#US Senate

The US Senate passed legislation authored by US Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) that will expand Department of Veterans Affairs health care and benefits to US veterans who reside in the Freely Associated States of Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands.

US Sen. Mazie Hirono and 24 of her colleagues are calling on the Trump administration to restore staffing levels at the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent office within the Internal Revenue Service that helps taxpayers resolve disputes and secure refunds. In a letter sent to Treasury Secretary and acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent, the lawmakers […]

US Sen. Brian Schatz has introduced legislation aimed at expanding Social Security benefits for seniors and families in Hawaiʻi and across the nation. The Safeguarding American Families and Expanding Social Security Act, or SAFE Social Security Act, seeks to increase average monthly benefits by more than $150. The bill also proposes adjusting how cost-of-living adjustments […]

Hawaiʻi US Sen. Mazie Hirono and US Rep. Jill Tokuda have reintroduced legislation they say would strengthen Social Security and ensure its long-term solvency. The bill, named the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act, was reintroduced on the 90th anniversary of the federal program.

The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs unanimously voted Tuesday to advance a bipartisan housing package that included the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act. The provision, authored by US Sens. Brian Schatz of Hawai‘i and Susan Collins of Maine, would help communities recover from major disasters. “Right now, each time a disaster happens, communities […]

Hawai‘i Sen. Brian Schatz and Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, both Democrats, have introduced the “Empowering App-Based Workers Act,” new legislation to improve transparency on how app companies operate and help boost wages for rideshare drivers and delivery app workers. “Every day rideshare drivers and delivery app workers work long hours and travel many miles to […]

Hawai‘i US Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat, has teamed up with Indiana Sen. Jim Banks, a Republican, to introduce the “Build More Housing Near Transit Act.” The bipartisan legislation is designed to encourage local governments to increase housing development in urban and suburban areas well-served by public transit. The proposed legislation builds on Schatz’s ongoing […]

Following a federal appeals court ruling that blocked the Federal Trade Commission’s “click-to-cancel” rule, which was set to take effect Monday, US Sens. Brian Schatz, D-Hawai‘i, and John Kennedy, R-La., introduced the Unsubscribe Act.

The US Senate unanimously passed a resolution Monday — introduced by US Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaiʻi and John Barrasso of Wyoming to designate May as “National Wildfire Preparedness Month.” The resolution aims to increase public awareness and preparedness in response to the increasing scale, complexity, and severity of wildfires across the country. In August […]

US Sens Brian Schatz of Hawai‘i and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee introduced on Wednesday the Cultural Trade Promotion Act of 2025. The bipartisan legislation aims to strengthen America’s creative industries and expand cultural exports. By bolstering the creative economy, this legislation will help US businesses — including Native-owned, small, and rural enterprises — reach new […]

On Wednesday, US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) was named Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. Schatz is also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Hawai‘i US Sen. Brian Schatz says Hawai‘i will receive nearly $9.8 million in new federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help rebuild wildfire-ravaged historic Lahaina landmarks, like the Old Lahaina Courthouse, Waiola Church, Hale Aloha Museum and the Master’s Reading Room. 

The legacy of late longtime Hawaiʻi US Sen. Daniel Inouye came up during a nationally televised CNN “State of the Union” interview of Andy Kim, the new junior US senator from New Jersey and the first Korean-American elected to the US Senate.

The US Senate has passed the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act, which includes several provisions secured by US Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz.

The US Senate has unanimously passed the Lahaina National Heritage Area Study Act, a bill introduced by US Sen. Mazie Hirono and US Rep. Jill Tokuda.

The Inventor Diversity for Economic Advancement, known as the IDEA Act, has advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee. The measure was introduced by US Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaiʻi and North Carolina Sen. Thorn Tillis, a Republican.

With the balance of power in Washington shifting into the hands of Republicans and incoming President Donald Trump, Hawai‘i Democratic US Sen. Brian Schatz appealed to Senate colleagues to prioritize passage of a disaster aid funding for long-term relief of Maui wildfire survivors.

US Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) joined Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA), Greg Steube (R-FL), and 76 other House members on Thursday in sending a letter to Senate leadership urging them to promptly bring the bipartisan Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 (H.R. 5863) to the floor for a vote. 

As the Japanese Prime Minister Fumuio Kishida’s visits to Washington this week, a bipartisan resolution has been introduced to underscore the strength and importance of the United State-Japan alliance.

The COFA Amendments Act of 2023 would update and extend for 20 years COFA provisions that provide economic assistance and federal programs to the FAS.