WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11208) on the Pacific Islands on Nov. 14, 2023, by Asian affairs specialist Thomas Lum and research assistant Joseph O. Yinusa. Here are excerpts: * * * The Pacific Islands Overview The Pacific Islands region in the Southwest Pacific has emerged as an area of growing interest to major powers, due to the region's strategic location and significant resources. The region has strategic sig  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: Nov 16 2023 Fischer Applauds FCC Action Supporting Survivors of Domestic Violence WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, released the following statement in response to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) action today to implement the Safe Connections Act.Senator Fischer led the Safe Connections Act with U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii),  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced the availability of $20 million in funding to help strengthen climate resilience in the Native Hawaiian community. The funding will support the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Native Hawaiian Relations' (ONHR) new Kapapahuliau Climate Resilience Program, which will provid  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced that the University of Hawaii (UH) will receive over $6.6 million in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) program. This funding will support existing child care programs in Hawaii and efforts to better connect and align child care programs and services  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, urged the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, to take steps to improve the way the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) handles major disasters across the services. "Over the last half decade, the Department of Defense has experienced a spate of major disaster  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) led 15 of their Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) colleagues in urging President Biden to reduce the visa backlog, which keeps millions of immigrants--including many immigrants from Asia--separated from their families. "This backlog shows the inability of our immigration system to meet the need  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, DC - Today, on the 29th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) entering into force, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced a resolution calling on the U.S. Senate to ratify UNCLOS. UNCLOS, which has been ratified by 168 nations and the European Union, details the rights and responsibilities of countries r  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, Peter Welch (D-Vt.) Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) S  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 -- Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and 20 colleagues in urging Democratic and Republican Senate and Appropriations leadership to include the full $10 billion in humanitarian assistance requested by the President in the national security supplemental. "Bey  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, DC - President Joseph R. Biden signed into law bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and Senator Mike Braun (R-IN). The Korean American VALOR Act allows veterans who served in the armed forces of the Republic of Korea during the Vietnam War, and have since become naturalized U.S. citizens, to become eligible for  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz today chaired a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing to consider six nominees to the U.S. Department of State. The nominees include Jeffrey Prescott to be U.S. Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, Charlie Crist to be U.S. Representative on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization, Sean Patrick Maloney to be U.S  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) today issued the following statement after the release of the fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5), a comprehensive federal review of the impacts of climate change mandated by Congress. "This report makes clear what we've long known to be true: the impact of the climate crisis is only getting worse, and we need to take big, bold action to address it," said Senator Sc  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.) today reintroduced the Disaster Learning and Life Saving Act, bipartisan legislation that would create an independent board to investigate major natural disasters nationwide. The National Disaster Safety Board (NDSB) would specifically study the underlying causes of disaster-related fatalities and property damage, and make recommendations to   more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, today announced $20 million in new funding for the Kapapahuliau Climate Resilience Program. The new U.S. Department of the Interior program, funded through a Schatz-authored provision of the Inflation Reduction Act, will support the Native Hawaiian Community's climate resilience efforts. "Through the Kapapahuliau Clima  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) today released the following statement on the second anniversary of the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). As chair of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, Schatz worked with congressional leaders and Hawai'i officials to ensure the state received its fair share of federal funding. "Thanks to the histor  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 -- Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement with Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Cory Booker (  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, issued the following news release on Nov. 14, 2023: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, today announced $20 million in new funding for the Kapapahuliau Climate Resilience Program. The new U.S. Department of the Interior program, funded through a Schatz-authored provision of the Inflation Reduction Act, will support the Native Hawaiian Commun  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 -- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, issued the following news release: Today, on the 29th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) entering into force, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in introducing a resolution calling on the U.S. Senate to ratify UNCLOS. UNCLOS, which has been ratified by 168 nations and the European Union, details the rig  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 -- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in issuing the following statement on President Biden's   more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Thomas Vilsack and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator (USAID) Samantha Power t  more