The bipartisan deal reached Sunday to fund the federal government through September includes Senator Mazie K. Hirono’s proposal to reinstate Year-Round Pell Grants for college students in Hawaii and across the country. The deal includes provisions from Senator Hirono’s Year-Round Pell Grant Restoration Act that would allow low- and...
U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), applauded the Senate’s passage of their bipartisan resolution to encourage children to get outdoors by designating May 20 National Kids to Parks Day.
The seventh annual Kids to...
Senator Mazie K. Hirono remains opposed to the relocation of retail services from the Lihue Post Office. Following today’s announcement that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will restart its regulatory review process and provide an additional public comment period, Senator Hirono issued the following statement:
“I appreciate today’s...
Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Representative Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii) today introduced the Coral Reef Sustainability Through Innovation Act of 2017. In response to increasing threats to coral reef ecosystems such as climate change, pollution, and direct damage from humans, this legislation directs federal agencies to establish a...
Today, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Joni Ernst (R-IA) reintroduced the Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support Act of 2017 (VETS Act). This bipartisan legislation seeks to improve health care access – including mental health treatment – for disabled or rural veterans by expanding telehealth services provided by the Department...
Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) urged the President to continue the implementation of the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program (FWVP) program, which reunites Filipino veterans who fought for the United States during World War...
Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced legislation to extend the federal Historically Underutilized Business Zone Contracting (HUBZone) program for Maui County small businesses, and other communities that are set to lose their HUBZone...
Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement in response to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ comments on Judge Derrick Kahala Watson’s ruling against the President’s Muslim ban:
“The suggestion that being from Hawaii somehow disqualifies Judge Watson from performing his Constitutional duty is dangerous, ignorant,...
Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) introduced S. 899, the bipartisan Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran Transition Improvement Act, to ensure veterans with a disability rating of 30% or higher who are hired by the VA in critical medical positions can access additional paid sick leave during...
Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.), the Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, celebrated the unanimous U.S. Senate passage of their resolution to mark April 15 through April 23 as National Park Week.
“Last fall, I joined our National Park Service ohana...
Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and 15 Senate Democrats pressed Attorney General Jeff Sessions for answers on the Department of Justice’s plan to review consent decrees between the federal government and local law enforcement agencies. The Senators asked Attorney General Sessions to lay out the impact of the review, including if the...
Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will conduct a six month mobile biometrics pilot program for immigration benefits on Hawaii Island, Kauai, and Maui from May through September.
“This pilot program will provide neighbor island residents with more equitable access to biometrics...
Senator Mazie K. Hirono and Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill to repeal burdensome Department of Defense requirements for service members and civilian employees. The bill would correct a Department of Defense rules that increase the burden of finding affordable...
In consultation with her physician, Senator Mazie Hirono has elected to undergo surgery to implant a lens to improve the vision in her left eye.
Because this surgery requires some preparation, Senator Hirono plans to have this procedure during the Congressional recess, which will allow her to get back to work when the Senate is back in session. She...
Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement:
“The repeated use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime against his own people is an atrocity and breach of international law, and the international community must hold him accountable.
“The Civil War in Syria adds layers of...
Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement after Senate Republicans used the nuclear option to advance the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Today, Senate Republicans destroyed a process that has been in place for years to accomplish their goal of confirming a far-right Supreme Court Justice,”...
Senators Mazie K. Hirono, Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) took to the Senate floor to talk about the real world consequences that Judge Neil Gorsuch and the Supreme Court’s rulings have on working families.
From Senator Hirono’s remarks:
“As we mark...
Senator Mazie K. Hirono voted in the Senate Judiciary Committee to oppose the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch.
Before the vote, Senator Hirono questioned the low bar set for the President’s Supreme Court nominee:
“We cannot and should not evaluate Judge Gorsuch’s nomination based on the low bar President Trump has established for...
Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced that the University of Hawaii will receive $1.4 million to help minority students studying science, technology, engineering, and math at UH’s seven community colleges to accelerate their transition to four year degree programs.
“Minority students face persistent barriers to pursuing STEM careers. This...
Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, released the following statement on the appointment of Jennifer Gutowski to serve as the Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS). In her meeting with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Dr. David Shulkin...