Press Releases
Senators Hirono, Booker Introduce I Am Vanessa Guillen Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, legislation that addresses sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military by removing decisions about prosecuting those cases from the chain of command, establishing independent investigators outside of the chain of command, and creating a standalone punitive article for sexual harassment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). "Vanessa Guillen's story makes … Continue Reading
September 11, 2020
Hawaii to Receive $10 Million in Additional Community Development Block Grants to Respond to COVID-19 Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that Hawaii will receive an additional allocation of more than $10 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG-CV) to provide critical assistance for the community as it continues to combat the coronavirus pandemic. These CDBG-CV funds are the third round of CDBG funding from the federal CARES Act. Hawaii County will receive $1,077,958, Kauai County will receive $677,028, Maui County will receive $1,874,312, and the City a… Continue Reading
September 03, 2020
Hawaii Congressional Delegation to Postmaster General: Stop Service Delays, Preserve Hawaii’s USPS Lifeline During Pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Brian Schatz, and Representatives Tulsi Gabbard and Ed Case wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting he immediately reverse changes that have led to service delays for Hawaii mail, and suspend further changes to U.S. Postal Service (USPS) operations until there is no longer a nationally declared public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following Postmaster General DeJoy's recent appearances before two congressional committee… Continue Reading
August 28, 2020
Hawaii Congressional Delegation Calls on USDA to Extend Flexibility for Child Nutrition Programs to Combat Hunger During COVID-19 Pandemic
Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Brian Schatz, and Representatives Tulsi Gabbard and Ed Case wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to extend child nutrition waivers to assist schools and community organizations in feeding students during the coming school year. Following nationwide school closures earlier this year, USDA granted several waivers to provide flexibility for schools to use federal school lunch programs and funding to feed students even if they… Continue Reading
August 18, 2020
Hirono, Coons, Murray, Colleagues Call on HHS, CDC to Provide Comprehensive Guidance for Child Care Providers Dealing with COVID-19
HONOLULU - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined a bicameral letter led by Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Representatives Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa) calling for the Office of Child Care (OCC) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide comprehensive and detailed public health guidance for child care providers dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. The letter… Continue Reading
August 14, 2020
Hirono, Capito, Whitehouse Call on CMS to Make All Recommended Vaccines Accessible to Medicare Beneficiaries
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) along with Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) led a bipartisan group of their Senate colleagues in a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma requesting CMS make all recommended vaccines accessible to Medicare beneficiaries. Under current law, Medicare immunization coverage varies by vaccine. Some vaccines, like those that protect against influenza and pneumococ… Continue Reading
August 13, 2020
Hirono, Casey, Harris, Colleagues Introduce Coronavirus Language Access Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and other colleagues introduced the Coronavirus Language Access Act, which expands access to coronavirus-related resources by increasing language access services and supporting culturally appropriate COVID-19 response programs to help older Americans, those who have limited English proficiency (LEP), and people with disabilities. The pandemic has magnified language access issues and disparities … Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
Senator Hirono Announces $1.5 Million in Grants to University of Hawaii to Expand Education Programs Focused on Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources for Native Hawaiian Students
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that the University of Hawaii will receive $1.5 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to expand education programs focused on food, agriculture, and natural resources. This funding is part of a competitive grant program for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions to promote educational equity for underrepresented students, expand edu… Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
Hirono, Leahy, Colleagues Demand White House Sustain Full Funding for National Guard COVID-19 Response
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined a letter led by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and signed by 32 of their colleagues calling for President Trump to restore full federal funding in states where the National Guard has been deployed to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Without explanation, last week President Trump slashed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement for National Guard operations from full funding to 75 percent for all states except Te… Continue Reading
August 05, 2020
Hirono, Gillibrand, Smith, and Colleagues Introduce Impact Aid Infrastructure Act to Boost School Infrastructure Projects
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with her colleagues Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) introduced the Impact Aid Infrastructure Act (IAIA), which provides $1 billion in supplemental funding for school infrastructure construction grants through the Impact Aid program. Similar legislation was introduced in the House last y… Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Hirono, Murray, and Colleagues to McConnell: Immigrants Are Essential and Deserve Support in Coronavirus Relief Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) led a letter with 25 of their colleagues urging Majority Leader McConnell to support tax-paying immigrant families who have Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITIN) by ensuring they have access to economic relief payments provided in the CARES Act and any future coronavirus relief package. An estimated 20 million immigrants work … Continue Reading
July 29, 2020
Hirono Announces Nearly $3.2 Million For Native Hawaiian Serving Educational Institutions
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced nearly $3.2 million in federal funding for Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions in Hawaii, including Chaminade University, the University of Hawaii at Hilo (UH Hilo), UH Maui College, Honolulu Community College, Kapiolani Community College, and Windward Community College. Provided through the U.S. Department of Education's Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (ANNHSI) program, the funding will support sever… Continue Reading
July 29, 2020
Hirono Joins Colleagues to Urge Senate Leadership to Include Health Care Privacy Legislation in Next COVID-19 Relief Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined a letter led by Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to Senate leadership urging them to protect Americans' private COVID-19 health data by including the Public Health Emergency Privacy Act in the next coronavirus relief package. The letter, sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Chairman Lamar Alexander a… Continue Reading
July 25, 2020
Hirono Statement on Approval of Federal Disaster Declaration for Hawaii in Advance of Hurricane Douglas
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement on the President's approval of an emergency declaration for Hawaii in advance of Hurricane Douglas: "Federal, State, and County officials are working in concert to prepare as Hurricane Douglas approaches the state. I appreciate the swift approval of this emergency declaration by the administration - which makes available crucial federal resources as we prepare and then recover from the storm. "While this decl… Continue Reading
July 24, 2020
Hirono, Colleagues Highlight Exclusion of Small Farmers in Farmers to Families Food Box Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) led six of her Senate colleagues in a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue expressing alarm that the USDA has excluded small and mid-sized farmers from participating in the Farmers to Families Food Box Program during the pandemic over a voluntary audit and certification. This exclusion means that large farms with national distribution networks are prioritized over smaller farms who have local distribution net… Continue Reading
July 24, 2020
Following Hirono-led Advocacy, IG Will Review DOJ’s Use of Force Against Peaceful Protesters in Lafayette Square and Portland
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, following advocacy from Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) announced it will investigate DOJ's use of force on peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square and Portland, Oregon. "As protesters across the country have peacefully demanded their government address systemic racial inequality and police brutality against Black Americans, they have been met with militarized force and breathtaking violence by federal agents-s… Continue Reading
July 23, 2020
Hirono-Backed Barbers Point Provision Included in Senate-Passed NDAA
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that she secured a provision in the Senate-passed Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that will support community development of former Naval Air Station (NAS) Barbers Point by directing the Navy to spend funds from the established Ford Island master development agreement to bolster electrical infrastructure. "The committee strongly encourages the Navy to use its in-kind fund, established in the Ford Island m… Continue Reading
July 22, 2020
Hirono Statement on the Sanders Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie HIrono issued the following statement on her vote in favor of the Sanders Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): "As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am a strong supporter of the role our military plays in protecting our national security. But as I have said before, our national security is not just about how much money the Pentagon receives. It's also about a strong economy - which necessitates investments in jobs, educati… Continue Reading
July 22, 2020
Hirono, Klobuchar, 29 Colleagues Call on Trump Administration to Help Secure Access to PPE to Conduct November Election Safely During Pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) led 29 of their colleagues in a letter to Vice President Mike Pence and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter Gaynor urging them to take immediate action to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and sanitizing supplies for election and poll workers-and voters-ahead of the November 2020 election. Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that voters and … Continue Reading
July 08, 2020
Hirono and Colleagues to Secretary Ross: Release IG Report on “Sharpiegate”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn), and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) wrote to Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to demand he complete the necessary steps to make public Commerce Department Inspector General (IG) Peggy Gustafson's report into the … Continue Reading
