Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate unanimously passed legislation introduced by U.S. 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. – The U.S. Senate passed a resolution introduced by Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, recognizing the 50th anniversaries of the establishment of Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge on Kauai and Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu. The resolution, which passed...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, questioned a panel of leaders from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) about VA’s plans to support servicemembers impacted by fuel leaks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. During a full committee hearing, Senator...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) voted to invoke cloture on the Respect for Marriage Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation that she cosponsored to protect marriage equality in federal law. The legislation, which passed in the House in July, passed the major procedural cloture vote 62-37, all but ensuring it’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the Speak Out Act, legislation co-led in the Senate by Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), by a vote of 315-109. The bipartisan, bicameral bill would limit the enforceability of non-disclosure agreements and non-disparagement agreements (NDAs)...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, announced that the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) will receive $1.54 million in federal funding to implement the first stage of the Maui Landscape Conservation Plan to protect and recover at-risk...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, today sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding information about the Department of Defense’s (DOD) support of families and...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service awarded nearly $1.3 million total to four projects in Hawaii to expand and strengthen local food systems, and increase the availability of locally grown agricultural products. The four...

Aloha, Last week, we celebrated Veterans Day, an opportunity to recognize the service, bravery, and commitment of our veterans, who sacrifice so much in defense of our nation. I was honored to join veterans from across Hawaii at the Punchbowl Veterans Memorial to thank them for their service. Senator Hirono with JROTC Cadets at the Punchbowl...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) has been named a 2022 Champion for Children by the bipartisan advocacy organization First Focus Campaign for Children. The distinction recognizes Senator Hirono’s leadership on issues including combatting childhood food insecurity, reforming the criminal justice system, and supporting...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack urging the USDA to establish a Climate Hub in Hawaii to better serve the state and the Pacific basin. Climate Hubs help agricultural producers with...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, issued the following statement ahead of Veterans Day: “On Veterans Day, we honor the service, bravery, and commitment of our veterans, who sacrifice so much in defense of our nation. Over the past two years, Congress has...

HONOLULU, HI –Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) visited the University of Hawaii West Oahu (UHWO) to meet with university staff and learn about programs offered at the University to support underrepresented students, including Native Hawaiians. During her visit, Senator Hirono learned about their Center for Labor Education and Research...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Tina Smith (D-MN) released a new report revealing the devastating consequences of state abortion bans and restrictions enacted by right-wing legislatures and the impacts of Senate Republicans’ extreme proposal to ban...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined thirteen of her Senate colleagues in urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to issue enforcement guidance and clarify the recently finalized Ghost Gun Rule. The rule regulates...

HONOLULU, HI – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced that the Hawaii Department of Education will receive nearly $5 million to procure 25 new electric school buses. The grant is funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Clean School Bus...

HONOLULU, HI – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), today announced a $47.3 million grant through U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) for the Hawaii Department of Transportation’s (HDOT) Kapalama Container Terminal (KCT) Project at Honolulu Harbor. The grant is funded through MARAD’s Port...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded $1.37 million to the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center to support the Center’s work to combat Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) in Hawaii. The funding comes from...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), and Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today applauded the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after speaking with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Commander Admiral John Aquilino and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Energy, Installations and Environment, Meredith Berger about the ongoing water...