Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) led 20 Senate Democrats in requesting that Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz open an investigation into the conduct of Attorney General William Barr and the Department of Justice in directing the use of force against peaceful protestors around Lafayette Square on...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced today that the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act includes more than $200 million to support critical military construction projects in Hawaii. The Senate Armed Services Committee passed the legislation on a 25-2 vote. “Military installations across Hawaii...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced today that two child care centers for Hawaii were authorized for construction in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday on a 25-2 vote. Both the Aliamanu Military Reservation and Schofield...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced today that the Senate Armed Services Committee added full funding authorization for the Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii (HDR-H) during its markup on the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The inclusion of the $162 million authorization reverses the Trump...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced today that the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act includes more than $200 million to support critical military construction projects in Hawaii. The Senate Armed Services Committee passed the legislation on a 25-2 vote. “Military installations across Hawaii play an essential role in...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced today that two child care centers for Hawaii were authorized for construction in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday on a 25-2 vote. Both the Aliamanu Military Reservation and Schofield Barracks are the anticipated sites...

Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) wrote to Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin requesting support for small businesses with 10 or fewer employees to make sure these businesses can fully access coronavirus relief...

Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) cosponsored the Justice in Policing Act, legislation introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.), and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.). The legislation marks the first comprehensive bill dedicated...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), along with 19 of their colleagues, wrote to Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley to express their alarm at President Trump’s threat to invoke the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) used the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing to highlight the challenges to accessing capital that small businesses face during the coronavirus pandemic. The Senator focused on the important role of Community Development Financial...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Mazie K. Hirono issued the following statement after unanimous Senate passage of changes to the Paycheck Protection Program that will provide additional flexibility to Hawaii small businesses: “Earlier today, I had a Zoom call with Hawaii small business owners who, in normal times, would have been in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, during a Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing, SenatorMazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) pressed Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie on the urgency of completing the Advanced Leeward Outpatient Health Care Access (ALOHA) Project. Secretary Wilkie acknowledged that the ALOHA Project has been...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) called on the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide clear and comprehensive national standards to protect air...

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement honoring the lives and service of Hawaii’s fallen service members in observance of Memorial Day:  “On Memorial Day, our nation comes together to honor the lives and sacrifices of the service members who have fallen in service to their country....

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and 22 of their colleagues to call for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to work with states to address the alarming delays in processing Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits.  The CARES Act, the third coronavirus relief package Congress...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) led 22 of her Senate colleagues to introduce a resolution in honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month this May, noting the significant contributions to our nation made by generations of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The resolution recognizes...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) introduced a bill to boost access to high-speed internet for college students as they continue their studies remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. The Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that Hawaii will receive more than $5 million in supplemental Community Development Block Grants coronavirus response (CDBG-CV) funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. This is the second disbursement of CDBG-CV funds from the CARES Act, the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced today that farmers and distributors in Hawaii will receive $5.2 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide food to families in need. The funding, distributed under the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, is part of the Coronavirus Food...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded the City and County of Honolulu $90,815,591 to provide public transit service through TheBus. This funding will ensure that TheBus continues to operate during the pandemic. Funds can be utilized to offset...