Press Releases
Senators Hirono, King Introduce Resolution to Designate April 30 as National Adult Hepatitis B Vaccination Awareness Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Angus King (I-Maine) introduced S.Res.177, a resolution supporting the designation of April 30, 2019, as "National Adult Hepatitis B Vaccination Awareness Day." Hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver transmitted via infected blood and other body fluids and is a leading cause of liver cancer. "Over two million people in the United States are chronically infected with hepatitis B, and about 2,000 people die from hepatitis B-r… Continue Reading
April 30, 2019
Hirono, 11 Senators Call for DOJ Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility to Investigate Attorney General Barr’s Handling of the Mueller Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) led 11 Senators in urging Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz and Director of the Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility Corey Amundson to investigate Attorney General William Barr's conduct while handling Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and report. "Attorney General Barr's actions raise significant questions about his decision not to recuse himself from overseeing the Special Counse… Continue Reading
April 29, 2019
Senator Hirono Leads Bipartisan Letter in Support of Funding to Address Deferred Maintenance at Schools of Agriculture
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Earlier this month, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with nine of her colleagues, sent a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations' Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies to request $50 million in funding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for grants to address deferred maintenance at agricultural research facilities. This fu… Continue Reading
April 25, 2019
Hirono Highlights Important Role of Federal Funding in Clearing Hawaii’s Rape Kit Backlog, Building Future Testing Capacity
HONOLULU - In a visit to Honolulu Police Department (HPD) Headquarters today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono highlighted the important role federal funding played in helping Hawaii law enforcement clear a backlog of 1,500 untested rape kits statewide. In 2016, the Office of the Hawaii Attorney General successfully applied for, received, and utilized a $2 million grant under the U.S. Department of Justice's National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) to process untested rape kits over a three-year per… Continue Reading
April 24, 2019
Senators Hirono, Gillibrand, Daines Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Assist Vietnam Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Last week, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and twenty-one of their U.S. Senate colleagues reintroduced the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act to ensure thousands of Navy veterans, known as "Blue Water" Navy veterans, would become eligible to receive Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation and health care benefits. The term "Blue Water" Navy veterans applies to those who served in the territorial sea… Continue Reading
April 23, 2019
Senator Hirono Announces Over $4.76 Million in AmeriCorps Funding for Three Hawaii Nonprofits
HONOLULU, HI - Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that three Hawaii organizations have received over $4.76 million in AmeriCorps funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency responsible for AmeriCorps and other national service programs. Funding from CNCS will go to Kupu, Teach for America Hawaii, and the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii. "AmeriCorps members are an integral part of our communities - they provide critical support and help… Continue Reading
April 18, 2019
Hirono: Mueller Lays Out Strong Case That Donald Trump Obstructed Justice
HANOI, VIETNAM - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) released the following statement following the release of the redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report: "Despite the Attorney General's attempt to spin the Mueller Report in Donald Trump's favor, it's clear the Special Counsel's investigation found serious wrongdoing by the President and many of his associates. "The Special Counsel's report lays out, in meticulous detail, evidence that Donald Trump obstructed justice. Among… Continue Reading
April 16, 2019
Senators Hirono, Wyden Welcome Interior IG’s Investigation into Secretary Bernhardt
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) welcomed the decision reached by the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of the Interior (Interior IG) to open an investigation regarding allegations against Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. Both Senators Hirono and Wyden sent letters to the Interior IG requesting an investigation into reports that Bernhardt inappropriately blocked a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) assessment of t… Continue Reading
April 16, 2019
Senators Hirono, Booker Reintroduce Access to Birth Control Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Last week, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and fifteen of their Senate colleagues reintroduced the Access to Birth Control Act, which would require pharmacies and pharmacists to provide women with birth control and emergency contraceptives without undue delay. "Women's reproductive rights must not be restricted in any manner - whether it is the right to end a pregnancy or the right to access birth control," Senator Hirono said. "Pharmacists should no… Continue Reading
April 11, 2019
Senators Hirono, Murray Introduce Legislation to Close Digital Equity Gap
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and eight of their U.S. Senate colleagues introduced legislation to close the digital gap facing communities across the country. The Digital Equity Act of 2019 would establish two federal grant programs that would support projects at the state and local level that promote the implementation of digital equity plans. The bill would also support efforts that ensure students, families, and workers have access to ne… Continue Reading
April 10, 2019
Hirono, Smith, Gillibrand, Merkley, and Deutch Reintroduce Bicameral Legislation to Strengthen and Expand Social Security
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Congressman Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) reintroduced the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act, which would strengthen the Social Security program by restoring fairness in contributions while increasing benefits for seniors and other beneficiaries. "For many seniors living in Hawaii on fixed incomes, Social Security benefits have not gone far enough to hel… Continue Reading
April 09, 2019
Senator Hirono Slams Latest Republican Attack on Women’s Reproductive Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) spoke out against anti-choice legislation that would outlaw abortion after 20 weeks, with very limited exceptions. The bill, S. 160, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), is a blatant violation of women's reproductive rights as established by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade. From Senator Hirono's Remarks: "If the people supporting th… Continue Reading
April 04, 2019
Senators Hirono, Duckworth, Blumenthal, Wyden Introduce Legislation to Assist Veterans through Immigration System
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) reintroduced a package of veterans’ bills that would improve access to health care services from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as well as prohibit the deportation of veterans who are not violent offenders, and provide legal permanent residents a path to citizenship through their military service. The three bills are the Veterans Visa and … Continue Reading
April 04, 2019
Senator Hirono Leads Senate Democrats in Requesting Deputy Inspector General Investigate Data Suppression at DOI
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) sent a letter to Deputy Inspector General Mary L. Kendall to request she investigate "the suppression of a Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Opinion that was due to be completed and released in December 2017." The letter specifically calls into question actions t… Continue Reading
April 03, 2019
Senators Hirono, Menendez Lead Senate Colleagues to Reintroduce the Equal Rights Amendment
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Last week, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and 20 of their Senate colleagues reintroduced the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would guarantee equal rights regardless of sex. "Passing a constitutional amendment that guarantees full equality on the basis of sex is long overdue," Senator Hirono said. "Women have made long strides toward equality since I first entered public service more than 30 years ago, and while we have made great progress, we a… Continue Reading
April 01, 2019
Hirono to Trump and McConnell: Stop “Playing Politics with Disaster Relief”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono issued the following statement on disaster supplemental appropriations legislation: "Instead of passing an inclusive disaster supplemental, Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are picking winners and losers and pitting citizens against each other by playing politics with disaster relief. This is an unconscionable, false choice. Whether they live in Ponce, Puna, Lincoln, or Saipan, they are all Americans. We should not discriminate as to which Americans … Continue Reading
April 01, 2019
Senators Hirono, Casey Reintroduce Legislation to Provide Financial Relief for Families with Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Last week, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and 18 of their colleagues reintroduced the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act. The bill would increase the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and make it available for more working and middle class families while allowing for parents who are married and filing separately to claim the credit as well. "For too many working parents in Hawaii the inability to access to quality, affordable child … Continue Reading
March 29, 2019
Senators Hirono, Warren Lead Senate Colleagues to Introduce Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Earlier this week, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and 26 of their Senate colleagues introduced the Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act, which codifies the longstanding practice of U.S. presidents divesting their financial interests and placing them in a blind trust. The bill would prevent President Trump from retaining any financial assets or maintaining conflicts of interest that could violate the Constitution's Emoluments Clause. "This Pr… Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
Hirono to Bernhardt: Moving Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to Oahu “Doesn’t Seem to Make a Lot of Sense”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono pressed Interior Secretary Nominee David Bernhardt to incorporate feedback from Hawaii's Congressional Delegation and Big Island stakeholders before making any decision to relocate the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) to Oahu. Volcanic activity in 2018 damaged HVO's facility at the summit of Kilauea beyond repair, and will need to be completely rebuilt. From Senator Hirono's Questioning: Senator Hirono: "The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory was com… Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
Hirono Secures Commitment from Interior Department Nominee to Provide Monthly Status Updates on Repairs to USS Arizona Memorial
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) secured a commitment from David Bernhardt, Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Interior Department, to provide monthly updates on the status of dock repairs at the USS Arizona Memorial during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today. After previously estimating that it could reopen the Memorial by December 2018, the National Park Service pushed back its target date for completing repairs to March… Continue Reading
