Press Releases

~ The Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act aims to restore fairness in Social Security and protect the program from future cuts ~ WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, on the 90th anniversary of Social Security, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (D-HI) reintroduced the Protecting and Preserving Social Security...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced four bills that would institute a moratorium on reductions in force (RIF) at federal science agencies under the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s jurisdiction, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, on the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) led 17 of her Senate colleagues in introducing the Time Off to Vote Act, legislation that would require employers—upon the request of the employee—to provide at least two consecutive hours of paid leave in order to vote in federal...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI)—a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC)—and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)—ranking member of the Committee—sent a letter to Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, criticizing the agency’s treatment of Sae Joon Park, a disabled Purple Heart veteran who was forced by the Trump...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined 43 of her Senate colleagues in expressing unified alarm about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, called for the large-scale expansion of humanitarian aid, and urged the Trump Administration to resume diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement and end the war.   “The acute...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) in reintroducing the Adjunct Faculty Loan Fairness Act of 2025 to allow part-time faculty at colleges and universities—who often have high student debt loads and are paid low wages with few...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined 20 of her Senate colleagues in pressing the Trump Administration for answers on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private group supported by U.S. security contractors and connected to deadly violence against civilians in Gaza. In their letter to Secretary of State Marco...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), and U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Maxwell Frost (D-FL) in leading more than 180 of their colleagues in reintroducing the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Healthcare...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) held a spotlight forum titled, “Robbing Our Students’ Futures: The Indefensible Attacks on Public Education,” focused on the Trump Administration and Republicans’ continued attacks on K-12 public education programs across the country. During the forum, Senator Hirono and her Democratic...

Sen. Hirono: “Far from an independent, fair-minded jurist, Mr. Bove is willing to use whatever means he deems necessary to meet the ends sought by Donald Trump.” ~ Video of Senator Hirono’s floor speech can be found here ~   WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, took to the...

~ UNCLOS is the globally recognized framework for all matters related to the law of the sea ~   WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) led a bipartisan group of their Senate colleagues in reintroducing a resolution urging the U.S. Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea...

~ Senators introduce AVERT Crises Act to improve VA’s preparedness for responding to natural disasters, pandemics, and other emergencies ~   WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), both members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced the Advancing VA’s Emergency Response to (AVERT) Crises...

~ As Republicans deliver fresh tax breaks for billionaires and kick Americans off their health care, Democrats continue their fight to help families find and afford child care ~ WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer...

Sen. Hirono: “By cutting funding for public broadcasting, this bill will jeopardize public broadcasters and the lifesaving service they provide.” ~ Video of Senator Hirono’s floor speech can be found here ~   WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as Republicans worked to claw back $9 billion in federal funding for public broadcasting and foreign aid, U.S....

~ 32 senators demand Trump admin stop blocking funding signed into law by President Trump in March and end freeze that has sent districts scrambling just weeks out from the new school year ~ WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and 28 colleagues in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY), and 11 colleagues in reintroducing the Consumer Online Payment Transparency and Integrity (Consumer OPT-IN) Act, bicameral legislation to protect consumers from online free trial scams and hard-to-cancel...

~ Sen. Hirono’s provisions invest in DOD’s critical infrastructure needs in Hawaii, the U.S., and the Pacific region ~ WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, secured several key priorities for Hawaii...

~ Federal funding being withheld includes over $30 million for Hawaii public schools ~ WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and 12 colleagues in demanding answers from Education Secretary Linda McMahon over the Trump administration’s decision to withhold nearly $7 billion in federal funding for...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and 10 colleagues in introducing new legislation to require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification during public-facing enforcement actions. The Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based...

~ Lawmakers also demand monthly briefings from DHS and clarifications regarding agency policies and procedures for immigration enforcement ~ WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) led U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (D-HI) in sending a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem condemning...