U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono talks with Ernest Matsumura, the East Hawaii Community Development Corporation Board chairman and building owner, during a tour of his property Wednesday afternoon. Hirono has been on a tour around the state this week to meet with her constituents and to gauge their concerns. In an interview with the Tribune-Herald on Wednesday, she said that many have asked her about the potential impacts of pending budget cuts that are scheduled to take place on March 1 unless legislators can come to a compromise. “I’m hoping we’ll be able to move a compromise bill as a balanced alternative to the sequestration cuts,” she said.