Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) announced today that Phyllis K. Fong, the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), opened an investigation into potential suppression and alteration of scientific reports, documents, and communications by political appointees at...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined a bipartisan group of senators in calling on the Department of Defense (DoD) to address the increasing suicide rate among members of the National Guard. Recent suicide reports conducted by DoD found that the suicide mortality rate for the National Guard is consistently higher than...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced $6.5 million in federal grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support construction of a new clinical research center – the first of its kind in the state – at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center that will focus on...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined more than 170 Members of Congress and former Representatives last week in filing a bipartisan amicus brief in the Supreme Court in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. “Donald Trump put the lives of Dreamers at risk when he canceled DACA...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced over $500,000 in federal grant funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to support the Hawaii State Trade Expansion Program (HiSTEP). "Local small businesses must be able to reach overseas markets and share their products if we are going to...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement on the President’s decision to withdraw American troops from Northern Syria: “President Trump’s hasty, unilateral decision to withdraw U.S. troops and abandon our Kurdish allies in Northern Syria was made without consulting senior military...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) last week reintroduced her legislative plan to improve opportunities for women and minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. "Women and minorities in STEM fields face obstacles at every step of their careers," said Senator...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, the Hawaii Congressional Delegation is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide much needed relief to Hawaii farmers and agricultural producers who were uniquely affected by the Kilauea eruption. Unlike farmers impacted by floods and wildfires, Hawaii...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement after voting against the confirmation of Eugene Scalia to serve as Secretary of Labor:  “Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump has consistently nominated individuals to serve in his cabinet who have major conflicts of interest and who are hostile...

WASHINGTON D.C. – This week, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 4285, the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2019 to extend many critical veterans programs, including two measures authored by Senator Mazie K. Hirono. Without Congressional action, these programs would have expired on September 30, 2019. “I thank my...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced the House of Representatives is opening a formal impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump. “I commend Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats for opening a formal impeachment inquiry that will lay out for the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and 22 Senate Democrats wrote to Sonny Perdue, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, expressing concerns over the Department’s National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (NASS) decision to reduce or even suspend the collection of honeybee data across the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and 13 Senate Democrats wrote to Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, urging him to rescind the Trump Administration’s decision to terminate the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program (FWVP). “Over the past two...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and 26 Senate Democrats introduced the Protect American Values Act – legislation that would prohibit the Trump Administration from using federal funding to implement its so-called “public charge” rule. Scheduled to go into effect on October 15, 2019, the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement in response to the publication of new reporting from the New York Times regarding the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh: “Brett Kavanaugh should never have been confirmed to the Supreme Court. It was...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced she is currently accepting applications from Hawaii students seeking a military service academy nomination. Each year, Senator Hirono nominates Hawaii students to the Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy, Naval Academy, and the Merchant Marine Academy. Qualified students seeking a...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and 13 Senate Democrats wrote to U.S. Department of Commerce Inspector General Peggy Gustafson demanding answers following recent reports of improper behavior at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), including one that Commerce Department officials threatened to fire...

Last week, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) – the Ranking Member and Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower – visited U.S. Indo-Pacific Command headquarters and toured Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. During their visit, Senators Hirono and Perdue met with Admiral Philip Davidson,...

HONOLULU – In response to a bipartisan, bicameral effort led by Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Representative Don Young (R-Alaska), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would remove unnecessary barriers placed on citizens of the Freely Associated States (FAS) seeking to secure REAL ID Act-compliant...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) released the following statement after the Trump administration announced that it would raid military funds in Hawaii to pay for President Trump’s border wall: “It is now clear to all of us that Donald Trump and his complicit allies in Congress will sacrifice projects crucial for...