Press Releases

Aloha, As your Senator, I’m working to expand access to quality education, support our military communities, and assist small businesses and entrepreneurs across Hawaii. This is work I’m focused on in Washington, D.C. and in Hawaii. During the April State Work Period, I held several events on Oahu and Kauai focused on education,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced that the Honolulu Community Action Program (HCAP) will receive over $14.6 million in federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services to support the organization’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs. “For over fifty years, the Head Start...

HONOLULU, HI – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) held events on Oahu focused on health care and protecting native plants. First, Senator Hirono, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, visited the Red Hill Clinic on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to learn...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter on April 11, 2023 to Ft. Hood Commander Lieutenant General Sean Bernabe expressing concerns about the circumstances surrounding Private Ana Basaldua Ruiz’s death and pressing for a complete, thorough and impartial...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead Senate sponsor of the Secure Access for Essential Reproductive (SAFER) Health Act, applauded the Biden Administration’s proposed rule strengthening Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protections for...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined over 200 of her colleagues in submitting an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in the case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, in support of the Biden administration’s appeal of...

HONOLULU, HI – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, joined Sherry Menor-McNamara, President and CEO of Chamber of Commerce (CoC) Hawaii, in visiting three Hawaii businesses that are participating in the Hawaii on the Hill (HOH) in Washington D.C. this summer. The visits...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined all of the Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, in sending a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts calling on the Chief Justice to investigate a ProPublica report that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted and failed to disclose 20...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter calling on the Chief Justice of the United States to launch an ethics investigation into Justice Clarence Thomas’s extensive billionaire-funded luxury travel and other outstanding allegations of misconduct.  The...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement in response to a Trump-appointed, right-wing U.S. District Court Judge’s decision that would effectively ban the drug most commonly prescribed for medication abortion nationwide. The lawsuit, which...

HONOLULU, HI – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) met with veterans and small business owners on Kauai. First, Senator Hirono, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, met with local veterans to discuss several bills recently signed into law—such as the PACT Act and the MAMMO for Veterans Act—to expand access to...

HONOLULU, HI – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, released the following statement after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced its decision to not tax emergency reimbursements made to residents impacted by...

HONOLULU, HI – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) visited the Waipahu Public Library, where she met with officials from the Hawaii State Public Library System and visited the Filipino WWII Veterans Monument. During her visit, Senator Hirono met with Stacie Kaneshige, Hawaii State Public Library System Branch Director, and Christine...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, introduced legislation to increase the representation and financial resources available to Native American small-business owners. The SBA Office of Native American Affairs (ONAA) Enhancement and Modernization Act...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to President Biden raising concerns over reports that his Administration is considering a return to the ineffective and inhumane practice of detaining migrant families, after previously putting an end to family detention in December...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) reintroduced the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act, a bicameral bill that would help guarantee abortion coverage—without restrictions—for millions of Americans. With the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and many states enacting...

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, delivered remarks on the Senate floor speaking out against Senator Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) ongoing hold on numerous military officer promotions,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) met with Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su, President Biden’s nominee to serve as the country’s next Secretary of Labor. After their meeting, Senator Hirono released the following statement: “Throughout her career, Julie Su has been a champion for working people...

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on U.S. national security priorities during a full committee hearing. During her question line, Senator Hirono pressed Secretary Austin on the need for military infrastructure investments in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, led a letter with Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, underscoring the serious national security imperatives tied to providing U.S. servicemembers access to protected leave for...