Press Releases
Hawaii Congressional Delegation Announces $8.6 Million for Native Hawaiian Education Programs
Today, the Hawaii Congressional Delegation announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded $8,610,632 in federal grants to support Native Hawaiian education. The grants, which include funding for every county in Hawaii, will support eleven education projects to improve academic achievement, strengthen early childhood literacy and readiness programs, assist homeless families, and foster mentorship and academic support programs. "By providing support for Native Hawaiian education, we … Continue Reading
September 11, 2015
Hirono Commemorates 14th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks
Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement in remembrance of the events of September 11, 2001: "Communities across the country gather today to reflect and remember the more than 3,000 individuals, including five from Hawaii, who perished in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and to cherish the heroism demonstrated by the passengers on Flight 93. Like many in Hawaii, I remember hearing news of the attacks that morning and being stunned, and then deeply moved by… Continue Reading
September 10, 2015
Hirono: Put Politics Aside & Focus On The Facts Of Iran Deal
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono took to the Senate floor to support President Obama's landmark international agreement to halt Iran's nuclear weapons program. Legislation to disapprove of the Iran deal failed to advance on a 58-42 vote. Senator Hirono voted against advancing the legislation. Read Senator Hirono's full remarks below, as prepared for delivery: Mr. President, I support the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that we've agreed to with our international par… Continue Reading
September 08, 2015
President Obama Nominates Clare Connors to U.S. District Court
Today, President Obama announced the nomination of Clare Connors to the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. Ms. Connors was among those recommended by U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and the Federal Judicial Selection Commission. The Federal Judicial Selection Commission, which included seven members, three appointed by each Senator and a chair jointly agreed upon, reviewed more than 30 applications for the position. "Clare's judicial… Continue Reading
August 19, 2015
Hirono, Heinrich Introduce Bill To Increase Access To Pell Grants, Make College More Affordable
U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced S.1998, the Middle Class Creating Higher Education Affordability Necessary to Compete Economically (CHANCE) Act, a bill to increase access to affordable post-secondary education for low- to moderate-income students. The bill would address the significant loss in value of Pell Grants by adjusting them for inflation, reinstate year-round Pell Grants, and increase the number of eligible semesters to 15. "As college tuition increas… Continue Reading
August 17, 2015
Statement From U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono On The Iran Nuclear Agreement
Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, released the following statement in support of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as agreed to by the P5+1 and Iran: Since receiving President Obama's proposed deal to end Iran's nuclear program, I have attended and participated in classified briefings, meetings, and hearings with national security and foreign policy experts, with supporters and critics of the deal, with military leaders, with ambass… Continue Reading
August 06, 2015
Hirono on 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act: Our Fight To Ensure All Americans Can Cast A Vote Is Not Done
Today, on the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), Senator Mazie K. Hirono called for the restoration of the landmark legislation that prohibits discrimination in voting: "Fifty years ago, the Voting Rights Act gave millions of Americans a voice in our democracy. For the first time, federal protections guarded minority voters against unfair and inhumane literacy tests and discrimination. While our nation has come a long way in fighting disenfranchisement, we still have a long way to… Continue Reading
July 30, 2015
Hirono Backs Passage Of Highway Bill: While Imperfect, Highway Bill Will Increase Funding For Hawaii
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono voted to pass the highway bill, which if enacted, will increase highway and bus funding for Hawaii. "The six-year highway bill will give transportation agencies more certainty to plan for the long-term building and repair of our roads, bridges, public transit systems, and other infrastructure needs that are critical to our economy. The bill also reauthorizes the Export-Import Bank, which supports jobs and small businesses in Hawaii. "This highw… Continue Reading
July 30, 2015
Hirono Priorities Included In Broad, Bipartisan Energy & Conservation Legislation
Today, many of Senator Mazie K. Hirono's priorities were included in the Energy Policy Modernization Act, which passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on a 18-4 vote, with Senator Hirono's support. The broad, bipartisan legislation includes Senator Hirono's proposals to provide grants to modernize electrical grids and put U.S. territories and the District of Columbia on equal footing to access Department of Energy loan guarantees. "As Hawaii moves toward achieving a goal of 10… Continue Reading
July 30, 2015
Hirono Defends Against New Assault On Women’s Health
Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono took to the Senate floor to oppose the Republican bill to defund Planned Parenthood, a service that 2.7 million including 7,000 in Hawaii, rely on for primary health care. One in five women will visit a Planned Parenthood clinic in her lifetime for health care such as cancer screenings, disease testing, birth control, and other essential health care services. From Senator Hirono's remarks: "I see this bill and others like it as nothing else than an assault on wom… Continue Reading
July 23, 2015
Hawaii, National Advocates Highlight Importance of New Policy That Will Reunite Filipino World War II Veterans With Family
Washington, D.C. - Following the White House announcement of a new policy that will reunite Filipino World War II veterans with their children, Hawaii and national advocates highlighted the importance of expediting the visa process for the families of the brave Filipino people who served our country: "This is a day to celebrate," said Mee Moua, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. "Even though the U.S. government promised Filipino World War II veterans U… Continue Reading
July 17, 2015
Hirono & Ernst Fight To Help Improve Seniors’ Access To Care With New Bipartisan Legislation
Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Joni Ernst (R-IA) are fighting to increase access to telemedicine for Medicare patients in new legislation introduced this week. The bipartisan Telemedicine for Medicare (TELE-MED) Act, is a bill that would allow Medicare patients to seek care from Medicare doctors across state lines through telemedicine services. "As our country confronts a looming physician shortage, those of us in Hawaii are already feeling the pain of a lack of access to medical care in rural an… Continue Reading
July 16, 2015
Hirono-Backed Provisions For Hawaii Students Included In Senate’s Historic Comprehensive Education Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono voted to pass the Every Child Achieves Act, which included several key priorities for Hawaii students. The Every Child Achieves Act, which passed the Senate 81-17, is the first comprehensive bill aimed at improving elementary and secondary education to pass the Senate since the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. "For years, I have heard from Hawaii's teachers, parents, and administrators that No Child Left Behind is broken," said Senator Hirono. "Whi… Continue Reading
July 15, 2015
ICYMI: Filipino World War II Veterans Will Get Easier Path To Reunite With Family
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the White House announced a new policy to reunite Filipino World War II veterans with their children- an initiative that Senator Mazie K. Hirono has long been fighting for. The Huffington Post broke the news of the announcement, highlighting Senator Hirono's long push for expediting the visa process for the children of Filipino World War II veterans: From the Huffington Post: "Filipino-American World War II veterans who have been waiting for years to bring their fam… Continue Reading
July 14, 2015
Hirono Touts Hawaii’s Renewable Energy Goal At Senate Hearing On Island Energy
WASHINGTON, D.C.- This morning, Senator Mazie K. Hirono spoke about the importance of finding renewable energy solutions for island states and communities like Hawaii at a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing on Islanded Energy Systems in Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. Territories. Senator Hirono heard from stakeholders from Hawaii, Guam, Alaska, and the U.S. Virgin Islands on the unique challenges of meeting the energy needs of island communities. From Senator Hirono's openin… Continue Reading
July 14, 2015
Hirono On Iran Agreement: I Will Carefully Review The Agreement, Pathway To Preventing Iran From Obtaining Or Developing A Nuclear Weapon Is In Sight
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement today after President Obama announced a final agreement to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon: "I will carefully review the historic, comprehensive nuclear agreement reached today with Iran. I have long supported sanctions against Iran to prevent it from gaining nuclear weapons, sanctions which caused Iran to come to the table to negotiate an agreement. "Over the past several months, I've engaged with the Whit… Continue Reading
July 09, 2015
Hirono Named to Defense Bill Conference Committee, Continues Fight to Fix Budget Cuts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) named Senator Mazie K. Hirono to the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Conference Committee. The NDAA is an annual bill that lays out the Department of Defense's budget and strategic plan for the military in the next year. "The NDAA should reflect the United States' national security priorities by supporting our men and women in uniform, sustaining a 21st centur… Continue Reading
July 09, 2015
Hawaii Congressional Delegation Statements On Army Restructuring
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Army today announced plans to reduce its end-strength by 40,000 soldiers over the next two years. According to the plans released by the Army, Schofield Barracks will shrink by 1,214 soldiers-from 15,687 soldiers to 14,473 soldiers-and Fort Shafter will shrink by 229 soldiers-from 2,233 soldiers to 2,004 soldiers-by the end of fiscal year 2017. The Army had assessed potentially eliminating two Brigade Combat Teams and the 25th Infantry Division Headquarters at Schof… Continue Reading
July 08, 2015
Hirono & Heller Champion “All Students Count” Amendment
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Dean Heller (R-NV) introduced the bipartisan All Students Count Amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA). The Hirono-Heller amendment would better highlight the needs of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students by requiring school districts with more than 1,000 AAPI students to report disaggregated data by the major race categories in the Census, such as Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Native Hawaiian, and… Continue Reading
July 06, 2015
Hirono, Local Veterans Discuss Housing, Employment, Health Care Issues with VA Secretary McDonald and Labor Secretary Perez
HONOLULU - This afternoon, Senator Mazie K. Hirono was joined by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald and Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez at a Disabled Veterans Employment Roundtable at the Oahu Veterans Center in Honolulu to discuss issues key to Hawaii veterans. The two Obama administration cabinet members are visiting Hawaii as part of their respective nationwide listening tours. Secretary McDonald is scheduled visit Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities on Oahu, Maui, and K… Continue Reading
