Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today took to the Senate floor to call for federal relief funding to support state and county governments during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his remarks on the Senate floor, Schatz slammed a Republican proposal that would offer no funding for states and localities. “If Republicans had their way, they would pass a COVID-19 aid package that forces us to lay people off – public health workers, sanitation workers, teachers – in the middle of a...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today led a group of 11 senators in introducing legislation to a create a new $2 billion fund for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) that would automatically provide capital during a natural disaster or economic crisis, giving impacted communities the support they need for a faster and fuller recovery. “This pandemic has shown us that when a crisis or a disaster strikes, families and communities need immediate...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today introduced new legislation that will increase the adoption of face coverings by providing free cloth masks to any individual who requests one. Schatz’s bill will also authorize a public service announcement campaign and additional research into mask efficacy to reduce the spread of COVID-19. “The research is clear: masks...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of six senators in introducing the Federal Labor-Management COVID Partnership Act, a bill that would keep federal workers safe during public health emergencies, including the current COVID-19 pandemic, by creating formal labor-management task forces at both the Executive Branch and agency level. These task forces would be responsible for reviewing current telework, leave, cleaning, and training policies, supplying policy...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) today demanded answers on two recently announced political appointees to the Census Bureau. The appointments of Nathaniel Cogley and Adam Korzeniewski, who have no census experience, were unexpectedly announced late last month to newly created and undefined roles at the Census Bureau. “At a time when the 2020 Census operations have been delayed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and 47 colleagues introduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a bipartisan bill to restore the landmark Voting Rights Act. Named after one of America’s greatest civil rights heroes, the bill would ensure that every American can exercise their right to vote by prohibiting common voter suppression tactics such as voter purges, strict ID requirements, and poll closures. “Congressman John Lewis was a courageous...

WASHINGTON – The Hawai‘i congressional delegation today urged President Trump to immediately provide support to the state as Hurricane Douglas approaches the islands. “With the time remaining before the forecasted landfall, we can take steps that will improve outcomes for Hawai‘i residents. Close coordination among federal, state, and county officials will make it possible to have supplies, personnel, and plans in place for Hurricane Douglas. Federal support is especially...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on President Trump’s memo to ban undocumented immigrants from being counted in the Census. “This is an illegal and unconstitutional attempt to scare people from participating in the Census and influence congressional representation. The Supreme Court has already ruled against the Trump Administration's efforts to politicize the 2020 Census, and yet, they refuse to stop. We must remain...

WASHINGTON – Tomorrow, the U.S. Senate is set to vote on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) introduced by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that will limit the transfer of certain surplus military-grade equipment to local law enforcement agencies across the country. The Schatz-Murkowski-Harris-Paul amendment places limitations on the Department of Defense’s 1033 program...

HONOLULU — Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the Hawai‘i Department of Health will receive $3,340,633 to help prepare for and respond to infectious disease outbreaks, including the current COVID-19 pandemic. This federal funding will support epidemiological activities including laboratory testing, contact tracing, surveillance, and coordination among public health officials. “Improving our ability to detect and...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), lead author of the CONNECT for Health Act, released the following statement on new data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services showing expanded and widespread use of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Telehealth is popular and bipartisan because it reduces the cost of health care and improves quality and availability. The skyrocketing use of telehealth during the pandemic shows that we cannot and...

HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the University of Hawai‘i's Pacific Island Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) will receive $4,260,603 in federal funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to deploy more ocean sensors to observe and monitor sea levels, tides, currents, waves, and temperatures. The data collected will improve forecasts of severe weather events—like king tides and hurricanes—so that...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representatives Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawai‘i) and Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i) today called on the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to end efforts to open Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM) to commercial fishing. “The expansion of the PMNM has brought significant benefits. The larger site has drawn greater interest in its potential for science, conservation, management,...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today introduced new legislation that will help more small businesses access flexible Small Business Administration (SBA) funding to cover their operational costs and stay open. The legislation will make key updates to the economic injury disaster loan (EIDL) program, including cutting the interest rate to 1 percent, raising the cap on maximum loan amounts, and adding millions of dollars more to...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today introduced new legislation that will provide for fair Medicare payments for nursing facilities in Hawai‘i and Alaska. The bipartisan bill will authorize a cost-of-living adjustment at skilled nursing facilities in those states to take into account the higher costs of delivering care. “Nursing homes are on the front lines of...

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the five Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems and Papa Ola Lokahi, which coordinates health care programs and services for Native Hawaiians, will receive a total of $16,999,696 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This funding, provided through the Native Hawaiian Health Care Program, will help the centers provide health education, promotion, disease prevention, and...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to limit the transfer of certain surplus military-grade equipment to local law enforcement agencies across the country. The Schatz-Murkowski-Harris-Paul amendment places limitations on the Department of Defense’s 1033 program which authorizes the federal transfer of military...

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that Hawai‘i K-12 schools will receive $54,188,328 in new federal funding for the 2020-2021 school year to support initiatives aimed at helping educate low income students. Authorized under Title I Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the funds will be given directly to local education agencies to provide extra academic support at schools where a...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of senators in calling on the Federal Reserve (“the Fed”) to require banks to suspend dividend payments to shareholders as the economy struggles to recover from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The senators urged Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Vice Chair Randal Quarles to ensure banks conserve capital now so that they can continue lending if the economic fallout from the pandemic turns more...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and John Thune (R-S.D.), the Ranking Member and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet, introduced the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency (PACT) Act, new bipartisan legislation to update Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The PACT Act will strengthen transparency in the process online platforms use to moderate content and hold those companies accountable for...