Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans today blocked two sensible measures that would have helped keep guns out of the hands of terrorists and protect Americans from gun violence.  Following the vote, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) renewed calls for commonsense gun safety regulation and vowed to continue pushing for much needed reforms. “More than 90% of Americans demand we take action on gun violence, but again Senate Republicans refuse to act. It’s...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) will introduce the Marijuana Effective Drug Studies (MEDS) Act of 2016, bipartisan legislation that would make it easier for researchers to study the medical effectiveness and safety of marijuana. Similar legislation is being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Andy Harris (R-Md.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), H. Morgan Griffith...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) sent his proposal to expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM) to President Barack Obama following the tenth anniversary of President George W. Bush’s executive order that established the original boundaries for the PMNM.  At 582,578 square miles, the proposal would create the world’s largest marine protected area by expanding the PMNM west of 163° West Longitude out to the full 200...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), ranking member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, released the following statement on today’s decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the FCC's net neutrality rules: “This court ruling is a victory for consumers and American innovation. These rules are tech neutral and provide clear regulatory guidance for industry while preserving the...

Washington, D.C. – The House of Representatives is poised to vote on a resolution today expressing opposition to a federal carbon fee—a policy many economists, including prominent conservative ones, believe to be the best way to limit the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change.  Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), authors of American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act, panned the non-binding resolution as irresponsible and further evidence of the...

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, Senate leaders named U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, to the House-Senate conference committee that will negotiate funding to fight the Zika virus.  As part of the select group of senators, Schatz’s selection ensures that Hawai‘i’s unique public health concerns will be voiced during negotiations.   “Zika is a public health emergency,” said Senator Schatz, a...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), ranking member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, issued the following statement after the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a report on the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition proposal. “NTIA’s report confirms that the IANA transition proposal meets all of NTIA’s criteria. “The...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, introduced the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2016. This legislation would ensure that surviving Filipino veterans are fully eligible for the benefits they earned while serving under the U.S. flag during the Second World War.   “We have failed Filipino World War II veterans,” said Senator...

WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bipartisan defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2017.  U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked to include $12 million in the bill for the recapitalization of the Barking Sands Tactical Underwater Range (BARSTUR) off of Kauai.  “This smart investment will give us the resources to strengthen our national security and ensure Kauai and our state...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) introduced the Fossil Aid is Inefficient and Regressive (FAIR) Energy Policy Act, legislation that would balance tax preferences for the clean energy and fossil fuel industries.  “If we are phasing out tax credits for clean energy—something I oppose—then why are we still committing to permanently support the fossil fuel industries with tax preferences they don’t need?  The FAIR Energy Policy...

WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bipartisan defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2017.  U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, helped secure $222 million for the Army’s High Performance Computing Modernization Program, which supports the Department of Defense’s Regional Supercomputers, including the Maui High Performance Computing Center.  Schatz worked to boost the funding...

WASHINGTON – Senate appropriators approved a bipartisan spending deal today that would fund $55 million in federal funding for clean energy technology and implementation projects, including ones in Hawai‘i. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, helped secure the funds which now await a final vote by the Senate. “Hawai‘i’s partnerships with the military to research and implement clean technology are proving that...

Washington, D.C. - Today, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee passed the OPEN Government Data Act. Senators Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) have led the bipartisan effort to require public data to be accessible at Data.gov so individuals, organizations, and other government offices can utilize it. The legislation must now go before the full Senate. "I'm pleased that this bipartisan open data bill is heading to the Senate floor,” said...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), ranking member of the Senate Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet Subcommittee, called for the timely transition of oversight of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to the global multistakeholder community. In a Senate Commerce Committee hearing today, Senator Schatz stressed the importance of the transition in maintaining the open and global nature of the Internet. “The experts are...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called for immediate action from the Department of the Interior to stop the spread of Rapid Ohia Death.  In a letter to Interior Department Secretary Sally Jewell, Schatz called for additional personnel and resources to protect ohia on Hawai‘i Island and prevent the spread of the tree disease. “If this was a forest fire, there would be no question about an all-hands-on-deck, no-holds-barred response. ...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) joined the Polynesian Voyaging Society, the Hawai‘i State Society, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, members of the Hawai‘i congressional delegation, and community leaders from Hawai‘i and Washington to celebrate and honor King Kamehameha at the annual Kamehameha Day Lei Draping Ceremony in the U.S. Capitol.Senator Schatz presented lei and spoke at the annual gathering in Washington. The King Kamehameha Day Celebration and Lei Draping...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, legislation that will provide key funding for programs to support Native Hawaiian housing and address homelessness.  U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, worked to ensure more homeless assistance funds go to states with a greater...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on Congressman Mark Takai’s announcement that he will not seek a second term in Congress due to health concerns: “It has been my honor and a true pleasure to work alongside Mark over the years. He is a great teammate and has served the people of Hawai‘i with integrity and aloha.  I know this was a difficult decision, and my thoughts and prayers are with him and his...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed S.1335, the Ensuring Access to Fisheries Act. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), will implement treaties ratified by the Senate last year to better manage certain fisheries in the North and South Pacific and the North Atlantic. “I thank Senator Sullivan and Senator Markey for their work to bring our oceans into...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, voted to advance $1.1 billion in emergency funding to fight the spread of the Zika virus. The Senate is expected to approve this bipartisan emergency funding legislation with a final vote occurring as early as this evening.  “Zika is a public health emergency,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human...