Thursday - March 28, 2024
U.S. Congressional Tipoffs Involving Hawaii Newsletter for Sunday September 29, 2019 ( 14 items )  

Feinstein, Hirono, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Block Implementation of Trump Administration's 'Public Charge' Rule
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release: Today, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) joined Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and a group of their Senate Democratic colleagues to introduce the Protect American Values Act - legislation that would prohibit the Trump Administration from using federal funding to implement its so-called "public charge" rule. Scheduled to go into effect on October  more

GAO Issues Report Federal Efforts to Address Marine Debris
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on federal efforts to address marine debris. The report (GAO-19-653) is titled "Marine Debris: Interagency Committee Members Are Taking Action, but Additional Steps Could Enhance the Federal Response". The report was sent to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, Sen. Cory A. Booker, D-New Jersey, Sen.   more

Murphy, Van Hollen, Schatz Secure Key Committee Support for Increase in Funds to Pay Senate Interns
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, along with U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) announced that they have secured increased funds for Senate offices to pay their interns, within legislation passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The senators have championed this effort  more

Rep. Case Introduces Safe, Quiet Skies Act
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 -- Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, issued the following speech, which was published in the Congressional Record on Sept. 27, introducing the Safe and Quiet Skies Act (H.R. 4547): Today I have introduced H.R. 4547, the Safe and Quiet Skies Act, to ensure that commercial air tour flights are adequately regulated to ensure safety and address current widespread community disruption. I extend a special thanks to my colleague, Congressman Brad Sherman of California, for cointroducing thi  more

Rep. Case Issues Statement on Congressional Oversight of President Trump's Reported Dealings With Ukraine
HONOLULU, Hawaii, Sept. 25 -- Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement on congressional oversight of President Trump's reported dealings with Ukraine: "The allegations that the President pressured a foreign country to investigate a domestic political opponent and withheld foreign assistance as leverage, to go with his Director of National Intelligence's refusal to produce the whistleblower's complaint and independent Inspector General's report to Congress as required by law, go to  more

Rep. Gabbard Issues Statement on Impeachment Inquiry
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement regarding an impeachment inquiry launched by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California: "Up to this point, I have been opposed to pursuing impeachment because it will further divide our already badly divided country. "However, after looking carefully at the transcript of the conversation with Ukraine's President, the whistleblower complaint, the Inspector General memo, and President Trump's comments about the i  more

Schatz, Shelby Lead Calls For Immediate Action on Amazon Fires, Urge Brazil to Strengthen Efforts
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) introduced a bipartisan resolution calling for action to quell the fires and stop illegal deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. The resolution, co-sponsored by U.S. Senators John Kennedy (R-La.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), recognizes the critical role the Amazon plays in the Earth's climate system and calls on the Brazilian governmen  more

Sen. Hirono Issues Statement on Impeachment Inquiry Against President Trump
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the House is opening an impeachment inquiry into President Trump: "I commend Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats for opening a formal impeachment inquiry that will lay out for the American people whether Donald Trump committed high crimes and misdemeanors. "Here's what we know: - He obstructed justice as detailed in the Mueller Report. - He has been named as an uni  more

Sen. Hirono Issues Statement on Nomination of Scalia to Be Labor Secretary
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement after voting against the confirmation of Eugene Scalia to serve as Secretary of Labor: "Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump has consistently nominated individuals to serve in his cabinet who have major conflicts of interest and who are hostile to the Departments they are chosen to lead. "The nomination of Eugene Scalia to be Secretary of Labor fits squarely within this pattern, and his confirmation wil  more

Sen. Hirono Issues Statement on Women, Minorities in STEM Booster Act
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on Sept. 26, on the Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act: Studies show that women and underrepresented minorities face substantial barriers to completing educational opportunities and pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Congress and the Federal government should be doing more to help women and underrepresente  more

Sen. Kennedy Cosponsors Resolution Calling for Immediate Action to Protect Amazon Rainforest
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) in cosponsoring a resolution calling for Brazil to take action to combat fires in the Amazon rainforest and to stop illegal deforestation. The Amazon rainforest accounts for 25% of the carbon that global forests absorb each year. "The Amazon rainforest has a global impact on our ecosystems," said Sen. Kennedy.  more

Sen. Schatz Issues Statement on Impeachment Inquiry Against President Trump
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement on an impeachment inquiry against President Trump: "The president is breaking statutory and constitutional law every day, and he is abusing his inherent power as president with regularity, enthusiasm, and most troublingly, impunity. "He and his legal team argue that a sitting president's authorities are so vast that they literally transcend the law. They argue that the Congress has a remedy for this criminalit  more

Senate Passes Hirono-Backed Legislation to Combat Veterans Homelessness, Keep the Manila VA Open for Business
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: * * * - Provisions Passed Unanimously as Part of Comprehensive Legislation that Extends Critical Veterans Programs for FY 2020. * * * This week, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 4285, the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2019 to extend many critical veterans programs, including two measures authored by Senator Mazie K. Hirono. Without Congressional action, these programs would have  more

Van Hollen, Murphy, Schatz Secure Key Committee Support for Increase in Funds to Pay Senate Interns
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) announced that they have secured increased funds for Senate offices to pay their interns, within legislation passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Senators have championed this effort since 2017, leading to the passage of Congress' first-ever dedicated funding to support paid internships. T  more