WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Following advocacy from Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) announced it will investigate DOJ's use of force on peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square and Portland, Oregon. "As protesters across the country have peacefully demanded their government address systemic racial inequality and police brutality against Black Americans, they have been met wit  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that she secured a provision in the Senate-passed Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that will support community development of former Naval Air Station (NAS) Barbers Point by directing the Navy to spend funds from the established Ford Island master development agreement to bolster electrical infrastructure. "The committee strongly encou  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: The Hawai'i congressional delegation urged President Trump to immediately provide support to the state as Hurricane Douglas approaches the islands. "With the time remaining before the forecasted landfall, we can take steps that will improve outcomes for Hawai'i residents. Close coordination among federal, state, and county officials will make it possible to have supplies, personnel, and plans in place for Hurrica  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee who has also spent nearly two decades serving in the Hawai'i Army National Guard, successfully included an amendment in the annual National Defense Authorization Act that would require the Secretary of Defense to provide a report to Congress on the impact sexual assault in the military may have in "bad paper" discharges over th  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, secured an amendment to the annual national defense bill that would ensure that the U.S. Department of Defense may not prohibit the possession, use, or consumption of hemp products -- in compliance with applicable Federal, State, and local law -- by servicemembers. This would apply to hemp that meets the Agricultural Marketing  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) announced funding for a number of key agriculture and food priorities for Hawai'i in the $153 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Funding Bill. The bill will now be included as part of a combined appropriations bill to be considered by the House of Representatives tomorrow. "Access to locally-grown nutriti  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) announced successful efforts to secure funding for a variety of priorities which were included in the Fiscal Year 2021 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill. In total, the bill allocates $250.9 billion to bolster support systems for military personnel, their families, and retired servicemembers. The bill will now be included as part of a combined appropriations bi  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) announced funding for key programs benefiting the nation and Hawai'i through the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill for fiscal year 2021. These provisions were included as part of a combined appropriations bill that was passed by the House of Representatives. "Hawai'i is home to some of the world's most beautiful flora and fauna, but due to human impact and i  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on July 21: Yesterday, the House passed an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act introduced by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) that would require an initial and annual report to Congress from the Administration reporting the humanitarian impact of U.S. sanctions. There is currently no assessment within the U.S. government to determine the impact of U.S. sanctions on other countries. The report  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) announced that the Fiscal Year 2021 Legislative Branch funding bill would include a record $3,975,000 for the Wounded Warrior Program and the Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program. A veteran of two Middle East deployments, Rep. Gabbard led the push to increase funding in response to high demand for the Wounded Warrior Fellowship and the creation of the Congressional Gol  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on July 21: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) voiced her support for the over 3,000 family members of people who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as they called upon U.S. Attorney General William Barr to reconsider his recent "state secrets" decisions, which in recent months twice prevented the release of key documents related to the investigation of the attacks to the families. A letter  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on July 21: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) voted against the annual national defense bill. While she successfully included several provisions of importance to Hawai'i and the country's security, the positive elements of the bill were outweighed by overarching concerns the Congresswoman had with the massive bill. "As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, I fought hard to get many provisions in th  more

WASHINGTON, July 21 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release July 20: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) spoke during the debate on the annual national defense bill to support two separate measures that would prevent authorization of funds to be used on nuclear yield testing and oppose the Trump Administration's withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty. The amendment addressing nuclear testing passed by a vote of 227-179 and the amendment addressing the Open Skies Treaty passed   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) spoke during the debate on the annual national defense bill to support two separate measures that would prevent authorization of funds to be used on nuclear yield testing and oppose the Trump Administration's withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty. The amendment addressing nuclear testing passed by a vote of 227-179 and the amendment addressing the Open Skies Treaty passed by voice  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: The Hawai'i congressional delegation today urged President Trump to immediately provide support to the state as Hurricane Douglas approaches the islands. "With the time remaining before the forecasted landfall, we can take steps that will improve outcomes for Hawai'i residents. Close coordination among federal, state, and county officials will make it possible to have supplies, personnel, and plans in place  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) and Rep. Ed Case (HI-01) came together to create a public service announcement (PSA) urging Hawai'i residents to be prepared for hurricane season. While this is one of the latest hurricane seasons recently experienced, Hurricane Douglas has become one of the most powerful storms out there and is making its way towards the state. The PSA was recorded as both were in Washington, D.C  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in a letter to Vice President Mike Pence and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter Gaynor, urging them to take immediate action to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and sanitizing supplies for election and poll workers--and voters--ahead of the N  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, issued the following statement rebutting President Trump's repeated claims that mail-in voting would lead to a "rigged" election: "It's deeply troubling that the president continues to insist that mail-in voting would result in a rigged election. Mail-in voting is secure, and during the coronavirus pandemic, it's the safest way for Americans to exercise their right to vote. "U.S. service members have voted by mail for more than a cent  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement after vote in favor of the Sanders amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act: "As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am a strong supporter of the role our military plays in protecting our national security. "But as I have said before, our national security is not just about how much money the Pentagon receives. "It's also about a strong economy - which necessitates investments in jo  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) led six of her Senate colleagues in a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue expressing alarm that the USDA has excluded small and mid-sized farmers from participating in the Farmers to Families Food Box Program during the pandemic over a voluntary audit and certification. This exclusion means that large farms with national distribution net  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement on President Trump's memo to ban undocumented immigrants from being counted in the census. "This is an illegal and unconstitutional attempt to scare people from participating in the Census and influence congressional representation. "The Supreme Court has already ruled against the Trump Administration's efforts to politicize the 2020 Census, and yet, they refuse to stop. "We must remain vigilant to protect ou  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: The Hawaii congressional delegation urged President Trump to immediately provide support to the state as Hurricane Douglas approaches the islands. "With the time remaining before the forecasted landfall, we can take steps that will improve outcomes for Hawai'i residents. Close coordination among federal, state, and county officials will make it possible to have supplies, personnel, and plans in place for Hur  more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, July 21 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on July 20: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) announced that the Hawai'i Department of Health will receive $3,340,633 to help prepare for and respond to infectious disease outbreaks, including the current COVID-19 pandemic. This federal funding will support epidemiological activities including laboratory testing, contact tracing, surveillance, and coordination among public health officials. "Improvin  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, issued the following statement: U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement on the Senate's votes on amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to address the transfer of military weapons to local police departments. Senator Van Hollen cosponsored both a bipartisan amendment and legislation, introduced by Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) to significantly reduce these transfers. While this amendm  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, issued the following news release: The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved eight bills and seven nominations, which are now all subject to approval by the full Senate. Bills and nominations considered are as follows (approved by voice vote unless otherwise noted): 1. S. 933, Bolstering Long-Term Understanding and Exploration of the  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news: Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced legislation to incentivize states to reform their unemployment insurance systems. The Worker First Act would authorize $10 billion to be distributed among states that take steps to ensure worker safety, as well as expand and modernize their unemployment insurance systems. The bill is cospo  more

WASHINGTON, July 21 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on July 20: Tomorrow, the U.S. Senate is set to vote on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) introduced by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that will limit the transfer of certain surplus military-grade equipment to local law enforcement agencies across the country. The Schatz-Murkowski-Harris-Paul amendm  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, issued the following news release on July 21: The U.S. Senate is set to vote on a bipartisan amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) introduced by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would limit the transfer of certain surplus military-grade equipment to local law enforcement agencies across the country. The ame  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) led 29 of their colleagues in a letter to Vice President Mike Pence and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter Gaynor urging them to take immediate action to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and sanitizing supplies for election and poll workers--and voters--ahead of the November 2020 election. Guidance from   more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.), along with Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter Gaynor urging them to take immediate action to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and sanitizing supplies for election and poll workers - and voters -   more