Press Releases

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...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $1.28 million in federal funding to the University of Hawaii (UH) Systems to train new community health workers. The funding is part of the Community Health Worker Training Program created by the American Rescue...

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 $1.9 million in federal funding to programs at the University of Hawaii (UH) at Manoa and the University of Hawaii Maui College. The funding, which aims to promote...

HONOLULU, HI –Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on the water outage currently impacting Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC), which serves servicemember and veterans on Oahu: “I am closely monitoring the water outage at Tripler. My staff and I have reached out...

HONOLULU, HI –Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after the Hawaii Department of Health approved the Department of Defense’s plan to begin the next step of the defueling process at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility: “The approval of this plan is...

HONOLULU, HI –Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) met with the Kupuna Collective, a network of support organizations that focus on maximizing the health, independence, and engagement of Hawaii’s older adults, for a roundtable conversation about supporting seniors in Hawaii. During the roundtable, Senator Hirono discussed issues including...

HONOLULU, HI – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, hosted a series of events focused on discussing the state of veterans’ affairs (VA) resources and programs in Hawaii. Senator Hirono started the day chairing a field hearing of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee at the...