Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) today to introduce the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, which would allow those with outstanding student loan debt to refinance at the lower interest rates currently offered to new borrowers. Many borrowers with outstanding student loans have...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Representative Tulsi Gabbard and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $1 million to help combat the coffee berry borer that has been ravaging Hawaii Island coffee farms for almost four years.The funding will be distributed through the Integrated Pest Management...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono today applauded President Obama's nomination of Hawaii-raised Debra Wada to be Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs at the Department of Defense: “I commend President Obama for nominating Debra Wada to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement to mark the first day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which is an opportunity to recognize the contributions and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). “Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is a celebration of the contributions...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) announced the release of an additional $3.576 million to keep Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard modernization moving forward. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), who succeeded Senator Daniel K. Inouye as chairman of the powerful Defense Appropriations...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the introduction of S.744, the Senate’s immigration reform bill: “One year ago, my Senate colleagues and I came together to introduce a comprehensive bill to address our broken immigration system, which we passed with overwhelming bipartisan...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced nearly $8.7 million in federal funds for job training, including skills assessments, job-search and resume help, long-term job-training programs and apprenticeships in Hawaii. The State of Hawaii’s Workforce Development Division operates One-Stop Centers on Oahu, Hawaii Island,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Mike Lee (R-UT), Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the bipartisan Subnational Visa Waiver Program Act, legislation that will create jobs by boosting foreign travel and tourism to the United States. The bill grants the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced more than $10.7 million in federal funds for Hawaii homelessness reduction programs. This investment is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Continuum of Care Program, which supports programs including street outreach, client assessment and...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the Pell Grant Protection Act, legislation that preserves and expands access to Pell Grants. Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), the Ranking Democrat on the House Subcommittee for Higher Education and Workforce Training,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday announced that Senator Mazie K. Hirono will become chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action. The subcommittee was created at the beginning of the 113th Congress to provide oversight and review of agency rulemaking and...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono commended House Democrats for introducing a discharge petition to demand a vote on the bipartisan immigration bill passed by the Senate. “It’s been nearly a year since the Senate came together to pass a bipartisan immigration reform bill, a true compromise that will strengthen our economy and reduce the deficit....

Late last night, President Obama signed into law Senator Mazie K. Hirono’s Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act, which is intended to spur donations to charitable organizations by providing expedited tax relief for Americans contributing to Typhoon Haiyan recovery efforts in the Philippines. Taxpayers can claim donations made between...

This evening, the House of Representatives passed legislation sponsored by Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Dean Heller (R-NV), Harry Reid (D-NV), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) that provides expedited tax relief for Americans making charitable donations in support of Typhoon Haiyan recovery efforts in the Philippines. The bill was sponsored in the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the United States Senate passed the bipartisan Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, legislation that includes Senator Mazie K. Hirono’s measures for Native Hawaiian children. The bill updates and improves the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program created in 1990, which provides states with...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono applauded the nominations of Nani A. Coloretti and Erika Moritsugu to positions within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ms. Coloretti was nominated for the position of Deputy Secretary, and Ms. Moritsugu was nominated for the position of Assistant Secretary for Congressional and...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday evening, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation sponsored by Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Dean Heller (R-NV), Harry Reid (D-NV), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) that provides expedited tax relief for Americans making charitable donations in support of Typhoon Haiyan recovery efforts in the Philippines. The...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) joined religious leaders, women’s advocates and minimum wage workers at a press conference today to urge Republicans to support raising the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, which would lift the wages of 15 million American women. Nearly two-thirds of those...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono commended the budget released today by President Obama. The budget addresses key Hirono priorities including early learning and immigration reform. “The President’s Budget takes significant steps to close the opportunity gap by supporting middle class families and those working to get...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the bipartisan Encouraging Trade and Investment from New Zealand Act, legislation to extend eligibility for trade (E-1) and investor (E-2) temporary entry visas to New Zealand, to promote trade and investment in the United States. The bill is also...