Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on the passing of State Health Director Loretta Fuddy, who was killed in a plane crash Wednesday off Kalaupapa: “I join many people in Hawaii today in mourning the sudden, tragic passing of Loretta Fuddy. Loretta was a dedicated public servant who spent most of her...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs Committees, joined Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) to ensure that their bipartisan amendment (S.A. 2114) requiring the Department of Defense (DOD) to issue a report on the current status of telehealth initiatives, as well as plans to integrate...

Washington, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono joined colleagues from across the aisle to introduce legislation to reauthorize the Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCAA), which provides funding for Children’s Advocacy Centers that serve child victims of violent crimes and help law enforcement hold perpetrators accountable. Hawaii’s five...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on tonight’s proposed budget deal authored by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI): “This proposed budget deal presents tough choices for everyone and I commend my colleagues who worked together on a compromise that provides...

Washington, D.C. – Last week, Senator Mazie K. Hirono touted Hawaii as a model of progress on national radio, appearing on WMC Live with Robin Morgan. WMC Live is a weekly talk radio show with national syndication that has featured guests such as Sheryl Sandberg, Sandra Fluke, and Dee Dee Myers. In the interview, Morgan noted that Hawaii has...

Honolulu, HI – Senator Mazie K. Hirono today released the following statement on the passing of former Hawaii Lieutenant Governor, Jean Sadako King. “I am deeply saddened by the passing of Jean King, a trailblazer in the history of Hawaii politics. As the first female elected to the office of Lieutenant Governor, Jean helped pave the...

Washington, D.C. – Last week, Hirono appeared on WMC Live with Robin Morgan. WMC Live is a weekly talk radio show hosted by the Women’s Media Center, which strives to increase the visibility of women in media. Introduced as “the new rock star of the United States Senate”, Hirono updated listeners on legislation to address...

Washington, D.C. – Following the devastation that Typhoon Haiyan caused in the Philippines, Senator Mazie K. Hirono joined Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Senate colleagues to call on the Obama Administration to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Filipino nationals currently residing in the United States and to consider additional...

Washington, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono joined President Obama at the White House today as he posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Senator Daniel K. Inouye. The award is one of the highest civilian awards bestowed in the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal, an award given by Congress in 2011 to the 100th...

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Dean Heller (R-NV) have filed an amendment to S.1197, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This legislation will help all eligible Filipino veterans receive the compensation they are entitled to for their service to the United States during World War II. “Mahalo to Senator...

Washington, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs today passed a measure authored by Senator Mazie K. Hirono to help extend emergency care coverage for veterans. Hirono’s bipartisan measure, co-sponsored by Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and Mark Begich (D-AK), was included as part of the...

Washington, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono commended the Obama Administration’s announced policy change today that undocumented immigrant family members of U.S. service members, reservists and veterans will be allowed to remain in the country and apply for legal residency. “I applaud the President’s move to allow immigrant...

Washington, D.C. – Washington, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced today that Sabrina Siddiqui will serve as Communications Director out of her Washington, D.C. office. Sabrina will oversee the communications staff in both Hawaii and Washington, DC. “As I fight for the families of Hawaii, it is crucial that I have a strong...

Washington, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono today joined a diverse coalition of lawmakers, advocates and military leaders to introduce the Strong Start for America’s Children Act, legislation to expand access to high-quality early learning programs for children from birth to age five. Building on the framework put forward by President...

Washington, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono met today with Esther Kiaaina, the Obama Administration’s nominee for Assistant Secretary for Insular Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). Hirono will introduce Kiaaina’ s nomination during a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing this Thursday. "It was...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate yesterday unanimously passed a measure authored by Senator Mazie K. Hirono to improve the ability of Native Hawaiian-serving organizations to assist homeless veterans. Hirono attached this amendment to the Helping Homeless Veterans Act during a hearing of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee in July....

Washington, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono voted today for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), historic civil rights legislation that establishes federal workplace protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. “All Americans deserve the basic civil right to earn a living and be judged by the quality of...

Washington, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined today with sexual assault survivor advocates and a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues to build support for legislation that would reform the military justice system to make it fairer to survivors of sexual assault. The Military Justice...

Washington, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono took to the Senate floor to call for the end of harmful sequestration cuts. “Just as a hollowed out force will struggle to meet mission requirements, a hollowed out workforce will struggle to compete in the global economy. These two things are tightly linked. That is why I urge my colleagues to...

Washington, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined a bipartisan group of colleagues to introduce legislation today to amend Article 32 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to help prevent abusive treatment of sexual assault victims in a pre-trial setting. “Given that too many...