In the News

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz took testimony Thursday from seven Native Hawaiian community leaders in East Hawaii, at Hale ‘Olelo, the College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat and chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, led a hearing called “Upholding The Federal Trust Responsibility: Funding and Program Access For Innovation In The Native Hawaiian Community.” According to a statement from Schatz, as chairman, he’s...

A bipartisan group of legislators in the House and Senate struck a deal on data privacy legislation Friday, proposing a bill that would allow users to opt out of targeted advertisements and to sue Internet companies that improperly sell their data. The legislation, though, faces a steep uphill climb to become law. Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) are still hoping to recruit more supporters, namely Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.),...

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, held a hearing with Native Hawaiian leaders on Wednesday to hear their concerns with the federal government. The hearing was divided into two sessions. The first one focused on Native Hawaiian housing and economy with representatives of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. William Aila Jr., chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, chanted...

In the wake of unprecedented federal funding for the Native Hawaiian Community, Senator Brian Schatz scheduled two congressional committee hearings in the islands. Schatz is a chairman in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, which held a field hearing in Honolulu on Wednesday. Another one is set for Hilo on Thursday. The federal government has a trust responsibility to Native Hawaiians, just like it does with American Indians and Alaskan Natives, and that trust responsibility must be met. And...

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D- Hawai‘i) announced that Hawai‘i will receive $14.092 million in funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Servic, and U.S. Geological Survey to protect threatened and endangered local forest birds from extinction. The funding will help recover species including the ‘akikiki and ‘akeke‘e on Kaua‘i and the kiwikiu and ‘akohekohe on Maui. “Avian malaria from invasive mosquitoes has devastated our...

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, called on U.S. commerce secretary Gina Raimondo Wednesday to be more engaged and open in helping to resolve a tariff investigation that threatens to derail the domestic solar energy industry. In a tense exchange with Raimando during a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing, Schatz repeatedly emphasized the urgency of the situation and the need for Raimando to be more personally engaged. “I want to know that you are alarmed and I want to know that you...

A measure authored by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz to improve data collection and analysis of online crimes in the U.S. was signed into law today, according to his office. President Joe Biden signed the Better Cybercrime Metrics Act, which passed the U.S. Senate in December and the U.S. House of Representatives in March. “By collecting data on how often, when, and where cyberattacks are happening, our bipartisan bill will better protect people in Hawaii from online crimes like those against our...

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of 10senators in introducing a resolution to support the designation of April 2022 as “Preserving Local News Month.” The resolution recognizes local news as a public good that serves an essential function in the democracy of the United States. “People across the country rely on local news to stay informed, fight disinformation, and strengthen their communities. As the industry faces newsroom closures and budget cuts,...

Congressional earmarks are back, and for Hawaii that means hundreds of millions of dollars in new federal spending. In March, President Joe Biden signed a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill that will fund the government through September. Buried in the line items are billions of dollars members of Congress set aside for special projects in their states and districts. Hawaii’s federal delegation was able to secure more than $265 million for dozens of projects in the islands. There’s...

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) on Tuesday unexpectedly pressed Attorney General Merrick Garland on clemency for Leonard Peltier, the Native American rights activist who has been in prison for 46 years without any evidence that he committed a crime. “What is your position on clemency for Leonard Peltier?” Schatz asked Garland, who was testifying before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee about President Joe Biden’s 2023 budget request for the Justice...

The U.S. Department of Justice has withdrawn its lawsuit filed in federal and state courts in February contesting the state’s emergency order instructing the Navy to drain its Red Hill fuel tanks. The order issued by the state Department of Health followed a fuel spill that contaminated the Navy’s drinking water system and sickened residents in neighborhoods around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. “By dismissing its appeals, it is acknowledging that the Department of Health can...

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, met with U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on Wednesday to discuss Brown’s record and judicial philosophy. Without revealing details of their conversation, Schatz declared Jackson “exceptionally qualified to serve on the Supreme Court.” “Throughout her years of public service, she has demonstrated a dedication to the Constitution, including a strong commitment to equal justice under the law,” Schatz said....

U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, joined colleagues in both chambers in calling on President Joe Biden to extend the pandemic-based pause on federally held student loan payments until the end of the year and to consider outright student debt cancellation. In all, 21 senators and 76 representatives signed off on a letter the Biden administration asking for the extension beyond the current May 1, 2022, expiration date.  “Given the fast-approaching deadline...

The Honolulu Community Action Program will be getting federal funds to support its early education programs. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz announced Friday the nonprofit is receiving more than $7 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The funds will support HCAP’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs — which support the development, health, and family well-being of low-income children from their infant years to 5-years-old. According to HCAP, these...

Hawaii native Nani Coloretti is now the highest ranking Filipino American in the Biden Administration. She graduated from ‘Iolani School in 1987. “This is a proud moment for Hawaii,” said U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz. “Nani will bring strong leadership experience and the ability to inspire the next generation of Filipino American leaders in Hawaii and across the country,” Schatz continued. “I am proud to call Nani a friend, and I look...

President Joe Biden is including a major request in the annual defense budget to help drain the fuel farm at Red Hill. Hawaii US Sen. Brian Schatz announced this morning $1-Billion to help drain the Red Hill fuel tanks has been included in the President’s annual budget proposal. According to a news release from the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the money would enable the department to “quickly and flexibly address the health, environmental, and national...

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz announced Wednesday that a Molokai energy cooperative will receive federal support from the Department of Energy. Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai is a community owned and managed energy cooperative that focuses on utilizing renewable energy sources. Its profits are shared with subscribers, and it has a goal to hire only local Molokai residents for installation, maintenance and management.  “This kind of hands-on federal support will help us expand...

A congressional funding bill signed into law on Friday will provide $23 million to help protect Honoapiilani Highway against coastal erosion and climate change, Hawaii U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz announced Monday. The $23 million in congressionally directed spending, also known as an earmark, is included in this year’s appropriations bill for highway improvements on Maui and will be used to realign 4.5 miles of the highway from Ukumehame to Launiupoko. “This $23 million earmark will...

Hawaii community health centers are set to receive more than $23 million in federal funding to support care for underserved communities as the Covid-19 pandemic endures. The pandemic highlighted disparities faced by geographically isolated, medically vulnerable and economically disadvantaged populations when seeking health care, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said in a press release announcing the funding on Tuesday. Community health centers have helped fill critical gaps in Covid testing,...