Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after the National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced a $37.4 million grant award to Hawaiian Telcom. The funding, part of the Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, provides funding for the construction, improvement, or acquisition of middle mile infrastructure. “Everyone in Hawai‘i should have access to high-speed internet,” said Senator...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) led a bipartisan group of 60 senators in reintroducing the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act. The CONNECT for Health Act of 2023 will expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make permanent COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities, improve...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today reintroduced legislation to expand health care to veterans living in the freely associated states (FAS), three sovereign nations that have a special and unique relationship with the United States, and whose citizens serve in the U.S. military at some of the highest volunteer rates per capita. The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) and John Boozman...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) reintroduced the Debt-Free College Act, legislation that will reverse the growing student debt crisis in the United States. The bill restores a path to affordable college by providing states incentives through matching grants to increase investments in public higher education and provide students with debt-free college. “Solving the student loan debt crisis means focusing on...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after voting on a deal to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default. “I voted for the deal to avoid a catastrophic default, but it should have never come to this. We have to repeal the debt ceiling. This is not the way to run the country, and this should never happen again.” In April, Schatz reintroduced legislation to avoid default by repealing the national debt ceiling, an...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the passing of former State Senator Sam Slom. “An economist and longtime legislator, Senator Slom was a strong and consistent conservative voice who earned the respect of many. He will be remembered for his devotion to public service and to Hawai‘i.  My condolences and aloha go to Senator Slom’s ohana.” ###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) reintroduced the Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) Act to shed light on discriminatory land zoning policies, encourage localities to cut burdensome regulations, and bring a new level of transparency to the community development process. Instead of adopting inclusive land use policies that allow citizens of all income levels, backgrounds, and identities to live, work, and flourish in their city or town, some...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) today reintroduced legislation to help communities recover from major disasters. The Reforming Disaster Recovery Act would...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) reintroduced the Student Veterans Transparency and Protection Act. The bipartisan legislation would improve veterans’ access to information about higher education and allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to restore benefits that veterans use at schools subject to civil enforcement. “The G.I. Bill benefit has helped open the doors to higher education for many veterans who otherwise would...

WASHINGTON – At a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing this morning, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) questioned Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on defueling Red Hill, COFA negotiations coordination, and on the defense of Hawai‘i. “Can you reassure the people of Hawai‘i that Red Hill will never be used for fuel storage or fuel operations once it is emptied?” Senator Schatz asked Secretary Austin. Secretary Austin responded, “Yes....

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today reintroduced legislation that would provide for fair Medicare payments for nursing facilities in Hawai‘i and Alaska. The bipartisan Equitable Payments for Nursing Facilities Act will authorize a cost-of-living adjustment at skilled nursing facilities in those states to take into account the higher costs of delivering...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) introduced new legislation to help protect children from the harmful impacts of social media. The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media apps and would require parental consent for 13 through 17 year-olds.  The bill would also prevent social media companies from feeding content using algorithms to users under...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today reintroduced legislation to allow doctors at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prescribe medical marijuana to veterans in the states and territories that have established medical marijuana programs. “In 41 states and territories and Washington, D.C., doctors and their patients can use medical marijuana to manage pain or treat a wide-range of diseases and disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) reintroduced legislation to avoid default by repealing the national debt ceiling, an arbitrary limit set by Congress on the amount of funding that the United States Treasury may borrow. “Defaulting on our debt would be an economic catastrophe for everyone – families, veterans, seniors. Congress has the chance to debate federal spending, and it’s well before the bill comes due,” said Senator Schatz....

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of 14 senators in introducing a resolution designating April 2023 as “Preserving and Protecting 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,” said Senator Schatz. “As the...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representatives Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i) and Jill Tokuda (D-Hawai‘i) introduced two bills that will improve air tour safety and reduce noise for local residents. The Air Tour and Skydiving Safety Improvement Act, first introduced by Senators Schatz and Hirono in 2020, will create new safety standards that protect passengers on air tours and improve the safety of skydiving flights...

WASHINGTON – Following calls for relief led by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today announced it will exempt unfair tax burdens incurred on reimbursements made to some residents impacted by the Red Hill fuel leak crisis. “These taxes were unfair and unexpected, and I’m glad we were able to fix this,” said Senator Schatz. “I thank the IRS and DoD for working with us to quickly resolve this. It’s now up to the IRS...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of 23 senators in introducing a resolution to recognize the achievements and courage of the transgender community around the world, and to celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility. “International Transgender Day of Visibility is about celebrating the transgender community around the world – their achievements, their courage, and their right to live authentically and openly. But it is also about...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today introduced a resolution calling out the attacks on LGBTQ+ students in schools and urging communities across the country to demand equal educational opportunities, basic civil rights, and freedom from erasure for all students in K-12 schools. “Every child should feel safe at school,” said Senator Schatz. “As attacks against LGBTQ+ students increase across the country, we need to take action to protect these...

WASHINGTON – Today, at a Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) pressed Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro on staying on track with the Red Hill defueling timeline and secured his commitment to working with state and local partners to help impacted residents get the health care they need. “Are we on track for defueling Red Hill?” Schatz asked Secretary Del Toro in today’s hearing. Del Toro responded, “We are very...