Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz released the following statement on the passing of Hawaiian music legend Willie K. “Rest in aloha, Willie K. I extend my deepest sympathy and aloha to his ohana. With his voice, he bridged blues and Hawaiian, local and mainstream, music and culture. Willie K blazed a trail that redefined music in Hawai‘i and helped other local artists succeed. We will long remember his energetic spirit, his passion, and the music he shared with...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the Hawai‘i Department of Education received $43,385,229 in new federal funding to help local schools retain their workforce, transition to online learning, and provide services for students during this public health crisis, especially those in low-income and underserved communities. “This new federal funding will provide computers, internet access, and...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called on Hawai‘i Governor David Ige to take additional steps to protect Hawai‘i residents living in long-term care facilities. “To date, Hawai‘i has avoided any COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and I understand that health officials are coordinating with long-term care facilities to prepare for infections and prevent outbreaks. However, additional steps, including...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of four senators in calling for President Trump to stop leveling blame on others for his mismanagement of the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and urging him invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) to dramatically increase domestic production of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing supplies. The president's decision to fire the Pentagon’s point person for the DPA yesterday appears...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced new bipartisan legislation to establish a national hotline offering free confidential support services to incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse and harassment. Many correctional facilities are reluctant to fund support programs or collaborate with outside partners willing to offer these services. A confidential national hotline would offer survivors in prisons across the country access to...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of five senators to call on Whole Foods to stop any efforts to surveil their employees and undermine their federally protected right to join a union. Recent reporting indicates that Whole Foods is trying to interfere with workers’ rights by tracking and monitoring employees who might begin collective bargaining. The senators urged Whole Foods CEO John Mackey to end these unethical anti-worker practices, and...

WASHINGTON – Following calls led by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) partnered together to launch a new website to help renters and homeowners learn more about all the resources and assistance available to them during the coronavirus pandemic. The website details new housing-related policies, benefits, and...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that the State of Hawai‘i will receive $50 million in new federal funding to expand COVID-19 contact tracing and testing. “I encourage state leaders to move at the speed of the virus and establish a contact tracing program that is fully operational as soon as possible. There’s simply not any time left, but there is plenty of money to get this done,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate...

WASHINGTON – As the rapid spread of the coronavirus overwhelms prisons across the country, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) today introduced new legislation that would accelerate the Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) approval process for compassionate release during a public health emergency. Authorized under the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, which also eliminated parole for federal prisoners, compassionate release gives people incarcerated in federal...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a bipartisan group of senators to urge the leadership of both the Senate and House of Representatives to include $2 billion in the next coronavirus relief package to help health care providers expand telehealth services by improving their access to broadband. “The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically increased the need to expand telehealth,” the senators wrote in a letter to Senate Majority...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called for the Federal Reserve (“Fed”) to reconsider its recent changes to the Main Street Lending Program, which will give oil and gas producers access to loans meant for small businesses suffering from the economic effects of the coronavirus. The senators urged Fed Chair Jerome H....

HONOLULU — U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) today announced new legislation, the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act of 2020. The bill would establish an Emergency Rental Assistance program to provide $100 billion in emergency rental assistance to help families and individuals pay their rent and remain housed during and after the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. Stabilizing renters and the rental market through this...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) today announced legislation that would establish a new $10 billion Coronavirus Emergency Assistance Grant program to help low-income families and individuals experiencing significant financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Families who were already struggling to get by before this crisis have been hit hard by this pandemic, and they need help,”...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that Hawai‘i will receive $4,337,445 in new federal funding to protect Hawai‘i’s fresh fish supply and help the local fishing industry survive the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “This new federal funding will help us maintain our supply of fresh ahi during this pandemic, ensuring Hawai‘i families will continue to have access to the locally sourced fish they rely on,”...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that 14 health centers across Hawai‘i will receive $3.8 million to expand COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. “Ramping up testing is critical to reopening our economy,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This new federal funding will give our local health centers additional resources to test more people for COVID-19, conduct contact tracing, and help stop the...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced Hawai‘i will receive more than $5.5 million in new federal funding to support local law enforcement agencies and cover the cost of COVID-19 response efforts, including personal protective equipment for law enforcement personnel, training, and overtime pay for officers on the frontlines. “Our police and correctional officers are on the frontlines of this pandemic and are putting their health at risk to keep...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that Hawai‘i will receive $22,379,622 in new federal funding to help 12 colleges, universities, and community colleges transition to distance learning and provide emergency grants to students. “Hawai‘i colleges and universities are refunding millions for housing, struggling to pay for salaries, and are incurring new expenses in the transition to digital...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that Hawai‘i will receive $58 million in new federal funding to support 56 rural hospitals and community health centers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The funds will cover lost revenue due to delayed or canceled non-emergent services or procedures, as well as additional health care expenses attributable to the coronavirus, including testing, treating patients, and instituting preventive...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement on the decision to scale down the 2020 Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) and conduct at-sea-only events. “This is the right decision for the health and safety of Hawai‘i’s residents, our armed forces, and our allies. I thank Commander Davidson and Commander Aquilino for working with our state to find a solution that keeps people safe and maintains our military...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representatives Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawai‘i) and Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i) today called on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza to fix the unfair loan distribution process that favors mainland big banks over Hawai‘i’s lenders and small businesses. “We are writing to express, in the most direct and...