Press Releases

HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on Veterans Day and the opening of the new National Native American Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. “This Veterans Day and every day we show our respect and gratitude to all our veterans. To the more than 120,000 veterans who call Hawai‘i home, we extend a special aloha, reaffirm our commitment to providing the health care and benefits you have earned, and hope each one of you...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Banking Committee and Chair of the Special Committee on the Climate Crisis, today released the following statement on the Federal Reserve's request to join the Network for Greening the Financial System, a coalition of central banks and bank supervisors from around the world working to manage climate risks. Earlier this week, the Fed also discussed climate risks for the first time in its financial stability...

  HONOLULU — Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that Hawai‘i will receive $1,820,264 in federal funding to support the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. These funds will help support rental assistance programs for current voucher holders who lost their job or saw a significant reduction in income due to the pandemic.   “For those who have lost jobs or had hours cut, this federal money will help make...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a senior member on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, today announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved a grant that would provide the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) ownership of broadband spectrum to deploy wireless internet services on Kauai, Lanai, Molokai, and Maui. “This news means that people can expect faster and more reliable internet service,” said Senator Schatz, the top...

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of four senators to call on Amazon to stop tracking their employees’ activities and undermining their federally protected right to unionize. Recent reporting indicates that Amazon is monitoring employees who attempt to organize and thwarting those efforts, thereby engaging in unethical, and potentially unlawful, action.   “The fact that Amazon has decided to heavily invest in systems...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) announced that they will introduce The Disaster Learning and Life Saving Act of 2020. 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...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of five senators in demanding that BlackRock match its public commitment to climate action with its voting record on shareholder resolutions. In a letter to BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, the senators requested that he justify his firm’s consistent anti-climate proxy voting record this year — despite the firm's commitment in January to hold...

HONOLULU — Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami announced that the Department of Public Works will receive $1,638,727.50 to repair Wainiha Powerhouse Road on Kauai. In 2018, Kauai experienced severe storms and record rainfall, resulting in flooding and landslides that damaged the road.   “Communities on Kauai depend on safe roadways, and this new funding will help us rebuild from the severe storms two years...

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that Hawai‘i will receive $797,942 in new funding for COVID-19 vaccine preparedness. These federal funds will go to the Department of Health to develop vaccine distribution plans, determine where the vaccine will be administered, and ensure an adequate number of vaccination providers. “Once a safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine is available, Hawai‘i must be prepared to successfully distribute it to...

WASHINGTON – Following news of confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the White House, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today called on White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to immediately contain the outbreak and conduct contact tracing and testing of all White House grounds and residence staff in accordance with public health guidelines. “It does not appear that the White House is following CDC guidelines and responding to its COVID-19 outbreak with the urgency and speed to...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today criticized his Republican colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee for pressuring tech companies so that they stop policing election-related misinformation on their platforms. It is critical to the integrity of the election that tech companies moderate content on their sites and take down misinformation. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act enables them to do that and does not require...

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the state of Hawai‘i will receive $6,132,815 in new federal funding to expand veterans cemeteries on Kauai and Maui. “Thousands of brave service members from Hawai‘i put their lives on the line to serve our country. These federal funds will help us expand our veterans cemeteries so we can continue to honor their legacies,” said Senator Schatz, the top Democrat on...

   WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) urged the Census Bureau to reverse its decision to end the self-response period and field data collection for the 2020 Census on October 5 and instead allow operations to continue until October 31. This bipartisan effort follows the Census Bureau’s decision to ignore a recent federal court ruling, which found that ending the counting operations early would result in a...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of senators in demanding answers on Acting Comptroller Brian Brooks’s intention to investigate some of the country’s largest banks after several of them ruled out financial support for new oil drilling projects in the Arctic. “Federal financial regulators do not have the legal authority to pressure banks to fund specific projects. It would be highly inappropriate to use official tools of...

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that Hawai‘i County is set to receive $2.2 million in new federal disaster relief funding based on damage to Ahalanui Park from lava flows during the 2018 Kilauea eruptions. The new funding may be used to restore the park at its current location or at an alternate site. Once the county decides how to proceed, it will have to submit a proposal to FEMA. “As we continue to recover from the natural...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court nomination. “We are just weeks away from Election Day, but Republicans are rushing to confirm a justice to the Supreme Court before the American people get a chance to make their voices heard. They are hurrying their nominee onto the Court to help overturn the Affordable Care Act, kicking millions off their health care in the middle of the worst public health crisis in...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the change in management at the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo. Earlier this month as the COVID-19 outbreak worsened at the veterans home, Schatz called for immediate federal intervention to contain the spread and help save lives. As a result, the Department of Veterans Affairs mobilized a team to assess and support the veterans home and found a number of serious infection control issues...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) is renewing his call to Hawai‘i Governor David Ige to take additional steps to protect Hawai‘i residents living in long-term care facilities. Schatz first urged the Governor to step up efforts to protect nursing home residents and staff in May. “We have now seen outbreaks of the virus at multiple nursing homes and care facilities, including the tragedy at the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home. The situation at the...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced the Family Crisis Cash Assistance Act. The legislation will create a new permanent program to help families struggling through a natural disaster or economic crisis with immediate cash assistance. As the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear, direct cash provides families with immediate relief and gives them the flexibility and choice to use on rent, food, or other expenses. “During a...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), along with U.S. Representatives Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) today slammed Facebook for its failure to protect its users from widespread misinformation on its platform. The lawmakers demanded answers on the inconsistent enforcement of Facebook’s content moderation policies which provide deference to right-wing content and fail to prevent the dissemination of politically-biased, divisive...