Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) voted to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government and deliver disaster relief for Maui. The CR, which funds the federal government through November 17, 2023, includes $16 billion in supplemental funding for the federal Disaster Relief Fund and passed the Senate by...

~ Video of Senator Hirono’s remarks is available here ~ WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) delivered remarks on the Senate floor, detailing the continued need for federal disaster funding for the people of Lahaina and Upcountry Maui and the effects that a Republican government shutdown would have on disaster relief. In...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Representative Ed Case (D-HI) led their colleagues in introducing a bipartisan, bicameral resolution to recognize October as Filipino American History Month. This resolution honors and celebrates the history and culture of Filipino Americans, honoring the key role they have played in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) led 19 of her Senate colleagues in introducing a resolution designating the week of September 25 through October 1, 2023 as Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Week. The resolution recognizes the significance, achievements, and goals of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, released the following statement on the Navy’s announcement of accountability for individuals responsible for fuel spills at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, announced that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is awarding more than $11 million to the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) to update its...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, led the Hawaii Congressional delegation in a letter to Isabel Guzman, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), urging the agency to extend the physical damage loan application deadline for...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is awarding over $3.5 million to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA). The grants, made possible through the Micro-Grants for Food Security Program (MGFSP), will provide support for small-scale...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Representatives Jill Tokuda (D-HI) and Ed Case (D-HI) sent a letter to Lieutenant General Scott Spellmon, the Chief of Engineers and commanding general of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, urging the Army Corps to provide the Hawaii Department of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, voted to confirm General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and advanced the nomination of General Randy George to be Army Chief of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), U.S. Representative Marc Veasey (D-TX), and more than 60 of their colleagues on National Voter Registration Day in introducing a bicameral resolution recognizing September as “National Voting Rights Month.” The resolution will encourage voter registration...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, led the Hawaii Congressional delegation in a letter to Isabel Guzman, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), urging the agency to pause loan payments and interest accruals for SBA disaster...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, questioned Acting Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, President Biden’s nominee to serve as the U.S. Navy’s next top officer. During her question line,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Colette Peters, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), about the status of reopening a residential reentry facility in Hawaii. Hawaii’s only residential reentry center—Mahoney Hale—closed in 2019. “Having grown...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined more than 70 of her colleagues in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives in sending a letter to President Biden, urging him to take further executive action to combat gun violence and limit the sale of assault weapons. “We commend the important steps your Administration...

~ Video of Senator Hirono’s full question line is available here ~ Sen. Hirono: “It is a powerful tool that can be used for good, but it can also be used to spread a lot of disinformation and misinformation, and that happened during the disaster on Maui.” WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned a panel of experts about the rise in book banning in schools and libraries across the country. The hearing comes after the American Library Association recently reported that requests to ban books at U.S. public schools and...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) introduced the AuGmenting Research and Educational Sites to Ensure Agriculture Remains Cutting-edge and Helpful (AG RESEARCH) Act, legislation to provide billions in funding to address deferred maintenance at U.S. schools of agriculture, including the University of Hawaii College of Tropical...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, met with the Acting Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, President Biden’s nominee to serve as the U.S. Navy’s next top officer. If confirmed, Adm. Franchetti...

~ Video of Senator Hirono’s remarks is available here ~ WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) delivered remarks on the Senate floor marking one month since wildfires tore through Lahaina and Upcountry Maui. In her remarks, Senator Hirono spoke in remembrance of those who lost their lives, highlighted the Federal government’s...