Press Releases

The U.S. Senate today passed a bill authored by Senator Mazie K. Hirono to award Filipino World War II veterans who fought for the United States the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award that Congress can bestow. A broad, bipartisan coalition of 71 Senators co-sponsored the legislation, which recognizes Filipino soldiers who fought...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono today voted to approve S.764, bipartisan legislation that establishes a mandatory federal labeling system for GMOs, which passed 63-30. Senator Hirono released the following statement after the vote: “Regardless of your position on GMOs, most of us agree that we all have a right to know what is in the food we eat. I...

Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono introduced the Patsy Mink Gender Equity in Education Act. This bill would provide more resources for schools, school districts, states, and institutions of higher education to fully implement the Patsy Mink Equal Opportunity Act, commonly referred to as Title IX – which prohibits discrimination on the basis of...

HONOLULU – Senator Mazie K. Hirono today hosted the first in a series of outreach events to assist Filipino World War II veterans in applying to reunite with family members still living in the Philippines. Senator Hirono brought together close to 50 Filipino veterans and family members with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono today announced that Singapore has been officially added to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Global Entry Program, which means that Singaporean citizens can now apply for expedited customs clearance for visiting the United States and vice versa. Senator Hirono led a bipartisan effort to encourage the U.S....

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on the passing of former Hawaii House of Representatives speaker, Maui mayor, and businessman Elmer Cravalho: “Mayor Cravalho was a politically astute visionary. He cared for Maui first and foremost and his primary concern during his time in public office was to do...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono today applauded the Supreme Court’s 5-3 decision in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, which struck down a Texas law restricting access to reproductive health care. Had the Court ruled in favor of the Texas law, states across the nation could have enacted similarly restrictive laws. Senator Hirono joined her...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, the Supreme Court released a deadlocked ruling on U.S. v. Texas, which halts President Obama’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs. After the ruling was released, Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono today voted to support two commonsense measures to curb gun violence. The first, authored by Senator Christopher Murphy (D-CT) would strengthen background checks for gun buyers. The second, authored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and cosponsored by Senator Hirono, would close the “terror gap” by giving the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Senate Democrats, led by Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Senator Tammy Baldwin, and Senator Barbara Mikulski unveiled an amendment to provide an additional $41 million to Department of Justice programs that prevent discrimination and hate crimes. Introduced in response to the targeted attacks driven by hate against the...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono took to the Senate floor to join Senator Christopher Murphy (D-CT) and Senate Democrats in a filibuster to demand that the U.S. Senate vote on commonsense solutions to combat gun violence. In her speech, Senator Hirono paid tribute to former Hawaii resident Kimberly “KJ” Morris, who was one of 49 victims killed...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono today marked the fourth anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has brought 700,000 young adults out of the shadows, and allowed them to pursue higher education and jobs without fearing deportation. “Over the past four years, DACA has changed the lives of...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services and Ranking Member of the Seapower Subcommittee, voted to approve the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill 85-13, which includes more than $600 billion in funding for our service members and national...

Senators Mazie K. Hirono, Harry Reid (D-NV), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Chief of Staff Juliet Choi, Filipino World War II veterans Rudy Panaglima and Celestino Almeda, and advocates today to announce the implementation of a long-awaited program to reunite aging Filipino World War II veterans with...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono today welcomed nearly 75 members of Hawaii’s business community to Capitol Hill for the Third Annual Hawaii on the Hill Policy Summit. Business owners representing diverse industries – including manufacturing, health care, transportation, and others – participated in the event. “We...

Senators Mazie K. Hirono, Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and a broad coalition of their Senate colleagues called on the U.S. Soccer Federation to ensure that players on the U.S. Women’s National Team are paid fairly. The letter follows the filing of a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging players...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, included a number of provisions to grow and support Hawaii’s science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce in the 2017 Intelligence Authorization Act. One provision would require the U.S. intelligence community to evaluate existing intelligence...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on the passing of Hawaii jazz legend Jimmy Borges. “For six decades, Jimmy Borges brought joy to audiences with his unique voice, distinctive vocal jazz interpretations and warm sense of humor. Throughout his musical career, Jimmy entertained, but he also served with distinction as an...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono paid tribute to service members, veterans, and their families this Memorial Day. “Hawaii is the home to generations of service members, from the Civil War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Memorial Day is an opportunity to celebrate these service members, remember those who gave their life in service to our country,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The U.S. Senate today passed a bipartisan resolution lead by Senator Mazie K. Hirono to recognize May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. S.Res. 481 celebrates the contributions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community to American history. “Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is a time for the...