Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) wrote to Seema Verma, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), requesting that CMS extend the Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment deadline for 2020 by two hours to accommodate residents of Hawaii and...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, successfully secured important provisions for Hawaii in the Conference Report for the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Senator Hirono served as a member of the Conference Committee, which reconciled...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono issued the following statement following the shooting incident at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. “While the investigation into this incident continues, my thoughts and aloha are with the victims of the terrible tragedy at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and with their families. I join all of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced legislation that lays out a 10-year investment in federal housing and homelessness programs that the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates would effectively end homelessness and housing poverty in the United...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Hirono secured a commitment from Kathleen Hawk Sawyer, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, to provide regular updates about the status of efforts to reopen a federal Residential Reentry Center (RRC) in Hawaii during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today. In response to questioning by Senator Hirono,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee cleared two Hirono-backed bills that would provide permanent full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and create a new fund to address the growing deferred maintenance backlog in the National Parks system. These bills can now be considered by the full...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement after voting against the nomination of Chad Wolf to serve as Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Strategy, Policy, and Plans. Following his confirmation, Mr. Wolf will serve as the acting Secretary of Homeland Security.  “I strongly oppose the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Earlier today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) introduced the Veterans Members Business Loan Act (S. 2834), which would expand commercial lending for veteran business owners and entrepreneurs through local credit unions. Specifically, the bill would exempt credit unions' business loans...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono issued the following statement in honor of Veterans Day. “On Veterans Day, we honor the service of millions of Americans who, through their commitment, defended the values and freedoms we cherish. Today, we also renew our commitment to serve our veterans and express our sincere gratitude for...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and nine Senate Democrats are urging the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) to investigate whether Attorney General William Barr is using the power of his office to pursue a politically motivated investigation to undermine the Intelligence...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution in the United States Senate to recognize the month of October as Filipino American History Month. The resolution celebrates the history and culture of Filipino Americans and honors their contributions to the United States. U.S. Representatives...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the U.S. Senate approved a package of four fiscal year (FY) 2020 appropriations bills on an 84-9 vote. In addition to supporting many needed investments for Hawaii, the legislation included a bipartisan amendment added on the Senate floor by Senator Mazie K. Hirono and Senator Marco Rubio...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) announced today that Phyllis K. Fong, the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), opened an investigation into potential suppression and alteration of scientific reports, documents, and communications by political appointees at...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined a bipartisan group of senators in calling on the Department of Defense (DoD) to address the increasing suicide rate among members of the National Guard. Recent suicide reports conducted by DoD found that the suicide mortality rate for the National Guard is consistently higher than...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced $6.5 million in federal grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support construction of a new clinical research center – the first of its kind in the state – at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center that will focus on...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined more than 170 Members of Congress and former Representatives last week in filing a bipartisan amicus brief in the Supreme Court in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. “Donald Trump put the lives of Dreamers at risk when he canceled DACA...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced over $500,000 in federal grant funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to support the Hawaii State Trade Expansion Program (HiSTEP). "Local small businesses must be able to reach overseas markets and share their products if we are going to...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement on the President’s decision to withdraw American troops from Northern Syria: “President Trump’s hasty, unilateral decision to withdraw U.S. troops and abandon our Kurdish allies in Northern Syria was made without consulting senior military...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) last week reintroduced her legislative plan to improve opportunities for women and minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. "Women and minorities in STEM fields face obstacles at every step of their careers," said Senator...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, the Hawaii Congressional Delegation is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide much needed relief to Hawaii farmers and agricultural producers who were uniquely affected by the Kilauea eruption. Unlike farmers impacted by floods and wildfires, Hawaii...