Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – With their invited guests to President Biden’s State of the Union Address, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Senate Democrats are continuing to call attention to the dangers of abortion bans passed in states across the country. Senate Democrats’ State of the Union guests include women who were forced to travel out of state to receive lifesaving abortion care due to abortion bans, abortion clinic directors, providers, and moms who relied on in-vitro fertilization (IVF)...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, secured $394 million in new congressional directed spending, also known as earmarks, in the first half of this year’s government funding bill. Additional earmark funding for Hawai‘i is expected to be included the second half of the funding deal which is set to be announced on March 22. “We are bringing home nearly $400 million in new earmark...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that provisions from his bipartisan Care for COFA Veterans Act were included in the appropriations package released Sunday, along with language that would extend the United States’ agreements with the Freely Associated States (FAS) of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. The provisions from the Care for COFA Veterans...

WASHINGTON – Congressional leaders yesterday released the first half of a bipartisan appropriations deal that will deliver billions in federal funding for critical programs that benefit Hawai‘i. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, successfully secured funding for Hawai‘i’s priorities in the final deal. “Hawai‘i is to set to receive billions in new federal funding. The new funding will improve our roads and infrastructure, provide people...

WASHINGTON – In the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court decision that effectively banned in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the state, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today spoke out on the Senate floor and called for protecting IVF access and restoring reproductive rights across the country. “Gutting Roe was never going to be enough. It was a gateway to an all-out war. And right now, millions of women in America are paying the price. They're terrified of what they can and cannot do and what...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today released the following statement after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed new rules to implement the Safe Connections Act for internet-connected cars. Schatz was the lead author of the Safe Connections Act, a new law that will help survivors of domestic violence and other crimes cut ties with their abusers and separate from...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after Hawai‘i Governor Josh Green today led a dedication ceremony on Maui for the opening of Hawai‘i’s first federally-funded electric vehicle (EV) charging station. To date, Hawai‘i has received more than $10 million in federal funding to build EV charging stations through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program from the federal infrastructure law passed in 2021. “Every charging...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on reporting of the Chinese government’s involvement with community policing in the Republic of Kiribati. “Reports of China’s growing influence across Pacific Island nations, including Kiribati, underscore the need for the United States to continue strengthening our partnerships in the region. To build enduring trust with the people of the Pacific Islands, we...

Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) as well as Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) sent a letter to President Biden expressing concern around any additional transfer of U.S. weapons, including bombs, to the Netanyahu government in light of the current humanitarian disaster in Gaza and the developing crisis in Rafah. The Senators go on to press the President for specific commitments from the Netanyahu government prior to any...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg today toured multiple infrastructure projects on O‘ahu which have received federal funding, including through the historic infrastructure law Congress passed in 2021. Schatz, chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, and Buttigieg visited the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation Control Room and rode the Skyline with Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and other city...

LAHAINA  – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited Maui today and received an update from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency on the ongoing recovery effort from the wildfires in Lahaina. Schatz and Buttigieg also received an update on the Honoapi‘ilani Highway realignment project and discussed how historic federal investments are helping make infrastructure on...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representatives Jill Tokuda (D-Hawai‘i) and Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i) introduced a resolution celebrating Mahina ?Olelo Hawai?i, also known as Hawaiian Language Month. “This February, we celebrate Mahina ‘Olelo Hawai‘i and the Native language schools and programs that work every day to preserve the Hawaiian language and culture,” said Senator Schatz, chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “Indigenous...

MUNICH – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, today released the following statement after leading tech companies unveiled a pledge at the Munich Security Conference to label deepfake content generated by AI related to elections. Schatz introduced the bipartisan AI Labeling Act last year, calling on companies to label all AI-generated content, regardless of subject matter. “With dozens of elections taking place this year...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, announced that the Federal Aviation Administration is awarding $30.6 million to two airports on Maui and O‘ahu. The funding comes from the historic Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden in 2021. “This new federal funding will support necessary upgrades at Honolulu and Kahului airports that will make it easier and faster for passengers to...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate voted to pass the National Security Act. “Today, the Senate made good on the United States’ obligations as the leader of the free world to stand with our allies and partners and defend democracy. By passing the National Security Act, we’re sending a message to the world that we remain the indispensable nation. “This funding could not come...

WASHINGTON – In remarks on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for the swift passage of the national security supplemental. In his remarks, Schatz underscored the urgent need for military support for Ukraine and humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza. “There’s no good reason to delay the security and humanitarian assistance in this national security supplemental package any longer. Ukraine is running...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that the State of Hawai‘i has been selected to participate in the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator, a new initiative to improve coordination across Medicaid, housing, and health care systems to better serve people with disabilities and older adults who are experiencing...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced provisions from several of his bills were included in the bipartisan Senate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2023 that passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation this week. Originally part of the Air Tour and Skydiving Safety Improvement Act, the Hawai‘i Air Tour Management Act, the Improved Transportation Consumer Protection Act, and the Natural Hazard Resilience for Airports...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today introduced legislation to prevent youth suicide, the second leading cause of death for people aged 10-24. The Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act would fund suicide prevention initiatives, ensure health care providers receive training to prevent intentional harm, and create a centralized hub to provide safety information to at-risk youth and their support networks. “Youth suicide is a crisis in Hawai‘i and across America,...

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 (CREATE) Act. The bipartisan legislation will support artists and 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 are vital to our economy and enrich our daily lives,” said Senator Schatz....