WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: As more Americans tragically lose their fight to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced legislation to pay tribute to the victims of COVID-19 with a moment of silence at 12 noon on Monday, June 1, 2020. "The nation must mark this dark moment with unity and clarity," said Senator Schatz. "At this   more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Delaware, issued the following news release: As more Americans tragically lose their fight to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced legislation to pay tribute to the victims of COVID-19 with a moment of silence at 12 noon on Monday, June 1, 2020. "Our country is experiencing a collective trauma of historic proportions, and we should   more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Delaware, issued the following news release: As more Americans tragically lose their fight to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced legislation to pay tribute to the victims of COVID-19 with a moment of silence at 12 noon on Monday, June 1, 2020. "Our country is experiencing a collective trauma of historic proportions, and we should   more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, May 22 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) announced twenty finalists in the 2020 Kaha Kii Congressional Art Competition and launched a People's Choice contest on her official Faebook page, where the public can select their favorite pieces. Each spring, the congresswoman sponsors the event to recognize and encourage creativity across Hawai'i as part of a nationwide high school art competition with other Membe  more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, May 22 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) hosted her weekly tele-town hall meeting to update Hawai'i residents about COVID-19. Shawna Lamothe from the IRS and Gayvial James from the IRS Local Taxpayer Advocate office responded to some of the most common questions the Congresswoman and her staff have received over the past few weeks. Dr. Scott Miscovich, who has been leading COVID-19 testing efforts and working closely  more

WASHINGTON, May 18 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on May 15: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) voted to pass H.R.6800, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, a massive emergency funding bill which includes another direct stimulus payment to individual Americans, bolsters unemployment insurance and small business loan programs, provides resources to local governments for essential services, tracing and testing for COVID-19, as well  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) led 22 of her Senate colleagues to introduce a resolution in honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month this May, noting the significant contributions to our nation made by generations of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The resolution recognizes noteworthy milestones for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communi  more

BRUNSWICK, Maine, May 23 -- Sen. Angus S. King Jr., I-Maine, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) to introduce the Health Care Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act. The new bipartisan bill directs $2 billion to help health care provider  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) joined Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and 21 of their Senate colleagues to introduce a resolution in honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month this May, noting the significant contributions to our nation made by generations of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The resolution recognizes noteworthy milestones for the Asian American,   more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) called on Hawai'i Governor David Ige to take additional steps to protect Hawai'i residents living in long-term care facilities. "To date, Hawai?i has avoided any COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and I understand that health officials are coordinating with long-term care facilities to prepare for infections and prevent outbreaks. However,   more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) introduced new legislation that will create a massive new jobs program to help states across the country recruit, train, and hire more than a million workers to stop the spread of the coronavirus. As states and cities slowly begin to reopen and strengthen their COVID-19 mitigation and containment efforts, Schatz's Jobs to Fight COVID-19 Act aims to provide newly unemployed  more

WASHINGTON, May 19 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement on the death of Hawaiian music legend Willie K: "Rest in aloha, Willie K. I extend my deepest sympathy and aloha to his ohana. With his voice, he bridged blues and Hawaiian, local and mainstream, music and culture. "Willie K blazed a trail that redefined music in Hawai'i and helped other local artists succeed. "We will long remember his energetic spirit, his passion, and the music he shared with Hawai'i and th  more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) led a group of four senators in calling for President Trump to stop leveling blame on others for his mismanagement of the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and urging him invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) to dramatically increase domestic production of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing supplies. The president's decision to fire the Pentag  more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- 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 the Hawai'i Department of Education received $43,385,229 in new federal funding to help local schools retain their workforce, transition to online learning, and provide services for students during this public health crisis, especially those in low-income and underserved communities. "This new federal fundin  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) announced that 39 nursing homes across Hawai'i will receive nearly $40 million in new federal funding to stay operational during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new federal funds will cover lost revenue at nursing homes and additional expenses attributable to the coronavirus, including staffing, testing, treating patients, and purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE). "R  more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: Senate Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) led Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) in introducing legislation to ensure veterans and their representatives have 48 hours to review and dispute disability claims before they are  more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Senate Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) led Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) in introducing legislation to ensure veterans and their representatives have 48 hours to review and dispute disability claims before they are finalized. Earlier this year, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and 22 of their colleagues to call for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to work with states to address the alarming delays in processing Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits. The CARES Act, the third coronavirus relief package Congress passed, authorized three kinds of benefits: the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Angus King (I-Maine), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the Health Care Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act. The new bipartisan bill directs $2 billion to help health care providers increase their broadband capacity and expand telehealth services   more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, issued the following news release: Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with more than 20 of their Senate colleagues, introduced a resolution in honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month this May, noting the significant contributions to our nation made by generations of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The resolution recognizes noteworthy milestones for the Asian American,   more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), along with Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), sent letters to Jet  more