WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: At a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) questioned Acting Labor Department Secretary Julie Su on the FY25 budget request, underscored the urgent need to stop child labor, and called for raising penalties for employers who violate child labor laws. Schatz is the author of the Stop Child Labor Act, bipartisan legislation that would increase maximum fines for ch  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today questioned Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the FY25 defense budget request, called on Secretary Austin to commit to investing in long-term support for the land and the people impacted by the Red Hill fuel leak, and provide a full detailed accounting of federal spending. In questions directed to Secretary Au  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Susan Collins (D-ME), and 25 colleagues in introducing a bipartisan resolution to honor our nation's teachers and commemorate National Teacher Appreciation Week as May 6-10. This resolution recognizes the important work of teachers across the nation and thank them for their efforts to prepare students for success. "Educators in Hawaii and   more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, issued the following news release: In case you missed it, the Seattle Times ran an op-ed urging Congress to pass U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. John Fetterman's (D-Pa.) Eyes on the Board Act, a bipartisan bill to block social media access in schools. The senators' bill was included in Sens. Cruz and Brian Schatz's (D-Hawaii) Kids Off Social Media Act, which was introduced last week with broad bipartisan supp  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: In celebration of May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) is partnering with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) to host a two-part photo exhibition highlighting prominent members of the AANHPI community in the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building in D.C. The first week of the exhibit--May 6-10, 2024--  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on May 9, 2024: Today, U.S. Representatives Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), and Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) led 21 of their colleagues in seeking urgent answers from the U.S. Department of Defense in response to an April 10, 2024 article from Military.com detailing systemic failures to report child abuse and harm at military child care centers. That article included shocking details of one military fam  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) today called on Congress to pass long-term disaster relief funding for impacted communities across the country, including on Maui and Vermont. Speaking on the Senate floor, Schatz underscored the need to pass funding for the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program in order to provide survivors with flexible assistance to rebuild their homes, small b  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after the Biden Administration announced it has paused the transfer of certain offensive weapons to Israel. "Conditioning military aid to Israel is not unprecedented - presidents of both parties have done it before. While Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself, there is no reason  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, led a roundtable discussion, titled "Roundtable on the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission's Report on Native Children," to hear directly from the Commission and child welfare experts  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: The U.S. Senate today passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which included several provisions authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill contains measures to address air tour noise in Hawai'i, improve air tour safety, help airports adapt to extreme weather, and establish a Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretar  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt) and seven of their colleagues, including Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in calling on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to addre  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt) this week led eight of his colleagues, including Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in calling on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to address concerns regar  more