Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), ranking member of the Senate Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet Subcommittee, called for the timely transition of oversight of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to the global multistakeholder community. In a Senate Commerce Committee hearing today, Senator Schatz stressed the importance of the transition in maintaining the open and global nature of the Internet. “The experts are...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called for immediate action from the Department of the Interior to stop the spread of Rapid Ohia Death.  In a letter to Interior Department Secretary Sally Jewell, Schatz called for additional personnel and resources to protect ohia on Hawai‘i Island and prevent the spread of the tree disease. “If this was a forest fire, there would be no question about an all-hands-on-deck, no-holds-barred response. ...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) joined the Polynesian Voyaging Society, the Hawai‘i State Society, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, members of the Hawai‘i congressional delegation, and community leaders from Hawai‘i and Washington to celebrate and honor King Kamehameha at the annual Kamehameha Day Lei Draping Ceremony in the U.S. Capitol.Senator Schatz presented lei and spoke at the annual gathering in Washington. The King Kamehameha Day Celebration and Lei Draping...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, legislation that will provide key funding for programs to support Native Hawaiian housing and address homelessness.  U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, worked to ensure more homeless assistance funds go to states with a greater...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on Congressman Mark Takai’s announcement that he will not seek a second term in Congress due to health concerns: “It has been my honor and a true pleasure to work alongside Mark over the years. He is a great teammate and has served the people of Hawai‘i with integrity and aloha.  I know this was a difficult decision, and my thoughts and prayers are with him and his...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed S.1335, 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 the North Atlantic. “I thank Senator Sullivan and Senator Markey for their work to bring our oceans into...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, voted to advance $1.1 billion in emergency funding to fight the spread of the Zika virus. The Senate is expected to approve this bipartisan emergency funding legislation with a final vote occurring as early as this evening.  “Zika is a public health emergency,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) welcomed the announcement today that Hawaiian Airlines has been awarded a route from Haneda International Airport in Tokyo to Hawai‘i that will allow more visitors to fly into airports in Honolulu and Kona. “Secretary Foxx shared this good news this morning, and I continue to appreciate the excellent work the Secretary has done to add new routes between Tokyo and the U.S.,” said Senator Schatz. “It is...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today welcomed new actions taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. Three new rules, finalized by the EPA today, will cut emissions of methane and toxic air pollutants from new, reconstructed, and modified oil and gas sources. “These new steps taken by the EPA move us closer to our goal of cutting methane emissions from the oil and gas industry by 40...

WASHINGTON – As the Senate prepares to vote on funding options to address the Zika virus, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called for fully funding President Obama’s $1.9 billion request. “Zika is a public health emergency,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. “I am glad that senators from both sides of the aisle have...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) met with U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, chief judge of the D.C. Circuit Court.  The two met in Senator Schatz’s office on Capitol Hill to discuss the nominating process, his record and judicial philosophy. “Chief Judge Garland and I had a productive discussion about his record and approach to the law, and it is clear to me that he is a well-qualified candidate for the Supreme Court.  While I...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded $3,000,000 in new funding from the National Housing Trust Fund to Hawai‘i for the development and preservation of affordable rental housing. The funding will be available only to households with incomes at or below 30 percent of area median income and will be allocated through the Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corporation...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, today welcomed the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) release of a final rule that extends the FDA’s regulatory authority over tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes.  The new rule will ensure that e-cigarettes are regulated in the same way that the FDA regulates traditional cigarettes. “Today marks an...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Hawaii’s Congressional Delegation announced that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $20,000,000 grant to the University of Hawaii System for a clean water research project.   The project, titled Ike Wai from the Hawaiian words for knowledge and water, will address the critical needs of the state to maintain its supply of clean water, most of which comes from groundwater sources. “This grant will greatly improve our...

WASHINGTON – In response to a report from the Los Angeles Times that detailed how various Syrian opposition forces funded or equipped by the Department of Defense (DoD) or other U.S. agencies may be fighting each other, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, have called for more transparency on the Syria...

HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement to mark the start of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which commemorates the history, contributions, and achievements of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.“Asian Pacific American Heritage Month reminds us to honor the deep roots and valuable contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Their accomplishments in business, science, public service, the armed...

HONOLULU – Today, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) issued its assessment on the 2016 fire season.  NIFC forecasters predict that Hawai‘i, Alaska, and portions of the Southwest will face an elevated risk of wildfires.  In response, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement. “This elevated threat of wildfires in Hawai‘i should be taken seriously,” said...

Washington, D.C.—Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) issued the following statements after introducing the Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes (ECHO) Act, which will increase access to high-quality health care in hard-to-reach regions. “In states with large rural populations like Utah, it’s vital that we do everything we can to ensure that patients have access to quality health care—no matter where they live,” Senator Hatch...

WASHINGTON – This morning, the Senate Commerce Committee approved bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). The bill addresses the future impact of new connected technology, known as the “Internet of Things.” This legislation, known as S. 2607, the Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things (DIGIT) Act, builds upon the senators’ resolution,...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of both the Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and the SFRC East Asia Subcommittee, Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Chairman of the SFRC East Asia Subcommittee, Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), a senior member of the SFRC, and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) introduced legislation Wednesday to enhance American maritime capacity and leadership and increase support to our allies in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative...