Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) led a bipartisan and bicameral group of 45 lawmakers in calling for the extension of expanded coverage of telehealth services to be included in must-pass legislation in February. Provisions from the Schatz-authored CONNECT for Health Act were included in previous COVID-19 relief legislation to allow Medicare beneficiaries in all areas of the country, and in their homes, to utilize telehealth services and...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that 34 health care providers in Hawai‘i will receive $30,254,448 in federal funding to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and continue providing health care for families across the state. The payments focus on supporting smaller health care providers that have experienced revenue losses related to the pandemic and providers serving Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program, and Medicare...

HONOLULU – At the request of U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.) received a briefing and toured the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility today with Schatz and Navy officials. “I’m grateful for the invitation from Senator Schatz to tour the Red Hill facility and see it with him firsthand,” said Chairman Tester. “In my home state of Montana, we know that clean water is everything, and...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that Hawai‘i will receive $8,218,000 in funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve harbors on Molokai, Maui, and Oahu and ensure their continued successful operation. “These much-needed repairs and improvements will make shipping safer, support commercial fishing, and make sure goods are able to move throughout the state, benefitting Hawai‘i families and small businesses for years to...

WASHINGTON – Today, 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 Kaiali‘i Kahele (D-Hawai‘i) urged President Joe Biden to act swiftly on Governor David Ige’s request for a presidential disaster declaration for areas across the state impacted by last month’s severe weather and flooding. The declaration will help ensure that the affected communities can access important...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will provide Hawai‘i with a $47.9 million grant to support local hospitals fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, hire nearly 1,000 new nurses and medical staff, and keep Hawai‘i families healthy. “As we continue fighting the pandemic, it’s critical that our hospitals have the resources and staffing they need to provide high-quality care to families...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that Hawai‘i will receive $339 million in new federal funding over five years to repair and improve the state’s bridges. Hawai‘i will receive its first round of funding of $67.8 million this year. The federal funding comes from the Department of Transportation’s newly launched Bridge Replacement, Rehabilitation, Preservation, Protection, and Construction Program, which was created by the...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement on the nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to serve as Vice Chair for Supervision of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. “Sarah Bloom Raskin is an excellent choice to oversee the prudential supervision of our largest and most complex financial institutions. She has dedicated her career to ensuring the stability of our financial system and the strength of our...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement: “Earlier this week, I tested positive with a breakthrough case of COVID-19. Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated, boosted, and asymptomatic. I have been following CDC guidelines and isolating at home. I am in consultation with the Office of the Attending Physician, and expect to be back soon.” ###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) today introduced the Comprehensive Resources for Entrepreneurs in the Arts to Transform the Economy Act (CREATE) Act. The bipartisan legislation will support small businesses in creative industries by increasing access to federal resources to help them grow. “Local artists, writers, performers, and the creative industry they support play a leading role in our economy and our everyday lives. As the...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D- Hawai‘i) today announced that schools in Hawai‘i will receive an estimated $2,340,000 in increased funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help cover the costs of school meal programs. The boost in funding will assist schools in continuing to serve nutritious meals to children, which is especially critical in light of increasing food costs and operational challenges during the pandemic. “Hawai‘i’s...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) spoke on the Senate floor today to commemorate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and the continued threats to American democracy. “A year ago, there was an attempted overthrow of American democracy right here in this building. We came perilously close to losing everything that night. Police officers were maimed and killed. Custodial workers and Senate staffers were hiding, with zero protection,” said Senator...

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 Kaiali‘i Kahele (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the Hawai‘i Department of Health’s emergency order requiring the Navy to defuel its Red Hill fuel tanks. “The Navy must fully comply with the order and begin the process of planning and executing the safe removal of fuel that continues to pose a...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and nine other senators called on Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna to increase COVID-19 vaccines to low- and middle-income countries to help tackle the global disparities in accessing the vaccine. This follows a bipartisan letter that Schatz and Brown led in October calling on President Biden to provide more U.S. leadership and step up efforts to increase global vaccine access to fight the COVID-19...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement congratulating newly named commissioners to President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI). Commissioners with Hawai‘i ties include Amy Agbayani, Kimberly Chang, Kerry Doi, Michelle Kauhane, and Daniel Dae Kim.   “Amy, Kimberly, Michelle, Daniel, and Kerry are all well respected community leaders and will make...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that Hawai‘i will receive $4,933,437 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fund school food programs. This new federal funding will provide meals for children, assisting families facing food insecurity and helping to address food shortages due to supply chain issues. “Kids throughout Hawai‘i get a nutritious meal at school every day,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called on the Hawai‘i Department of Education and the Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) to adopt, as feasible, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “test-to-stay” (TTS) guidance which allows students to stay in school if they are exposed to COVID-19, reducing time away from school and stopping learning loss. “With this new protocol, we can recoup thousands of days of...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the Build Back Better Act. “The planet doesn’t have the flexibility for anyone to give up. The planet is heating up, and reacting in real time to increases in greenhouse gases by giving us more frequent and severe storms, drought, hurricanes in December, and 100 degree weather in the Arctic. The planet is not going to pause its warming process while we sort our politics out. We owe it to...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today called on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to hold off on a new proposed rule for "time-area closures" that would close several bays on Hawai‘i Island and Maui from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. every day, and restrict local ocean access to residents during those hours. “The proposed rule will foreseeably deny Hawai‘i residents and visitors access to the ocean, to protect dolphins that are...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that Hawai‘i will receive $224,069,212 in federal funding to improve the state’s roads, bridges, and highways and implement strategies to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries. The federal funding from the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will also fund programs to cut traffic congestion, in turn reducing emissions and improving air quality. “These...