Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) released the following statement on the Supreme Court ruling upholding the President’s Muslim ban in Trump v. Hawaii:  “Today is a dark day for our country. Every time our country has singled out a minority group for discriminatory treatment, we have been proven...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement to mark the fifth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to destroy key provisions of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, and today’s ruling to further restrict voting rights in Abbot v. Perez. “Since Shelby...

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), introduced the Action for Dental Health Act of 2018, a bill that would reauthorize initiatives that increase access to oral health treatment and prevention services, particularly for underserved communities.  “Children and families in...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) introduced the bicameral Patsy T. Mink and Louise M. Slaughter Gender Equity in Education Act, legislation to provide additional resources for schools, school districts, states, and institutions of higher education to fully implement the Patsy Mink Equal Opportunity in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono met with Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) nominee, current Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Robert Wilkie today. The meeting occurred ahead of Undersecretary Wilkie’s Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on June 27. Following the meeting, Senator...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono voted for the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the Senate 85-10 today. The NDAA will now be considered by a bicameral conference committee to resolve differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill.  As a member of the Senate Armed Services...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement following President Trump’s decision to amend the federal disaster declaration for Hawaii Island to include Individual Assistance for residents and households affected by the ongoing Kilauea eruption. The approval of Individual Assistance makes...

WASHINGTON – Today, Hawaii’s Congressional Delegation urged President Donald Trump to act swiftly on Governor David Ige’s request for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Hawaii Island residents whose homes have been lost or damaged due to the ongoing Kilauea Volcano eruptions. FEMA’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono introduced Admiral (Ret.) Harry Harris during today’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to serve as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea. Admiral Harris previously served as the Commander of U.S. Pacific Command and the U.S. Pacific Fleet. From Senator Hirono’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate passed Senator Mazie K. Hirono’s bipartisan resolution celebrating the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, which brings together stakeholders from Hawaii and other coastal states and territories as well as twelve Federal agencies to build partnerships and support for coral reef...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono and the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii celebrated the success of over 70 participating Hawaii businesses at the Fifth Annual Taste of Hawaii on Capitol Hill this evening. More than 2,000 attendees were greeted with fresh orchid lei, and learned about an array of Hawaii businesses representing technology,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii today welcomed more than 100 members of Hawaii’s business community to Capitol Hill for the Fifth Annual Hawaii on the Hill Policy Summit. Hawaii business leaders representing a full range of industries – from hospitality, manufacturing,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced today that Community Health Centers across Hawaii will receive more than $10 million in funding from the Department of Health and Human Services to support the ongoing delivery of health care services to rural and underserved communities across the state. The health centers...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined members of Hawaii’s Congressional Delegation and the Hawaii State Society to honor Senator Daniel K. Akaka during the 49th Annual Kamehameha Day Lei Draping in Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol. During her remarks, Senator Hirono paid tribute to Senator Akaka’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Representative Ted Deutch (D-FL) renewed their call for Congress to strengthen and improve the Social Security program. Earlier today, the Social Security Administration (SSA) released its annual Trustees Report, which indicated that while the program remained strong in 2017, improvements...

HONOLULU— Senator Mazie K. Hirono participated in the commemoration of operations ceremony for the Schofield Barracks multi-fuel power plant and highlighted how this facility serves as an example for future Department of Defense energy projects. Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) will operate the 50-megawatt power plant, which will serve three...

HONOLULU- Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced that the University of Hawaii will receive a $119,821 grant to study the ongoing volcanic activity on Hawaii Island. The project, RAPID: Tracking magmatic and volcanic changes in the May 2018 Kilauea Eruption, seeks to inform why the current volcanic activity is occurring and help...

HONOLULU – Senator Mazie K. Hirono, the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee, attended the official change of command ceremony for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) today at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The ceremony marked the formal transition from outgoing Commander Admiral Harry B. Harris to...

HONOLULU – Senator Mazie K. Hirono and Chamber of Commerce Hawaii President & CEO Sherry Menor-McNamara visited local businesses on Oahu who will participate in the Fifth Annual Hawaii on the Hill. The event, which includes the Hawaii on the Hill Policy Summit and the highly-anticipated Taste of Hawaii on Capitol Hill, will take...

HONOLULU – Senator Mazie K. Hirono joined Gold Star families, veterans, active duty military personnel, and local elected officials to pay tribute to fallen American service members on Memorial Day. Senator Hirono spoke during the Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl and...