Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Last week, the President signed into law the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which will continue strong federal support for career and technical education (CTE) programs in Hawaii.  The recently enacted bill will update and reform the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono and 15 Senate Democrats introduced the Medicare and Medicaid Protect Act, legislation that would protect these cornerstone health care programs from partisan attacks through the budget reconciliation process. “For the past 53 years, Medicare and Medicaid have provided a crucial lifeline to...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) bill (S. 2245) to extend trade and investor visas to New Zealand citizens was signed into law by the President. The bill, known as the Knowledgeable Innovators and Worthy Investors (KIWI) Act, was unanimously passed by the House last week. “New Zealand...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- In a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono called for the passage of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, legislation to ensure that thousands of Navy veterans, known as “Blue Water” veterans, are able to receive the disability compensation and health care...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono, the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Service Seapower Subcommittee, secured a full repeal of the Department of Defense’s reduced per diem policy for traveling service members and Department of Defense civilians in the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA conference...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee, successfully secured important Hawaii priorities in the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act that passed the Senate today on an 87-10 vote. The bill now goes to the President for his signature. “This year’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono’s Military Domestic Violence Reporting Enhancement Act, which would close a dangerous loophole in the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) that enables convicted abusers to purchase firearms, was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference committee report that was passed...

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Jill Otake to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. “Throughout her confirmation process, Jill Otake demonstrated her respect for the rule of law and the serious thought she’s given to how she...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced a resolution calling on the U.S. Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). UNCLOS, ratified by over 160 nations, sets out the rights and responsibilities of countries related to the world’s oceans including...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono, the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, issued the following statement on Chairman Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) partisan, Republican-only document request on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination that will not include records from Judge Kavanaugh’s service as...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono took to the Senate floor to mark the one year anniversary of the defeat of Senate Republicans’ attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Senator Hirono also outlined her continued opposition to actions taken by President Trump and Congressional Republicans to sabotage the American health care...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono took to the Senate floor to denounce the Trump administration’s attacks on the federal workforce and highlight the important role of federal workers in Hawaii. From Senator Hirono’s remarks:  “Over the past year and a half, Donald Trump and his administration have launched a concerted...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The U.S. House unanimously passed the Knowledgeable Innovators and Worthy Investors (KIWI) Act (S. 2245), a bipartisan bill authored by Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) to extend trade and investor visas to New Zealand citizens to increase international business between the United States and New Zealand....

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) introduced the Botanical Sciences and Native Plant Materials Research, Restoration, and Promotion Act. The bill encourages federal land management agencies to hire botanists, conduct research on native plant materials, and incorporate native plants in projects on federal land when...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced today that Hawaii’s U.S.VETS and Catholic Charities will receive a total of $637,258 in 2018 grant funding from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) to provide on-the-job training, occupational skills training, apprenticeship...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and eight Senate Democrats urged Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to convene an oversight hearing on family separation and the Trump administration’s haphazard plan to reunite immigrant children with their parents. The Senators’ letter to Chairman Grassley...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono was named to the Senate-House Conference Committee for the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) today. The conference committee will resolve differences between Senate and House versions of the bill. “The Senate-passed NDAA includes a number of critical Hawaii priorities, and I...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono voted to confirm former Hawaii Attorney General Mark Bennett to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Bennett’s nomination was approved by the Senate 72-27. “Mark is recognized as one of the best qualified lawyers in the State of Hawaii. He has served as a federal prosecutor, as our...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono, the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, released the following statement on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court:  “Today, Donald Trump selected Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court from a list hand-picked by two organizations...

HONOLULU – Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s resignation: “During his time in office, Scott Pruitt exemplified the toxic mixture of corruption and hostility to government we’ve come to expect from the Trump administration. I joined 38...