Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has activated the Secretary’s Operation Center and staff and is standing by to support requests for public health and medical assistance, if needed, as the storm makes landfall.“Our federal agencies are mobilizing and are ready to help,” said Senator Schatz. “As the situation becomes more serious, the federal government will continue...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement slamming President Trump’s proposal to roll back the Clean Power Plan. “President Trump’s proposal is full-fledged climate denial. It gives coal companies the green light to pollute the air we breathe and the water we drink. This proposal flies in the face of scientific fact, morality, and America’s leadership,” said Senator Schatz. “The good news is...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, released the following statement after the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a formal complaint against Facebook. In its complaint, HUD alleges Facebook allowed homeowners and tenants to discriminate against potential buyers and tenants through targeted ads that allowed them limit ads for homes to certain people, violating the Fair Housing...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution, introduced by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), affirming Congress’ support of the First Amendment and condemning attacks on the free press, which undermine the credibility of journalists and the press as a national institution. The move comes as more than 300 newspapers across the country ran editorials on the...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced and called for the immediate passage of a new resolution affirming Congress’ support of the First Amendment and condemning attacks on the free press, which undermine the credibility of journalists and the press as a national institution. The Senate resolution comes as President Trump and White House officials continue to attack journalists and news...

WASHINGTON – Today, President Donald Trump signed the NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act, legislation authored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and James Risch (R-Idaho). The bipartisan bill will provide a consistent set of resources for small businesses to best protect their digital assets from cybersecurity threats. Small businesses are a pillar of the American economy and make up more than half of all jobs in the United States. But these businesses have also become a...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, called on Wells Fargo to provide more details about a mistake the bank made that caused hundreds of customers to lose their homes and suffer from the extensive consequences of foreclosure.   “It is hard to overstate the impact of a foreclosure on people’s lives. In addition to causing displacement and housing instability, foreclosures have a devastating ripple effect....

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to move ahead with a $100 million telehealth pilot program. The Connected Care Pilot Program would expand broadband access for veterans and patients in low-income communities to connect them to telehealth services.“I’ve seen firsthand how telemedicine can make it easier for patients to see their doctors, bring specialized care to more...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the Senate confirmation of Jill Otake to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai‘i. Otake was confirmed unanimously.“Ms. Otake’s record shows that she has an impressive legal mind and a steadfast commitment to justice, so it’s no surprise that the Senate has confirmed her to serve as a district judge. This is how the process is supposed to...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2018, which includes two bills authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i).  The Schatz provisions will open access to commissaries to military heroes – including recipients of the Purple Heart or Medal of Honor and disabled veterans and their caregivers – and protect military bases from flooding by making sure facility planners are aware of and consider...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and James Risch (R-Idaho). The bipartisan bill will provide a consistent set of resources for small businesses to best protect their digital assets from cybersecurity threats. Small businesses are a pillar of the American economy and make up more than half of all jobs in the United States. But these businesses have also...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate passed legislation authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) that will help Hawai‘i Island assess the damage the ongoing Kilauea eruptions has done to farmers and ranchers.“This is about people’s livelihoods, and it’s about Hawai‘i Island’s agricultural history and way of life. My legislation will help us understand how the ongoing eruptions have hurt agriculture...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the Kohala Center in Waimea, Hawai‘i will receive a total of $869,931 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve land management and strengthen local businesses. “For nearly two decades, the Kohala Center has built coalitions and harnessed people and resources to restore the watersheds of Kohala, which play an...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and a group of a dozen Democratic senators met with former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul to reassure him of Congress’ opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s request to question current and former U.S. officials, including Ambassador McFaul.“Today, I met with Ambassador Michael McFaul and told him that the Senate has his back. The Congress will not allow Americans who served our country to...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate passed legislation authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) that will help Hawai‘i Island assess the damage the ongoing Kilauea eruptions has made to federal infrastructure, the visitor industry, and the Hawai‘i Island economy. “It’s crucial that we understand how our communities and our local economy are being affected by the Kilauea eruptions and earthquakes,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate...

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) called for Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to come before Congress to clarify his comments on the proposal of a citizenship question for the upcoming 2020 Census. In testimony before Congress, Secretary Ross asserted that the citizenship question originated at the Department of Justice, but an NPR report and recently published e-mails raise new questions about the veracity of that claim. “In...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted to pass a resolution affirming the Congress’ opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to question current and former U.S. officials. The resolution was introduced by Senator Schatz, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Ranking Member Robert Menendez (D-N.J.). It passed by a...

Washington, D.C.  – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Ranking Member Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) today announced and called for the immediate Senate-passage of a new resolution affirming the Congress’ opposition to making available former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul and other current and former U.S. officials to questioning by the government of...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and John Thune (R-S.D) introduced the Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement (READI) Act of 2018. The bipartisan legislation would ensure more people receive relevant emergency alerts on their mobile phones, televisions, and radios, explore new ways of alerting the public through online video and audio streaming services, track and study false alerts when they occur, and improve the way states plan for emergency...

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.“President Trump failed in his duty to support and defend the country today. The American intelligence community has proved without a doubt that Russia meddled in our elections and plans to do so again. And yet President Trump trusted President Putin’s word over the men and women serving our...