Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today led a group of 20 senators in calling on the leaders of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to share data to identify communities without high-speed internet access and work together to improve broadband connectivity. “The COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more apparent that affordable and reliable broadband is...

  HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representative Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on President Biden’s budget proposal, which includes $19.7 million for the East-West Center. The proposal reflects the funding level Schatz and Case secured last year and is the first time a presidential budget request for the Center has been increased since President Obama’s 2010 proposal. “We’ve worked hard to not just...

  HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has selected the University of Hawai‘i to lead the agency’s new Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (CIMAR), which includes a five-year commitment of up $210 million.  “UH is a recognized leader on climate and marine science in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.) reintroduced The Disaster Learning and Life Saving Act. The bipartisan legislation will create a new permanent and independent board to study the underlying causes of disaster related fatalities and property damage nationwide. The National Disaster Safety Board (NDSB) will make recommendations to all levels of government on how to improve the resiliency of communities across the...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Congressman Sean Casten (D-Ill.) introduced the Climate Change Financial Risk Act of 2021. The legislation will direct the Federal Reserve (“Fed”) to conduct stress tests on large financial institutions to measure their resilience to climate-related financial risks. “Risk is risk—we should not be treating some risks different from others just because they’re hard to quantify. Our federal...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) reintroduced the Rights for the TSA Workforce Act, legislation that would grant Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel — which includes Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) and Air Marshals — the same worker rights and protections that are granted to most federal workers. “Every day, TSA employees work to keep the American public and our country safe. They deserve the same rights and...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz today released the following statement after Governor David Ige updated restrictions on sporting events, now allowing surf competitions and regattas to resume. Earlier this month, Schatz called on Governor Ige to lift these restrictions, citing Hawai‘i’s progress on vaccinations and its low case counts, as well as the importance of safely lifting restrictions and returning to a more normal life. “Surfing and outrigger canoe paddling...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) reintroduced the Census Improving Data and Enhanced Accuracy (Census IDEA) Act, legislation that would protect the accuracy of future censuses and ensure any proposed changes to the count are properly studied, researched, and tested. “Under the last administration, we saw that presidential appointees were eager to politicize the Census with an unconstitutional question on citizenship. While we were able to stop that attempt, we...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and U.S. Representatives Ami Bera, M.D. (D-Calif.) and Don Young (R-Alaska) introduced the Honoring Our Commitment to Elevate America’s Neighbor Islands and Allies Act, or Honoring OCEANIA Act. The bipartisan bill would elevate all of Oceania in U.S. foreign policymaking to help deliver a robust diplomatic and development commitment to support the long-term growth, governance, and resilience needs...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement on a new Executive Order from President Joe Biden that will take steps to mitigate the risks climate change poses to our financial system, economy, and federal budget. Schatz has led calls for action on climate risk and has authored legislation directing the Federal Reserve to conduct climate stress tests on large financial institutions. “Risk is risk, and we do not have the luxury of...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-Ill.) introduced legislation to repeal the national debt ceiling, an arbitrary limit set by Congress on the amount of funding that the United States Treasury may borrow. “Paying our debts should be an automatic act, not a politicized weapon used for leverage,” said Senator Schatz. “It’s clear that the debt ceiling...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) reintroduced the Ensuring Access to General Surgery Act, bipartisan legislation that would produce high quality data on where general surgeons are in short supply around the country. “We have a doctor shortage crisis in Hawai‘i, and it’s having a real impact on families living in hard-to-reach areas across the state,” Senator Schatz said. “Our bill will help us better...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz today released the following statement after Governor David Ige updated restrictions on sporting events, now allowing families to cheer on their children in person, while adhering to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Earlier this month, Schatz called on Governor Ige to lift these restrictions, including permitting surf competitions and regattas to resume, citing Hawai‘i’s progress on vaccinations and its low case...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz today called on Governor David Ige to lift restrictions on youth sporting events, including allowing parents and guardians to cheer on their athletes in person and permitting surf competitions and regattas to resume, while adhering to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. “I urgently ask you to reevaluate your prohibition on parents and guardians watching youth sports. We already allow people on beaches, to watch sports in...

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and U.S. Representative Marc Veasey (D-Texas) reintroduced the Future of Local News Act, legislation aimed at rescuing the struggling local news industry. Local news organizations play a vital role in American democracy, but an industry-wide transition to digital media and the pandemic’s impacts on the economy has led to a rapid decline of the local news industry....

WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Communications Commission announced that applications are now being accepted for the Emergency Broadband Benefit, a new federal program which provides up to $50 a month on internet service and discounts on computers and tablets for eligible participants. The new $3.2 billion federal program, established by the COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress and signed into law in December, provides support for broadband services and certain devices to help...

  WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will allocate an additional $13.9 million under the American Rescue Plan to help prevent evictions and provide relief for Hawai‘i renters impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. “For renters who have lost jobs or had hours cut, this additional federal money will help them stay in their homes and pay for...

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 50 senators in reintroducing the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021. The CONNECT for Health Act will expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make permanent COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities, improve...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today introduced new legislation to support hotel workers and save jobs. The Save Hotel Jobs Act will provide new grants and tax credits to help pay hotel employees, bring back laid-off workers, and ensure safe workplaces.“The pandemic has left millions of hotel employees out of work and many more struggling to get by with less hours. They need help,” said Senator Schatz. “Our bill creates a new grant program that...

WASHINGTON – Today, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that the $28.6 billion program aimed at helping restaurants impacted by the pandemic will begin accepting applications for grant funding beginning on Monday, May 3 at 6 a.m. HT/12 noon ET. Registration for the SBA application portal will begin on Friday, April 30. The new SBA program, known as the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, was created through COVID-19 relief legislation passed by Congress and signed into law in...