Press Releases

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement on the fires on Maui and Hawai‘i Island: “These fires are absolutely devastating, and we will not know the full extent of the damage for a while. In the meantime, the highest priority is the safety of the people. “I’ve been in touch with the White House, Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the mayors to ensure that maximum...

HONOLULU – As devastating wildfires on Maui and Hawai‘i Island continue to burn, 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) urged President Joe Biden to act swiftly to make all federal resources available and approve any request for a presidential disaster declaration. The declaration will help ensure that the affected communities can access important federal...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after President Joe Biden announced new actions to protect workers and communities from extreme heat intensified by climate change. “Right now, millions of Americans are feeling a direct impact of the climate crisis. These record heatwaves are dangerous to everyone, and especially those working jobs that require them to be outdoors. I’m glad the Biden Administration is taking action to...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included two provisions authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i). The bill included a Schatz-led measure that would create a registry to track and collect health data from those exposed to the Red Hill fuel leak, in consultation with the impacted community. “People who were exposed to toxic fuel from this leak should know what kind of impact that might have on their...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced that a new federal grant program established by a law authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) to reward state and local governments that reform land-use policies and other local barriers that constrain the supply of affordable housing is set to begin accepting applications in the fall. “We need to legalize housing, and abandon the exclusionary zoning that originated during Jim Crow...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) announced their support for the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act. The bipartisan bill, authored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.), would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media apps and would require parental consent...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reintroduced legislation to promote press freedom and the protection of journalists worldwide. The Global Press Freedom Act would direct the U.S. State Department to establish an Ambassador-at-Large for press freedom and train Foreign Service Officers on how to help promote media independence and protect foreign journalists. “Our democracy depends...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) reintroduced legislation to create a new progressive tax on financial transactions that would curb high-risk trading practices, reduce economic inequality, and generate $752 billion in new federal revenue over the next decade. “Wall Street has cashed in on high-risk trades that add no real value to our economy and leave working families behind. We need to curb this dangerous trading to reduce volatility in the markets...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representative Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i) introduced bipartisan legislation to collect data, study, and help better understand the long-term health impacts of those exposed to water contamination from the Red Hill fuel leak. The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) in the Senate and U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (D-Hawai‘i) in the House of...

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Education announced that 1,690 borrowers in Hawai‘i are eligible for automatic loan relief under fixes to Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans implemented by the Biden-Harris Administration. The new action from the administration would eliminate a total of $90.2 million dollars of debt from eligible borrowers across Hawai‘i. “Thanks to the Biden Administration, nearly 1,700 people across Hawai‘i will see thousands of dollars in...

WASHINGTON – A United States Senate delegation has concluded its mission to Iceland. Led by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), the bipartisan delegation included U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.). The senators were briefed by U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Carrin F. Patman and U.S. embassy officials, met with host nation President Gudni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, Minister for the Environment, Energy, and Climate Gudlaugur...

REYKJAVÍK, ICELAND – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) have embarked on a congressional delegation mission to Iceland. The delegation will meet with host nation government officials and U.S. diplomats to discuss the importance of maintaining and strengthening U.S.-Iceland ties and the NATO Alliance. The senators will also meet with researchers and business leaders to discuss global cooperation to...

HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that Michael A. Dahilig will serve as Senior Policy Counsel and will be based in his Hawai‘i office. Dahilig has more than a decade of experience in public policy, planning, law, and government affairs. He currently serves as Managing Director for the County of Kaua‘i, where he leads Mayor Derek Kawakami’s policy agenda and manages 14 departments and a more than $300 million operating budget. Dahilig...

HONOLULU – Today, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced that Hawai‘i will receive $149.5 million in new federal funding to expand high-speed internet access across the state. The new funding from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program will be used to help build and improve broadband infrastructure across Hawai‘i. “Everyone in Hawai‘i should have access to high-speed internet,” said Senator Schatz, a...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after the National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced a $37.4 million grant award to Hawaiian Telcom. The funding, part of the Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, provides funding for the construction, improvement, or acquisition of middle mile infrastructure. “Everyone in Hawai‘i should have access to high-speed internet,” said Senator...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) led a bipartisan group of 60 senators in reintroducing the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act. The CONNECT for Health Act of 2023 will expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make permanent COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities, improve...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today reintroduced legislation to expand health care to veterans living in the freely associated states (FAS), three sovereign nations that have a special and unique relationship with the United States, and whose citizens serve in the U.S. military at some of the highest volunteer rates per capita. The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) and John Boozman...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) reintroduced 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. “Solving the student loan debt crisis means focusing on...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after voting on a deal to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default. “I voted for the deal to avoid a catastrophic default, but it should have never come to this. We have to repeal the debt ceiling. This is not the way to run the country, and this should never happen again.” In April, Schatz reintroduced legislation to avoid default by repealing the national debt ceiling, an...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the passing of former State Senator Sam Slom. “An economist and longtime legislator, Senator Slom was a strong and consistent conservative voice who earned the respect of many. He will be remembered for his devotion to public service and to Hawai‘i.  My condolences and aloha go to Senator Slom’s ohana.” ###