Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Representative Jill Tokuda (D-HI) joined their colleagues in introducing a bicameral package of bills honoring civil rights icon Fred Korematsu on the anniversary of his birthday. The bills, also introduced by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Representative Mark Takano...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro pressing him for details on the Navy’s response to the fuel leaks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on Oahu. Specifically, Senator Hirono requests updates on a...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) released the following statement applauding the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to update their discriminatory blood donor deferral policies for men who have sex with men (MSM): “For too long, gay and bisexual men have been unjustly banned from donating...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined 37 of her Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to expand access to home and community-based services for older adults, people with disabilities, and injured workers, while increasing pay and improving benefits for the caregivers who provide this life-sustaining care. The...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined several of her Senate Democratic colleagues and patients, providers, and leaders in the fight for reproductive rights to mark the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. During the press conference, Senator Hirono and her colleagues underscored...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned executives from Live Nation and competing live event companies, as well as antitrust experts and a musician, during a full committee hearing on anti-competitive behavior in the live entertainment industry. The hearing follows...

HONOLULU, HI – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced the nomination of 32 Hawaii students to U.S. military service academies for the Class of 2027. The academies now consider the students’ applications for final selections. “Every year, I’m impressed and inspired by the young people from across our state who seek to...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after the United States, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) as part of ongoing Compact of Free Association (COFA) negotiations: “The...

HONOLULU, HI – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) convened a roundtable discussion with organizations that support Native Hawaiian women and Native Hawaiian survivors of gender-based violence. During the conversation, Senator Hirono heard from participants about the challenges and obstacles they face, and what more needs to be done to...

HONOLULU, HI – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, visited the Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge (PHNWR) on Oahu to see the wetland habitat and plant akulikuli, a type of native coastal ground covering. While there, Senator Hirono also presented a framed copy of a...

HONOLULU, HI – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced that Community Health Centers (CHCs) on Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Hawaii Island will receive over $8.15 million in federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services to support the delivery of health care services to underserved communities across the state. The five...

HONOLULU, HI – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) visited the University of Hawaii West Oahu (UHWO) campus to speak with UHWO students, faculty, administrators, and staff about their initiatives in sustainable food and agriculture, food security, digital media, and labor education and research. As part of her visit, Senator Hirono...

HONOLULU, HI – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Mokapu Elementary School at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe. Once completed, the new school will have the capacity to serve nearly 1,000 students on base and will replace the current dated...

Aloha, Over the past year, Democrats in Congress have passed landmark legislation to lower energy costs, support veterans and seniors, uplift underrepresented communities, and provide funding to upgrade aging infrastructure. As the year comes to a close, I’d like to reflect on the work we’ve done to support families and communities in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Joseph R. Biden signed into law legislation led by Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) to allow Native Hawaiian survivors of gender-based violence to access critical programs and resources provided by Congress through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The reauthorization of VAWA—which was signed into law in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Joe Biden signed into law three bills introduced by U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) to protect coral reefs, connect families separated by the Korean War, and create a new Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Advisory Committee. Senator Hirono’s Coral Reef Sustainability Through...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Biden signed into law the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorizing $1 billion for the defueling and closure of Red Hill secured by U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In addition to the $1 billion for Red Hill, Senator...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Heritage Area Act, which includes the Kaena Point National Heritage Area Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) to study designating Kaena Point on Oahu as a National Heritage Area, by a vote of 326-95. The legislation would...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) voted to pass the Fiscal Year 2023 government spending bill, which includes nearly $450 million in earmarks, known as Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS), she secured for nonprofit organizations and government agencies in Hawaii. Senator Hirono secured CDS funding for projects in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) led 6 of her Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Kaiser Permanente CEO Greg Adams urging Kaiser to come to a good faith agreement with mental and behavioral health workers in the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) in Hawaii who have been on strike for 16 weeks. In the...