Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced the University of Hawaii (UH) has been awarded nearly $13.4 million from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to develop workforce training programs focused on high-paying, in-demand jobs within the health care, technology, and skilled trades industries. The funding, created by...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, supported passage of the Veteran Benefits Enhancement and Expansion Act, which includes her Veteran Home Loan Disaster Recovery Act. The bill was approved by the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee yesterday. Senator...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) wrote to Governor David Ige earlier this week asking that he detail how he will spend down the $321 million that the state received from the federal government and has not yet allocated to any purpose, which may have to be returned to the U.S. Treasury. In her letter, the Senator noted...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement on the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a giant. There are literally not enough words to describe the transformational impact she had on the lives of millions of Americans as an advocate and a jurist. “I...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...