Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) secured $1.3 million in congressionally directed spending, also known as an earmark, in this year’s appropriations deal for ?Aha Punana Leo. The funding will be used to train teachers, support families, and develop new early childhood education Hawaiian language materials, such as books and videos, to help young children build literacy and math skills. “Learning language early matters because it shapes how kids think and learn for the rest of...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wrote to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking why the company delayed rolling out protections for young users even after it knew of the grave risks its platforms posed to children. Citing evidence from a court filing unsealed late last year, the senators pressed the company for answers on why it delayed launching its “private by default” feature for...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, highlighted the critical and lifesaving investments the subcommittee made in its FY26 bill that was signed into law this week. Speaking on the Senate floor, Schatz noted that the investments in global health, humanitarian aid, and economic and development assistance would benefit Americans for years to come. “This bill will save lives all around the world....

Washington – On Friday, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan funding bill that included a provision authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) that will extend telehealth access for Americans enrolled in Medicare through the end of 2027. Schatz has been leading efforts to expand telehealth for more than a decade, authoring the CONNECT for Health Act, which was first introduced in 2016 and is considered the most comprehensive legislation on telehealth in Congress. Since its introduction,...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) secured nearly $75 million in new congressional directed spending, also known as earmarks, for Hawai‘i in a bipartisan funding package approved by the Senate today. The new funding follows nearly $34 million in earmark funding secured by Schatz for Hawai‘i in an appropriations deal signed into law earlier this month and another $38 million enacted last November. “We secured nearly $75 million in new earmark funding to support Native Hawaiians...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate today passed a bipartisan appropriations deal that will deliver hundreds of millions in federal funding for critical programs that benefit Hawai‘i. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, successfully secured funding for Hawai‘i’s priorities in the final deal. “Despite the tough politics over federal funding in Washington, we secured hundreds of millions of dollars for Hawai‘i. The new funding will improve our...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) spoke today on the Senate floor about the killing of Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis this past weekend. Schatz highlighted the widespread condemnation of the incident from across the political spectrum and society, noting that a collective responsibility to protect freedom and liberty has been a core American ideal since the nation’s founding. “Tyranny is tyranny, and the people of this country – whatever our other...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement on the recent ICE shooting in Minneapolis and funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “I am voting against any funding for DHS until and unless more controls are put in place to hold ICE accountable. These repeated incidents of violence across the country are unlawful, needlessly escalatory, and making all of us less safe.” ###

Another Package With Additional Funding Set To Be Released in Coming Weeks WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the Senate voted 82-15 to pass a bipartisan appropriations deal that will deliver tens of millions in federal funding for critical programs that benefit Hawai‘i. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, successfully secured funding for Hawai‘i’s priorities in the final deal. The package now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into...

WASHINGTON – Amid federal funding cuts nationwide, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) secured nearly $34 million in new congressional directed spending, also known as earmarks, for Hawai‘i in a bipartisan funding package approved by the Senate today. Additional earmark funding for Hawai‘i is expected to be included the next funding package in the coming weeks. “Despite some challenges in Washington, we secured nearly $34 million in new earmark funding for Hawai‘i and expect more to come,”...

WASHINGTON – During a hearing on screen time in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) highlighted the negative impacts of addictive social media algorithms on children and the need to ban algorithmic targeting for kids who are still developing. Schatz’s bipartisan legislation, the Kids Off Social Media Act, bans algorithmic targeting for children under 17, in addition to setting a minimum age of 13 for social media use. “I'm quite...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced the names of 71 students he nominated to attend the nation’s military service academies. “These students represent the very best of Hawai‘i, and it’s an honor to nominate them to our nation’s military service academies,” said Senator Schatz. “I commend them for their commitment to serving our country and wish them the very best.” The United States Air Force Academy, United States Merchant Marine Academy, the United States...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) spoke on the Senate floor about how President Donald Trump’s ban on clean energy is creating a shortage of electricity and driving up Americans’ utility bills. Schatz spoke after Senate Republicans blocked a resolution to affirm that climate change is not a hoax. “Donald Trump is the first president to intentionally raise the price of something that we all need. We have a shortage of electrons, and Donald Trump is making it worse,” said Senator...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, today issued the following statement after the House and Senate negotiated text of the State and Foreign Operations FY 2026 Appropriations bill was released. “A year after President Trump began illegally and recklessly gutting American foreign assistance, this bill is proof that there remains broad, bipartisan support for critical...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee joined Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW); Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Finance; Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs;...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that the Department of Defense has awarded $14 million to repair a fire station at Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) on Hawai‘i Island. While the station primarily serves PTA, existing mutual aid agreements allow the PTA Fire Department to respond to fires and other emergencies within 25 miles of its base and island-wide when requested. “This new funding will help upgrade fire station facilities at PTA so that firefighters can better...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor against President Trump’s illegal incursion into Venezuela. “The parallels to Iraq are alarmingly obvious,” said Senator Schatz. “The Justice Department can dress this up in charges of narcoterrorism. Secretary Rubio can talk about the promise of a better life for...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional operation in Venezuela: “President Trump is jeopardizing American lives and interests — and stating plainly that the purpose is for U.S. oil companies to make money in Venezuela. Either these companies knew...

HONOLULU – In 2025, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) worked to protect Hawai‘i from significant cuts to federal funding by the Administration across the country and helped secure more than $1 billion for Hawai‘i to support Maui’s ongoing recovery, expand high-speed internet, and improve airports and infrastructure, among other things. “This year, we delivered more than $1 billion to Hawai‘i, including funding to support Maui’s ongoing recovery, help upgrade airports and health centers, and...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, pressed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr on his comments that led to the temporary suspension of comedian Jimmy Kimmel earlier this year and whether he believes the commission has the authority to revoke broadcast licenses over political satire it disagrees with. Senator Schatz asked, “So you think you have jurisdiction over political...