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WASHINGTON  — A congressional stalemate over funding for the Homeland Security Department deepened Thursday as Senate Democrats blocked action on the bill for a third straight day to protest Republican language on immigration. “This is like Groundhog Day,” Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, complained on the Senate floor after the...

The relatively new members of the Alaska and Hawaii Senate delegations are working to build up their relationships as they seek to continue a decades-long alliance forged by the late Sens. Daniel K. Inouye and Ted Stevens. “We don’t have that strength yet,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said....

Republicans nationally may be balking at President Barack Obama’s budget proposal that totals about $4 trillion — especially about the tax increases on the wealthy — but the four Democrats representing Hawaii in Washington, D.C., are (for the most part) pleased with the wish list. Here are excerpts of what they had to...

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii has reintroduced the Providing Resources Early for Kids (PRE-K) Act, legislation her office says will “expand access to high-quality early learning programs for children from birth to age five.” The PRE-K Act “helps more kids arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed by...

Democrats in the Senate and the House are reintroducing a bill that aims to improve both the quality and quantity of pre-K.The bill, the Providing Resources Early for Kids Act, would create a federal-state partnership that would help states either build high-quality pre-K programs from the ground up or improve and expand existing programs.The...

Members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation don’t want the Army pulling any soldiers out of Hawaii in an effort to balance the budget. “Though no final decision has been made, a worst-case scenario was laid out that would be catastrophic for Hawaii,” U.S. Rep. Mark Takai said in a statement Tuesday. “This...

Members of Hawaii's congressional delegation stood behind President Barack Obama on Tuesday in his call for bolstering the middle class through tax breaks for working families, paid family leave from work and free community college. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, praised both the content and delivery of this year's address, saying Obama looked loose...

Sen. Mazie Hirono has joined the growing chorus against Sen. John McCain’s latest attempt to scuttle the Jones Act, arguing repeal would cost Hawaii thousands of jobs and jeopardize its shipping lifeline. “In a state like ours, which is basically 80 to 90 percent dependent on shipping to bring in all the food and the goods that we need,...

As we begin a new year and a new Congress, we have opportunities to accomplish a great deal to build a sustainable future that creates educational opportunities for our keiki, protects Medicare and Social Security for our kupuna, and strengthens our middle-class families for a healthy and secure economy. These opportunities have presented...

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Thursday unveiled legislation that would help determine whether certain Filipino veterans who served alongside the U.S. military during World War II are eligible for benefits. The bill — sponsored by Sens. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) in the upper chamber and Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) in...

Hawaii’s congressional delegation is winning back influence on defense and national security. The state’s power in Congress took a major hit after the retirement of Sen. Daniel Akaka (D) and the death of Sen. Daniel Inouye (D), who combined had served in the Senate for more than 70 years. Now the state’s four-member,...

Family is central to the holiday season in America: spending days at home together, traveling to visit family, sharing meals, and exchanging gifts.  Most of us take for granted that we’ll be with family this holiday season—and likely next holiday season as well.  But, we must remember the millions of hardworking people living...

The federal government will remain funded through next September, assuming President Barack Obama signs the $1.1 trillion spending bill approved by the U.S. Senate late Saturday evening in Washington, D.C. The vote was 56-40, which came after surviving a lopsided cloture vote that cut off debate on the legislation. Obama has indicated he will...

The U.S. Congress may soon be controlled by Republicans, but Hawaii’s Democrats in the Senate have secured important committee assignments that begin early next year. Brian Schatz will serve on the Senate Committee on Appropriations while Mazie Hirono will serve on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Hirono will also...

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono talked with Civil Beat shortly after President Barack Obama on Thursday announced executive action to bolster border security and protect nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. While she said the plan is a good start, she agrees with the president that comprehensive immigration reform is needed, and that...

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, the only immigrant in the U.S. Senate, on Thursday praised President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration. The Hawaii Democrat, who as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee was responsible for several provisions in a Senate immigration reform bill that stalled in the U.S. House, made an...

Who says Congress can’t agree on anything? On Monday the U.S. Senate passed 88-1 the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014. Both of Hawaii’s senators voted in favor of the measure. Mike Lee of Utah was the lone Republican to vote against the measure, which provides federal funding to states to help...

The U.S. and China have reached a new reciprocal agreement concerning travel visa policies. President Obama made the announcement Monday while in Beijing for the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. “That’s why I’m very pleased to announce that during my visit, the United States and China have agreed to implement a new...

HONOLULU —Former Hawaii Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink will posthumously receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The awards will be presented at the White House on Nov. 24. Mink broke down long-standing barriers to create equal access to opportunities for women and girls, and courageously defied those who told her she couldn't...

Veterans Day is a time to remember and honor the contributions and sacrifices of our nation's veterans. Our thanks to the 120,000 veterans in Hawaii. In August, I chaired a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee field hearing on the state of veterans' health care in Hawaii. At the hearing, Oahu veteran Victor Craft testified: "The veteran is not a...