Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced her nomination of 44 students to the U.S. military service academies for the Class of 2022. The students’ applications are now being considered by the four academies for final selection. “Each of these 44 young men and women stood out for their academic and extracurricular...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) met the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to reinforce the importance of Essential Air Service (EAS) for Kalaupapa and requested that USDOT recognize the concerns of the Kalaupapa community before issuing an Order to an air carrier who submitted a subsidy free...

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) released the following statement after the South Korean government announced that President Trump will meet with Kim Jong Un: “I have consistently called for a diplomatic process to de-escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Tonight’s announcement is an encouraging...

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) served as the lead Democrat at today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to consider Jill Otake’s nomination to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. From Senator Hirono’s remarks: “Ms. Otake’s upbringing, education, and career...

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) continued to oppose efforts to exclude Native Hawaiians from the reauthorization of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA), which provides affordable housing to the Native Hawaiian and other Native communities. In remarks to the American Indian...

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced legislation today to address the significant modernization needs in schools of agriculture and the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facilities. Schools of agriculture across the country, including the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) welcomed an announcement that the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General is launching an investigation into the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program. A December report revealed widespread...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) led 12 Senators in introducing the Fair Day in Court for Kids Act to provide unaccompanied children with access to legal representation when they appear in removal proceedings before an immigration judge. “Unaccompanied children are seeking a better life away from violence, abuse, and terror in their home...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.) led the full Senate in urging the Department of Homeland Security to expedite Israel’s full membership in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry program. In a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, the Senators...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono today addressed small business owners and entrepreneurs at Google’s Get Your Business Online workshop. Senator Hirono also met with participants, who learned about setting up a website and using online advertising tools to grow their businesses. “In a 21st century economy, the internet plays an essential role in helping...

HONOLULU– Senator Mazie K. Hirono today met with staff and volunteers from the Waikiki Health Center and nonprofit organizations who participate in the AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs to discuss how critical federal funding is to continue providing services to communities across Hawaii.     “Hawaii’s...

HONOLULU – Senator Mazie K. Hirono today received the Courage Award from the Hawaii Comprehensive Cancer Coalition for her continued fight on behalf of Hawaii families while battling cancer.    From Senator Hirono’s remarks:   “Mahalo to the Hawaii Comprehensive Cancer Coalition for honoring me today, and for your...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) released the following statement after voting to protect Dreamers:   “I have consistently supported a clean DREAM Act, and voted in favor of the Coons-McCain amendment today that came very close to it. And while it earned the support of a bipartisan group of 52 senators, the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) urged Senate Committee on Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to include provisions that require the federal government respect states’ laws regarding the regulation of marijuana when finalizing fiscal year 2018...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono joined Karen Korematsu at an event in the Capitol to pay tribute to the life and work of her father Fred T. Korematsu. Hirono urged attendees to continue the fight against President Trump’s Muslim Ban. Her remarks accompanied a screening of a new film, “And Then They Came for...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, are calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that it is reimbursing veterans who were billed for emergency treatment at private hospitals.    In January, the VA announced that it would...

Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Brian Schatz announced the nomination of former Hawaii Attorney General Mark Bennett to serve in the open Hawaii seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. “Attorney General Bennett has extensive experience practicing law in the public and private sectors in Hawaii and at the federal...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on President Trump’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2019:   “Instead of investing in programs that help middle and working-class families across our state, the President proposes trillions of dollars in cuts that would harm nearly everyone in Hawaii,” Senator...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) released the following statement after voting against the budget deal and continuing resolution: “Throughout the debate on government spending, I have consistently supported efforts to fund critical domestic priorities without pitting groups against one another. “A lot of hard work and compromise went...

Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) led the Senate’s annual resolution recognizing February as American Heart Month. “Each February, the women of the Senate come together to recognize American Heart Month and raise awareness of heart disease,” Senator Hirono said. “Heart disease impacts millions of families each year,...