for areas on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu impacted by severe flooding. The declaration will help ensure that the impacted communities can access important federal funding and resources to recover. “Based on the severity of the damage, Governor Ige has requested that you issue a Presidential disaster...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) led 12 senators in calling on financial institutions to take a stand against gun violence and set new guidelines for their clients to improve public safety and save lives. “There is a growing consensus in the private sector that companies can and should take action to address the problem of gun violence in our country,” the senators wrote. “Your company’s leadership to...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement in response to the Senate confirmation of Kenji Price to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawai‘i.“Kenji Price is an excellent choice to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawai’i, and I look forward to having him serve in that role. Kenji has previous experience as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and in private practice in Hawai‘i, and he has also served...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) introduced the Protecting Our Military Installations from Recurrent Floods Act of 2018, legislation that would protect military bases from flooding by making sure facility planners are aware of recurrent flood risks in certain areas and consider those risks when building or designing facilities. “Extreme weather is becoming more frequent and severe. And these are facts that...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to be ready to swiftly approve any request from the State of Hawai‘i for a disaster declaration for communities affected by flooding on Kauai and Oahu. In letters to FEMA Administrator Brock Long and SBA Administrator Linda McMahon, Senator Schatz thanked them for their...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, lead Democrat on the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, introduced the Robocall Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2018, legislation to help the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) prosecute violations of its automated telemarketing call rules, also known as robocalls, by increasing the statute of limitations from one year to three. “If there is one thing Americans can agree on, it’s that...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that funding for the construction of a new 120-bed state extended care facility in Honolulu has been accelerated due to increased funding that U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), top Democrat on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, worked to include in the fiscal year 2018 omnibus spending bill.   “The sizeable increase we were able to secure...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement in response to severe flooding on Oahu and Kauai.  “Communities on Oahu and Kauai are starting to clean up the damage done by the flooding this weekend, but they need as much help as they can get,” Senator Schatz said. “I have reached out to the appropriate federal agencies—including FEMA, SBA, USDA, and DOT—and let them know where we stand. They are...

WASHINGTON – Today, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) to honor the life of U.S. Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka. “The U.S. Senate—and our country—would be better off if there were more leaders like Senator Daniel K. Akaka,” said Senator Schatz. “He fought for the vulnerable, promoted peace, and looked for common ground. Most of all, he embodied...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the passing of U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka. “When Daniel K. Akaka went to Washington, he always took Hawai‘i with him. His unbending source of strength was the people and land he loved so much. “Senator Akaka served his country as a welder, public school principal, gubernatorial aide, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator. As a World War II Army veteran, his life was changed by the...

WASHINGTON – Last week, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced the 2020 Census Improving Data and Enhanced Accuracy (IDEA) Act, legislation that would protect the accuracy of the 2020 census and ensure any proposed changes to the count are properly studied, researched, and tested....

WASHINGTON - Last night, congressional appropriators released a bipartisan spending deal that will increase federal funding for critical programs that benefit Hawai‘i for fiscal year 2018. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, successfully advanced state priorities that are now included in the final deal during committee consideration. “With this bipartisan deal, Hawai‘i will receive a sizeable increase in federal...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i) led 32 other members of Congress in introducing the Debt-Free College Act, legislation that will reverse the growing student debt crisis in the United States. The bill restores a path to affordable college by providing states incentives through matching grants to increase investments in public higher education and provide students with debt-free college. If signed into law, the Debt-Free College Act would establish...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced today the names of 44 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.“To be nominated to attend a service academy, each student goes through a highly competitive and rigorous selection process, on top of making...