Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The U.S. House and Senate unanimously passed the Veterans Providing Healthcare Transition Improvement Act (S. 899), a bipartisan bill authored by Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) to ensure veterans with a disability rating of 30% or higher who are hired by the U.S. Department of...

Senator Mazie K. Hirono today announced that she will cancel her meeting with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Senator Hirono delivered the following statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning: “Mr. Chairman, I want to take a moment to react to yesterday’s news of the conviction of the President’s campaign...

WASHINGTON, D.C.-  Senator Mazie K. Hirono today announced that she will oppose the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court: “I will be voting no on Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States. “Donald Trump long ago announced his intention to nominate a judge off of a list...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Led by Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), five Democratic members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee urged Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) to convene an oversight hearing to examine the inappropriate influence of three members of President Trump’s private club Mar-a-Lago on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on the death of Staff Sergeant Reymund Transfiguracion: “Staff Sergeant Reymund Transfiguracion served our country and the people of Hawaii honorably in the U.S. Army and as a member of the Hawaii National Guard. My condolences and aloha are with Staff Sergeant...

HONOLULU – Senator Mazie K. Hirono continued her advocacy for the use of native plants during a visit to Lyon Arboretum where she toured the Native Hawaiian Garden, met with scientists, and planted native species at the facility. “Scientists at Lyon Arboretum are working to preserve native ecosystems through research, outreach, and...

HONOLULU- Senator Mazie K. Hirono, the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, released the following statement after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley announced dates for Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing:  “The Judiciary Committee and the American people...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Last week, the President signed into law the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which will continue strong federal support for career and technical education (CTE) programs in Hawaii.  The recently enacted bill will update and reform the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono and 15 Senate Democrats introduced the Medicare and Medicaid Protect Act, legislation that would protect these cornerstone health care programs from partisan attacks through the budget reconciliation process. “For the past 53 years, Medicare and Medicaid have provided a crucial lifeline to...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) bill (S. 2245) to extend trade and investor visas to New Zealand citizens was signed into law by the President. The bill, known as the Knowledgeable Innovators and Worthy Investors (KIWI) Act, was unanimously passed by the House last week. “New Zealand...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- In a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono called for the passage of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, legislation to ensure that thousands of Navy veterans, known as “Blue Water” veterans, are able to receive the disability compensation and health care...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono, the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Service Seapower Subcommittee, secured a full repeal of the Department of Defense’s reduced per diem policy for traveling service members and Department of Defense civilians in the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA conference...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee, successfully secured important Hawaii priorities in the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act that passed the Senate today on an 87-10 vote. The bill now goes to the President for his signature. “This year’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono’s Military Domestic Violence Reporting Enhancement Act, which would close a dangerous loophole in the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) that enables convicted abusers to purchase firearms, was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference committee report that was passed...

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Jill Otake to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. “Throughout her confirmation process, Jill Otake demonstrated her respect for the rule of law and the serious thought she’s given to how she...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced a resolution calling on the U.S. Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). UNCLOS, ratified by over 160 nations, sets out the rights and responsibilities of countries related to the world’s oceans including...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono, the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, issued the following statement on Chairman Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) partisan, Republican-only document request on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination that will not include records from Judge Kavanaugh’s service as...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono took to the Senate floor to mark the one year anniversary of the defeat of Senate Republicans’ attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Senator Hirono also outlined her continued opposition to actions taken by President Trump and Congressional Republicans to sabotage the American health care...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Mazie K. Hirono took to the Senate floor to denounce the Trump administration’s attacks on the federal workforce and highlight the important role of federal workers in Hawaii. From Senator Hirono’s remarks:  “Over the past year and a half, Donald Trump and his administration have launched a concerted...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The U.S. House unanimously passed the Knowledgeable Innovators and Worthy Investors (KIWI) Act (S. 2245), a bipartisan bill authored by Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) to extend trade and investor visas to New Zealand citizens to increase international business between the United States and New Zealand....