Press Releases

Senator Mazie K. Hirono today pressed the Commandant of the Marine Corps General Robert Neller for a commitment to address sexual assault and the mistreatment of women in the Armed Forces, and questioned how it’s possible to achieve this goal if the Commander in Chief sets the opposite example. “This has been a longstanding issue, not...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono fought back against bigoted comments from Representative Steve King (R-Iowa) saying that he wants the United States to be “so homogenous.” The Senator also urged Americans to continue to call for an independent investigation into the Administration’s ties to Russia. From MSNBC: “Steve King has always...

Ahead of next week’s release of the first budget from the Trump Administration, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) led a bipartisan letter to the Trump Administration urging reconsideration of proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that would disproportionately hurt Hawaii and...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on the passing of Judge James Burns: “I’ve known Judge Burns and his wife Emme for decades. We developed a strong friendship over the years and I always enjoyed his dry wit and great sense of humor. Judge Burns dedicated his life to public service and the law, and did so with...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today pressed Rod Rosenstein, nominee for Deputy Attorney General, and Rachel Brand, nominee for Associate Attorney General, on their commitment to independently investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election, defend the right to vote, and uphold civil rights. The Deputy...

Minutes after President Trump issued a new immigration executive order, Senator Mazie K. Hirono joined CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to discuss how the Administration continues to target the Muslim community. From the segment: “[The President] made some small changes…but it’s still basically a Muslim ban. It's still a ban based on...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement: “The Attorney General made the correct decision to recuse himself, but it is not sufficient. We need an independent investigation into the Trump administration’s ties to the Russian government.”

Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) introduced the bipartisan APEC Business Travel Card Reauthorization Act to make permanent the APEC Business Travel Card Program, which grants U.S. citizens access to fast-track processing lanes at airports across the Asia-Pacific. Without reauthorization, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)...

Senators Mazie K. Hirono, Bob Casey (D-Penn.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), and 13 Senate Democrats urged the President to keep a campaign promise to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid from drastic cuts and privatization. The Senators’ letter called on the President to issue a public statement saying that he would not sign legislation...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced her nomination of 41 students to the U.S. military service academies for the Class of 2021. The students’ applications are now being considered by the four academies for final selection. “By applying to our nation’s service academies, these 41 young men and women exemplify service above...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono led a resolution marking the 75th anniversary of the issuance of Executive Order 9066, which led to the internment of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. S.Res.70 affirms that policies that discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion would repeat the...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on the President’s Joint Address to Congress: “With this President, I pay attention to what he does more than what he says because in his first month in office, Donald Trump’s actions have not lived up to the clichés he delivered tonight.   “He stands by...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono opposed the nomination of Steven Mnuchin to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. The nominee was confirmed 53-47. Before the vote, Senator Hirono took to the Senate floor to highlight how Steven Mnuchin profited from the 2008 financial crisis, including how his company OneWest foreclosed on Hawaii families. From Senator...

Senators Mazie K. Hirono, Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced legislation to improve volcano monitoring and early warning capabilities that help keep communities and travelers safe. “For the past 34 years, we have experienced first-hand the threat of volcanic activity to our daily lives with the ongoing eruption...

Following President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s joint press conference, Senator Mazie K. Hirono joined CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to discuss the U.S. alliance with Japan and U.S. strategic interests in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.  From the segment: “[It’s] very clear how important our friendship and alliance is...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono and Representative Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) called on the Acting Secretary of Navy to clarify the exemption from President Trump’s federal hiring freeze for shipyard workers. Recently, the Defense Department announced that employees of Navy shipyards and other employees that directly support the shipyards would be...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on the Ninth Circuit Court’s refusal to uphold President Trump’s executive order on immigration: “Tonight's ruling is a first step victory for the core values of our democracy and demonstrates why an independent judiciary is so important. For all the chaos created by this...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono and 14 Senate Democrats unveiled their “Five Fights for Federal Employees,” a proposal to protect current and retired government workers from ideologically motivated attacks from Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration. This resolution is a statement of principles that Senate Democrats intend to use...

Today on the Senate floor, Senator Mazie K. Hirono shared messages from two Hawaii educators opposed to the nomination of Betsy DeVos to serve as Secretary of Education. From Senator Hirono’s remarks: “It shouldn’t be asking too much to have an Education Secretary who will stand up for public schools and the millions of our...

Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Al Franken (D-Minn.) introduced the Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act, legislation that Representative Takai introduced last Congress. This bill would provide important health care benefits to Atomic Veterans who were exposed to high levels of harmful radiation when assigned to clean up nuclear testing...