Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the shooting incident at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. “Our thoughts are with all of the people affected by this tragedy, especially the families of the victims. For over a century, the Navy, their local civilian colleagues, and the greater Pearl Harbor community have worked together every day to protect our nation. That legacy is deeply woven into our history and our state. While we honor...

WASHINGTON – Today, 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) demanded answers from the Census Bureau and the Department of the Interior (DOI) on an error the Bureau made in the 2013 and 2018 counts of Compact of Free Association (COFA) citizens in Hawai‘i that resulted in an underpayment of $17 million in federal funds to the state. The delegation called...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), the top Democrat on the Senate Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet Subcommittee, led a group of 16 senators in reintroducing legislation to protect people’s personal data online. The Data Care Act would require websites, apps, and other online providers to take responsible steps to safeguard personal information and stop the misuse of users’ data. “People have a basic expectation that...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that Hawai‘i will receive $26 million in new federal disaster relief funding. The new Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding adds to the $71 million announced earlier this year, and will help state and local governments rebuild impacted communities, especially in low- and moderate-income areas, and provide resources to help businesses recover. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) introduced the Treating Workers With Dignity Act, new legislation that would guarantee employees receive a break to eat a meal, use the restroom, or tend to their medical needs. “All workers deserve to be treated with dignity. You shouldn’t have to worry about losing your job just because you need a break to eat a meal or use the restroom,” said Senator Schatz. “Our bill will extend these basic and essential...

WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced that the State of Hawai‘i will receive a $6.5 million grant to purchase new buses for Kauai and Hawai‘i Island. “Investing in new buses for Hawai‘i Island and Kauai means that the residents who depend on them to get to school or work every day will continue to have an affordable way to get around,” said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced new legislation that would raise billions of dollars to improve public safety and broadband in rural areas, including for use in education and health care, through a public auction of wireless frequencies on the C-band spectrum. The Investing in America’s Digital Infrastructure Act would provide a framework for a transparent and competitive auctioning process...

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) issued the following statement on the tragic death of Chief Warrant Officer Two Kirk T. Fuchigami, Jr. of Keaau, Hawai‘i, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Logar Province, Afghanistan. “Chief Warrant Officer Two Kirk Fuchigami served our country with courage and distinction. His death is a loss that will be felt across the Big Island and the state of Hawai‘i, and as a nation, we will always remember his sacrifice....

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Banking Committee and Chair of the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis, introduced the Climate Change Financial Risk Act of 2019. The legislation will direct the Federal Reserve (“Fed”) to conduct stress tests on large financial institutions to measure their resilience to climate-related financial risks. “While our federal regulators are legally obligated to...

  WASHINGTON – As a result of legislation authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, which was signed into law last year, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced its plans to expand access to military commissaries, exchanges, and recreation facilities to more veterans and caregivers. Thousands of veterans in Hawai‘i may be eligible for these new...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department Health & Human Services (HHS) announced that the West Hawai‘i Community Health Center will receive a $1,060,398 grant to help low income families on Hawai‘i Island access quality and comprehensive health care. “The West Hawai‘i Community Health Center provides affordable and accessible health care services to thousands of people who might not otherwise receive care,” said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i),...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called on the U.S. Marine Corps to listen to community concerns and further review the environmental impact of its plan to build a retaining wall on Ewa Beach. “It is incumbent that the Marine Corps explore long-term resilience benefits for the Pu‘uloa Range Training Facility that avoid unnecessary environmental impacts on Hawai‘i’s beaches and the residents of Ewa Beach on the island of...

WASHINGTON – Today, ahead of a meeting at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce centered on climate policy, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called on board members to explain their support for the Chamber’s anti-climate agenda, how its activities to block climate action conflict with their own companies’ public positions, and whether they are aware of the sources of anonymous “dark money” that fund the Chamber. “The U.S....

WASHINGTON – The Senate Commerce Committee has approved the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the committee, that would help restore Hawai‘i’s coral reefs. “With the widespread threats to coral reefs across Hawai‘i growing, we need to do more to help states and communities fight back,” said Senator Schatz. “My bill will make federal funding available so that more local governments and organizations have the...

  WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) introduced the Ensuring Access to General Surgery Act, bipartisan legislation that would produce high quality data on where general surgeons are in short supply around the country. “We have a doctor shortage crisis in Hawai‘i, and it’s having a real impact on families living in hard-to-reach areas across the state,” Senator Schatz said. “Our bill will help us...

  WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced the Senate companion to the House-passed Violence Against Women Act.   “For 25 years, VAWA has provided support, shelter, and a new chance at life for women and children in Hawai‘i and across the country,” said Senator Schatz. “This bill will strengthen vital services, improve prevention programs, and increase housing and financial assistance for...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the first public hearing of the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry.   “It is a solemn time for our country, and it is unfortunate that it has come to this. But we take solace in the fact that our founders wrote into the Constitution a remedy for the behavior that was exposed. Although impeachment and removal are severe consequences, so are the high crimes being alleged. “The safeguards built into...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), lead Democrat on the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, called on telecom companies to provide answers on the islandwide phone, internet, and cable TV outage that occurred last week on Kauai. According to reports, the outage lasted for at least a day for many residents. Many in the community voiced complaints about Spectrum’s response and their failure to provide quick,...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that non-profit The Food Basket on Hawai‘i Island will receive a $985,652 grant to help more low-income families across the state access locally grown produce and healthy food. “This new federal funding means more people in Hawai‘i will be able to put healthy, locally grown food on their tables, helping both local farmers and families in need,” said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced it will award the State of Hawai‘i $20 million to help build a new pedestrian bridge over Ala Moana Boulevard. The new bridge will connect Ala Moana Beach Park and Kewalo Harbor to Ward Village, the Ala Moana Center, and the future Ward rail station. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, worked with DOT to...