Thursday - March 28, 2024
U.S. Congressional Tipoffs Involving Hawaii Newsletter for Sunday May 03, 2020 ( 19 items )  

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Focuses Coronavirus Response on Public Health Crisis
WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Over the past month, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) has been working hard to make sure that Federal, state, and local governments are best equipped to serve the healthcare needs of Americans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Congress must stay focused on serving the American people in the midst of the coronavirus public health care crisis. Essential to defeating this virus is contact tracing, testing, and is  more

Reps. Case, Gabbard Introduce Measure to Study Possible Designation of O'ahu's Ka'ena Point as Hawaii's First National Heritage Area
HONOLULU, Hawaii, April 27 -- Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Ed Case (HI-01), and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) jointly introduced H.R. 6603, a measure in the U.S. House of Representatives to study the potential designation of the Ka'ena Point coastline wrapping around O'ahu's westernmost location as Hawaii's first National Heritage Area. National Heritage Areas are locations throughout our country designated by Congress to recognize unique cultural and historic s  more

Reps. Gabbard, Case Propose Designating Ka'ena Point as Hawaii's First National Heritage Area
HONOLULU, Hawaii, April 28 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Reps. Ed Case (HI-01) and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) jointly introduced H.R.6603, a measure in the U.S. House of Representatives to study the potential designation of the Ka'ena Point coastline wrapping around O'ahu's westernmost location as Hawaii's first National Heritage Area. "In addition to its natural beauty, Kaena is a wahi pana (significant site), a rare cultural landscape with deep significa  more

Sen. Feinstein Supports Postal Service Financial Relief Bill
WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, issued the following news release: Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced she will cosponsor the USPS Fairness Act, a bill authored by Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) to repeal a mandate requiring the U.S. Postal Service to pre-fund its employees' retirement benefits. Pre-funding requires the USPS to set aside all retiree health benefits for all employees, an immense financial burden that is not imp  more

Sen. Hirono Joins Bipartisan Call for Economic Relief for Local Newspapers, Rural Broadcasters During Coronavirus Pandemic
WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and dozens of their colleagues to call on the Office of Management and Budget to support local television, radio, and newspapers who are struggling as advertising revenue has plummeted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This effort co  more

Sen. Hirono: Hawaii Island to Receive $30 Million in FEMA Funding to Repair Water Systems Damaged by Kilauea Eruption
WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded $30 million in funding to the Hawaii County Department of Water Supply to repair water systems damaged during the 2018 Kilauea eruption. "These urgently needed repairs to water systems on Hawaii Island will help impacted communities that are still recovering from the devastation caused by the 2018 eruption of Ki  more

Sen. Murray: Congress Must Ensure Immigrant Families Can Access Critical Services During Coronavirus Pandemic
WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), joined Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.), along with 27 other Senators and 76 Members of the House of Representatives, in writing to members of Congressional leadership to call for an inclusive coronavirus relief package that ensures that urgently-needed coronavirus testing and medical care and relief benefits are accessible by all  more

Sen. Schatz Calls for More Funding for Social Service Nonprofits in Next Coronavirus Relief Bill
HONOLULU, Hawaii, April 29 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) led a group of 27 senators to urge Senate leadership to include additional emergency funding for nonprofit organizations in the next COVID-19 relief bill. Nonprofits are an essential part of the frontline coronavirus pandemic response, providing important social services such as nutrition assistance, shelter for those experiencing homelessness, child care and educat  more

Sen. Schatz Issues Statement on Rim of Pacific Exercise
HONOLULU, Hawaii, May 1 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement on the decision to scale down the Rim of the Pacific Exercise and conduct at-sea-only events: "This is the right decision for the health and safety of Hawai'i's residents, our armed forces, and our allies. "I thank Commander Davidson and Commander Aquilino for working with our state to find a solution that keeps people safe and maintains our military readiness."  more

Sen. Schatz: Hawaii Hospitals, Providers Receiving More Than $33 Million to Stay Operational, Cover Cost of COVID Testing, Treatment
HONOLULU, Hawaii, April 28 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) announced that 55 health care providers in Hawai'i will receive $33,205,143 in new federal funding to respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The funds will cover lost revenue due to delayed or canceled non-emergent services or procedures, as well as additional health care expenses attributable to the coronavirus, including testing, treating patients, and i  more

Sen. Schatz: Hawaii Receiving $2.4 Million to Support Affordable Housing, Keep Thousands of Families in Their Homes
HONOLULU, Hawaii, April 30 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that Hawai'i will receive $2,394,556 in new federal funding to preserve the housing choice voucher program (section 8 housing) for Hawai'i families during the coronavirus pandemic. The funding will help Hawai'i's public housing authorities maintain normal operations and offset increases in housing voucher   more

Sen. Schatz: Top VA Appropriators in Congress to Trump - Fully Deploy Defense Production Act to Protect Health Care Workers, Veterans
HONOLULU, Hawaii, April 28 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: The lead Democratic appropriators who oversee the Veterans Administration health system in Congress implored President Donald Trump over the weekend to fully deploy the Defense Production Act to address the mounting concerns over shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) among all health care workers, especially those who protect veterans in the nation's VA hospitals. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz   more

Sens. Feinstein, Blumenthal, Colleagues Seek DOJ Oversight of Textbook Company Merger
WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, issued the following news release: Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) joined Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) to write to Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division, Makan Delrahim, to raise concerns regarding the proposed merger between Cengage and McGraw-Hill Education. "Approval of this merger risks further consolidat  more

Sens. Murphy, Hirono, Harris, Warren to USDA: College Students Need Access to SNAP During Pandemic
WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately reconsider its blanket denial of waiver requests and allow college students continued access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits if they have become unemployed due to the pandemic. In their  more

Sens. Schatz, Blumenthal Renew Call to Pass Scientific Integrity Bill Following Trump Suggestion to Inject Disinfectant as COVID-19 Treatment
HONOLULU, Hawaii, April 27 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called on Senate leaders to include the Scientific Integrity Act in next coronavirus relief package. The Schatz-authored Scientific Integrity Act would protect public scientific research and reports from the influence of political and special interests. "Federal doctors and scientists have unparalleled expertise about public health   more

Sens. Schatz, Brown Call on SBA to Prioritize Smaller PPP Loans
WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), both members of the Senate Banking Committee, called on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza to prioritize smaller banks and smaller loans in the Paycheck Protection Program. "We write to urge you to issue guidance to ensure that the processing and disbursement of Paycheck Pro  more

Sens. Van Hollen, Schatz, Senators Call for More Funding for Social Service Nonprofits in Next Coronavirus Relief Bill
WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), along with a group of 26 senators, urged Senate leadership to include additional emergency funding for nonprofit organizations in the next COVID-19 relief bill. Nonprofits are an essential part of the frontline coronavirus pandemic response, providing important social services such as nutrition assistance, shelter for those experiencin  more

Sens. Warren, Hirono, Harris, Colleagues Blast Defense Secretary Esper Over DoD's Failure to Adequately Respond to COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), along with Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Amy Klobu  more

Sens. Warren, Hirono, Harris, Murphy to USDA: College Students Need Access to SNAP During Pandemic
WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately reconsider its blanket denial of waiver requests and allow college students continued access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits if they have become unemployed due   more