Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the nomination of General James Mattis, USMC (ret.) to be secretary of defense: “Civilian control of the military is a principle that has existed since our nation was founded, and we must be guarded against efforts that undermine it.  I strongly support the law that prohibits a person from becoming secretary of defense within seven years of leaving the military. The question of whether...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) was appointed to serve as Ranking Member on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. “Hawai‘i has a deep, storied relationship with active duty service members, military retirees, and veterans, and as the lead Democrat on this subcommittee, I look forward to continuing the bipartisan tradition the Appropriations Committee has created to honor those that have served,” said...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, called for improvements to the safety of roads in Hawai‘i and across the country following a new report out today by the National Complete Streets Coalition that found more than 250 people were killed while walking in Hawai‘i from 2005 to 2014, with seniors making up 42 percent of the fatalities.  The report also...

WASHINGTON – Senate Democratic leadership elevated U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) to new roles in the caucus’s leadership team. Senators Schatz and Booker will serve as Chief Deputy Whips, leadership positions that will give them a greater role in shaping policy and communications for Senate Democrats.  Schatz and Booker join U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who announced his post in December, on the Chief Deputy Whip...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) joined by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), today announced the introduction of legislation that would seek to block the establishment of a registry of people based on their religion, race, age, gender, ethnicity, national origin, or nationality. “This...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) approving the International Longshore and Warehouse Union’s (ILWU) petition requesting adjustment assistance for bulk sugar workers as a result of the closing of HC&S: “Truckers that hauled bulk sugar were directly and severely impacted by the closing of HC&S, and I’m very glad the Department of Labor approved the ILWU’s...

HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) awarded $189,098 to the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority to provide affordable housing for an additional 20 homeless veterans and their families in Hawai‘i. “We have a fundamental moral obligation to help house those who have served our country in uniform,”...

HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that Hawai‘i will receive 45 Continuum of Care (CoC) grants for 10 state, local and non-profit agencies totaling $11,519,682 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for fiscal year 2016. “Homelessness is an urgent problem, and these funds will help homeless individuals and families get back on their feet and find a place to...

HONOLULU – Today, the Senate Democratic Steering Committee ratified committee assignments for the 115th Congress and announced that U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) will join the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Schatz will also continue to serve on the Senate committees on Appropriations; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Indian Affairs; and Ethics. “This post is an important one because the Committee oversees federal housing and transit...

HONOLULU - President Barack Obama signed into law the Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes (ECHO) Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). This law will increase access to high-quality health care in hard-to-reach regions. “Technology has the potential to transform the way we train doctors and deliver health care,” said Senator Schatz. “This law will help connect primary care providers in underserved areas...

WASHINGTON – On Saturday morning, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Ensuring Access to Fisheries Act. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), will implement treaties ratified by the Senate last year to better manage certain fisheries in the North and South Pacific, and to improve international fisheries management the North Atlantic. “Nations around the world look to the...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.). The bipartisan bill will require public data to be accessible at Data.gov so individuals, organizations, and other government offices can utilize it. “Public information belongs to the public, and it’s the government’s job to make sure that data is...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and 18 other senators called on President-elect Donald Trump to protect Medicare and Medicaid and not cut it, as his recent actions have suggested he might do. In a letter to Trump, the senators raised concerns over his choice for U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Rep. Tom Price, and language on the transition website that calls for changes to Medicare and Medicaid....

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement regarding the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) approval of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit’s request for an extension to submit its Recovery Plan: “The city has developed a more clear-eyed, realistic plan to get the rail project back on track. More must be done in the coming months to ensure we can complete the project, but this extension is welcome news...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement today regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “Climate change is real, urgent, and caused by humans. It is a scientifically proven fact that any EPA Administrator should accept.  That’s why I cannot support Scott Pruitt, a denier of climate science, to lead the EPA. “The EPA has the...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, issued the following statement in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) announcement relating to Sandwich Isles Communications’ (SIC) improper use of Universal Service Funds.  “I fully support the FCC’s efforts to combat waste, fraud, and abuse of the Universal Service Fund by...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate last night, approved H.R. 1561, the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2016, by unanimous consent with a Senate amendment. The bill as amended, which leaders of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Science Committee negotiated, adds other weather forecasting and research reform provisions from three bills (S. 1331, S. 1573, and H.R. 34), including reforms championed by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) issued the following statements after the Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes (ECHO) Act, legislation they introduced, passed in the Senate by a vote of 97-0. This legislation will increase access to high-quality health care in hard-to-reach regions. “We’re now one step closer to supporting new ways to train health providers and deliver health care,” said Senator Schatz, a member of...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate today, by unanimous consent, sent bicameral legislation to the White House for the President’s signature that will outlaw the use of “gag clauses” in non-negotiable form contracts. Some businesses have attracted national scrutiny for using gag clauses to punish or silence honest criticism of products and services. The sponsors of the Senate version released the following statements: “Reviews on where to shop, eat, or stay on websites...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) issued the following statement in response to Carl Higbie’s comments on Fox News’ “The Kelly File” that World War II-era Japanese American internment camps could be used as “precedent” for a Muslim registry.  “The internment of Japanese Americans was a dark chapter in our history.  We should remember it and never repeat the same injustice.  Any suggestion that the...