Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced legislation to promote Native arts and culture and unlock federal funding for Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs). The bipartisan Native Arts & Culture Promotion Act provides a technical fix to the Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts grant program to ensure NHOs can access funding from the program. “Our bill provides a common-sense fix so that...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, delivered the following remarks at the subcommittee’s hearing on the abduction of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation. “The systematic abduction of Ukrainian children by the Russian government is a horrific tragedy for the thousands of families victimized by Putin. But it’s also an issue of global concern. Here in the Senate, colleagues on...

WASHINTON – Following reports that a former Tripler Army Medical Center obstetrician-gynecologist secretly recorded patients during examinations, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representatives Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i) and Jill Tokuda (D-Hawai‘i) called on the Department of Defense to thoroughly investigate every allegation against Major Blaine D. McGraw and the Army’s own failures in allowing his misconduct to persist. “The damage done by Major...

WASHINGTON – The National Telecommunications and Information Administration this week approved a proposal that will unlock $30.6 million in new federal funding to expand high-speed internet access across Hawai‘i. Hawai‘i is among the first states in the country to receive approval for new funding from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program which will be used to build out and improve broadband infrastructure statewide. “Everyone in Hawai‘i should have access to high-speed...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a measure to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. “Now that Congress has weighed in on a bipartisan basis, it is the job of the Department of Justice to actually release these files and not cook up a new set of excuses.” ###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement after voting against a government funding bill that did not address rising health care costs for millions of Americans. “I voted no because this bill does not extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies, but we are not done with this fight. We are going to keep fighting to try to salvage this situation for the tens of millions of Americans who are going to see their health care costs double.” ###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement after the Trump administration directed states to undo any actions to provide full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to low-income families. “This is inhumane and illogical. The money is there, and we should use it to feed hungry Hawai‘i citizens. Tens of thousands of families rely upon this benefit to put food on the table, and multiple federal courts have determined that using the...

WASHINGTON – Speaking at this afternoon’s Senate Democratic leadership press conference, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called on President Trump to comply with court orders and fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that nearly 42 million Americans rely on, including more than 160,000 people in Hawai‘i. “There's enough money for a golden toilet. There's enough money for $40 billion for right-wing government in Argentina. There is enough money for a new aircraft...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz and Chris Coons (D-Del.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and 18 of their Democratic colleagues today introduced the Armed Forces Pay Act, legislation to ensure that military personnel continue to receive pay during the ongoing government shutdown. Shortly afterward, Senator Coons went to the floor of...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the passing of Maui County Councilmember Natalie “Tasha” Kama. “Councilmember Tasha Kama was a dedicated public servant who spent years working to make life better for the people of Maui. She was kind and generous, but not afraid to take on some of the county’s most pressing challenges, including housing and Native Hawaiian health care. Maui, and especially central Maui, are better off today because of her...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined over 20 Senators in introducing legislation to pay all federal employees – both those excepted and furloughed – as well as our servicemembers and federal contractors during the current Republican-led shutdown. The Senators’ legislation, the True Shutdown Fairness Act, would also prevent the Administration’s attempts at mass firings (Reductions in Force or RIFs) while the government is shut down....

WASHINGTON – Speaking at this afternoon’s Senate Democratic leadership press conference, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called on Republicans to work with Democrats to stop health care costs from rising and reopen the government. “This is not about money. There is enough money to bail out Argentina with $20 billion. There is enough money to purchase a brand new aircraft for $173 million for the Homeland Security Secretary. There is enough money to renovate the White House ballroom. What...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, released the following statement after the 20 surviving Israeli hostages were freed today as part of a ceasefire agreement. “Today, after more than two years of unspeakable suffering, the 20 surviving Israeli hostages are finally home, reunited with their families and communities. While nothing will ever fully mend the trauma from the horrors they endured...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today spoke on the Senate floor and called on Republicans to work with Democrats to reopen the government and stop health care costs from rising for millions of people. Schatz also called on House Republicans to return to work from their current weeks-long vacation after more than a month off in August. “Get back to work,” Senator Schatz said after detailing House Republicans’ lengthy vacation. “We are facing a health care crisis. For 22 million...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) spoke on the Senate floor today about President Trump’s calls for the arrests of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, which came as National Guard troops prepare to deploy to Chicago at the president’s direction and over the objections of local leaders. “Trump is going through with these authoritarian actions. The last time he posted that one of his political enemies should be jailed, it was James Comey. And then...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today led a group of 18 senators in introducing the Federal Employee Civil Relief Act. The legislation would protect federal workers, federal contractor employees, and their families from foreclosures, evictions, and loan defaults during a government shutdown. “While the President and congressional Republicans continue to refuse to work with Democrats to stop health care costs from skyrocketing and reopen the government, people are suffering,”...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today spoke on the Senate floor and called on Republicans to work with Democrats to reopen the government and stop health care costs from rising for millions of people. “Trump has enough money for a $50 billion tariff bailout. There's enough money for Argentina, but there's not enough money for you. They don't have enough money to help a family of four that's going to have to pay $300 more per month to keep their health care plan. They have the...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement on the federal government shutdown. “Unfortunately, cooler heads did not prevail tonight, and the government has been forced to shut down. As a result, federal workers will be furloughed and programs that support people across Hawai‘i will be interrupted. We will continue working every day to reopen the government, and my office will remain open to help residents in any way we can during this difficult...

WASHINGTON – Speaking at this afternoon’s Senate Democratic leadership press conference, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called on Republicans to work with Democrats to stop health care costs from rising and keep the government open. “The reason that we are trying to take action now on health care is because people's premiums are going up. People are going to lose their health care,” said Senator Schatz, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This is not a joke. The idea...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led Hawai‘i’s congressional delegation in introducing a resolution designating September 2025 as “Hawaiian History Month.” The resolution recognizes the rich history and culture of Native Hawaiians and Hawaii. “Hawaiian cultural traditions and values are an essential part of what makes Hawai‘i special. Hawaiian History Month is an opportunity to honor the culture, history, and contributions of the Native Hawaiian community and recommit to...