Press Releases
Senator Hirono Urges Secretary of Defense to Identify Non-Red Hill Options to Address Long-term INDOPACOM Strategic Fuel Reserve Needs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the Department of Defense considers options for the long-term strategic fuel reserve needs of the Indo Pacific region, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense urging the Department to focus on options that do not rely on Red Hill, given the likelihood that the facility will be shutdown. The Department has directed the Director of Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation (CAPE) to stand up … Continue Reading
February 15, 2022
Senator Hirono Questions Department of Defense Nominees on Red Hill Crisis at Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) highlighted the Red Hill water contamination crisis as she questioned Robert Storch, nominee to be Inspector General of the DoD, and Christopher Lowman, nominee to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment. Senator Hirono inquired about the continuation of the Inspector General (IG) investigation into operations at Red Hill and potential strategies to address any long-term impacts, shou… Continue Reading
February 14, 2022
Hirono, Colleagues Press ICE on “Excessive and Seemingly Indiscriminate” Use of Solitary Confinement
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), along with other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is calling on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to provide information on the use of solitary confinement in ICE facilities. In a letter to Acting Director Tae Johnson, Hirono - joined by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) - cited a … Continue Reading
February 11, 2022
Senator Hirono Statement on Red Hill
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) released the following statement on Red Hill. A link to download a broadcast quality video of the Senator delivering the statement as prepared for delivery is available here. "The people of Hawaii deserve a resolution to the Red Hill crisis as quickly as possible, including a decision regarding the potential closing of Red Hill. The fastest way to do this is through the State of Hawaii's power and authority in its ongoing hearing to det… Continue Reading
February 10, 2022
Hirono Applauds Senate Passage of Bill to Void and Prevent Forced Arbitration Agreements for Sexual Harassment and Assault
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), applauded Senate passage of the bipartisan Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act. This legislation, which Senator Hirono is a co-sponsor of, prevents perpetrators from being able to push survivors of sexual harassment and assault into the secretive, biased process of forced arbitration. In addition to ending the practice, the legislation would also invalidate existing forced arbitration clauses that prevent… Continue Reading
February 04, 2022
Hirono, Colleagues Raise Concerns About Lack of Oversight to Prevent Veteran Suicide
(Washington, D.C.) - Senator Hirono joined six colleagues in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough to voice concerns about a Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General report highlighting failures within DoD to screen for and prevent suicide amongst transitioning servicemembers from DoD to VA. As a member of the Senate Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs Committees, Senator Hirono remains dedicated to advocat… Continue Reading
February 01, 2022
Senator Hirono Statement on DoD Decision to Contest Hawaii's Red Hill Emergency Order
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on the Department of Defense's (DoD) decision to appeal the Hawaii Department of Health Emergency Order on Red Hill: "Yesterday evening, I had a conversation with Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks about DoD's announcement to contest Hawaii's Red Hill Emergency Order. During our call, she reiterated that the intent behind the appeal is to provide the… Continue Reading
January 26, 2022
Senator Hirono Statement Following Meeting with Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and Admiral John Aquilino to Discuss the Future of Red Hill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) released the following statement after a Hawaii Congressional delegation meeting with Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and Admiral John Aquilino to discuss the Department of Defense's plans for the future of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility: "As we continue to resolve this crisis, we appreciate the full focus on Red Hill from the highest levels of our defense leadership. Today, we heard directly from Deputy Secretary Hicks… Continue Reading
January 26, 2022
Senator Hirono Statement on Justice Breyer
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Hirono, member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after reports that Justice Stephen Breyer plans to announce his retirement from the Supreme Court: "Throughout his 27 years of service on the Supreme Court, Justice Stephen Breyer has been a steadfast champion of reproductive rights, voting rights, health care and so many other rights and freedoms we hold dear. "Despite the Supreme Court's rightward shift during his time o… Continue Reading
January 26, 2022
Senator Hirono Joins 190+ Congressional Democrats in Amicus Brief Defending EPA’s Clean Air Act Authority
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, Senator Hirono, along with more than 190 congressional Democrats, submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a case looking at the EPA's ability to regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions under the Clean Air Act (CAA). "In Hawaii, we understand the sense of urgency in addressing climate change as we continue to experience its devastating impacts. Reducing carbon pollution from power plants is critical to … Continue Reading
January 19, 2022
Senator Hirono Statement on Republicans Blocking Voting Rights Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) released the following statement after Republicans blocked the Senate from considering the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act: "The freedom to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy-without it, we don't have one, it's that simple. I never thought I'd see the day where protecting this sacred right has become a partisan issue. It was not a partisan issue the five times the Senate reauthorized the Voting Rights Act. Yet, Republicans continu… Continue Reading
January 18, 2022
Senator Hirono Compares Wave of Voter Suppression Bills to Reconstruction Era in Speech on the Senate Floor
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) delivered remarks on the Senate floor discussing the urgent need to pass comprehensive voting rights legislation. In her speech, Senator Hirono talked about how this MLK Jr. Day, instead of celebrating progress we've made in this country, we are fighting the same battle over voting rights. She then went on to call out Republicans for refusing to even consider critical voting rights legislation, and co… Continue Reading
January 17, 2022
Senator Hirono Statement on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on Martin Luther King Jr. Day: "Today, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by honoring civil rights leaders who fought against inequality and sacrificed so much to move our country closer towards justice for all. "But this year, on a day when we should be coming together to commemorate these civil rights achievements and recommit to the road ahead, we are instead fighting a battle we thought was won decades … Continue Reading
January 07, 2022
Hirono, Cortez Masto and Blumenthal Introduce Legislation to Ensure Transparency and Accountability for Presidential Pardons
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced the Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act to ensure transparency and accountability for presidential exercise of the pardon power. The legislation allows Congress and the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to assess whether a conflict of interest or any other impropriety surrounds a pardon that directly involves the president or the presi… Continue Reading
January 06, 2022
Senator Hirono Statement on Anniversary of the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) issued the following statement on the anniversary of the insurrection that took place on January 6th, 2021: "Today both the President and Vice President spoke forcefully about January 6, 2021: a procedural day to signify the orderly and peaceful transfer of Presidential power which turned into one of the darkest days in our nation's history. A day where a mob of domestic terrorists attempted to delegitimize our election process; shakin… Continue Reading
December 20, 2021
Department of Defense Inspector General Announces Intent to Open Investigation into Red Hill at the Request of Hawaii’s Congressional Delegation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and U.S. Representatives Ed Case (D-Hawaii) and Kaiali'i Kahele (D-Hawaii) released the following statement applauding the Department of Defense Inspector General (DOD IG) for announcing their intent to open an evaluation into the operation, maintenance, safety, and oversight of the Navy's Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility later this month following multiple requests from the delegation: "Recent events have call… Continue Reading
December 17, 2021
Hawaii Delegation Calls On Congressional Leaders For Immediate And Ongoing Federal Funding To Respond To Red Hill Water Contamination Crisis
WASHINGTON - 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 Kaiali'i Kahele (D-Hawai'i) today called on congressional leaders for their immediate assistance in securing federal funding to respond to the water contamination crisis at the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility (RHBFSF). "We must bring the full power of Congress to bear on the Department of Defense (DoD) to ensure that it is spending every dollar it has availabl… Continue Reading
December 16, 2021
Senator Hirono Calls On Democratic Colleagues To Act On Voting Rights Legislation
Sen Hirono: "It's crystal clear by now that Republicans have absolutely no interest in protecting the right to vote. For Republicans, voter suppression and jerrymandering is their path to victory. Democrats cannot sit back and allow a political party to maintain power by denying Americans their right to vote." Sen: Hirono: "We figured out a way to save our economy, we can figure out a way to save our democracy." WATCH FULL VIDEO OF SENATOR HIRONO'S FLOOR REMARKS HERE WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today… Continue Reading
December 16, 2021
Key Committee Advances Schatz, Hirono Bipartisan Legislation To Protect Coral Reefs
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) applauded the Senate Committee on Commerce's unanimous passage of their Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021 (S. 46). First introduced in August 2019, the bill would reauthorize and modernize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, strengthen NOAA's Coral Reef program, and give new and innovative tools and resources to the non-federal partners who are closest to the cr… Continue Reading
December 15, 2021
Hirono Applauds Senate Passage of the NDAA
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, (D-HI) applauded Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Senator Hirono fought for the inclusion of critical amendments that would support United States Indo-Pacific Command's (INDOPACOM) requirements, invest in military construction projects in Hawaii, improve oversight of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan, and better suppor… Continue Reading
