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Brian Schatz

 
Brian Schatz Image
Title
Senator
Hawaii
Party Affiliation
Democrat
2023
2028
Social Media Accounts
Twitter
: @
SenBrianSchatz
Facebook
: @
SenBrianSchatz
Youtube
: @
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Representative Offices
Address
300 Ala Moana Blvd.
Suite
Room 7-212
City/State/Zip
Honolulu HI, 96850
Phone
808-523-2061
Fax
808-523-2065
News
02/06/2025 --rollcall
Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. The challenge that House Republicans on the Budget Committee are having as they seek to coalesce around the terms of a budget resolution to [...]The post At the Races: Budget blues appeared first on Roll Call.
02/06/2025 --rollcall
Sens. Andy Kim, D-N.J. , and Christopher S. Murphy, D-Conn., were among the speakers during the overnight session.
02/05/2025 --huffpost
“He’s the architect of the dismantling of our federal government,” Sen. Brian Schatz, one of dozens taking part in a 30-hour talkathon, said of Russell Vought.
02/05/2025 --foxnews
The co-founder of Moms for Liberty and another parental rights advocate say the Kids Off Social Media Act has loopholes that could signal government overreach.
02/05/2025 --kron4
The odds of a government shutdown are surging as President Trump battles Democrats over efforts to freeze funding and Republicans brawl internally over the size and scope of potential cuts. With a mid-March deadline fast approaching, negotiators on Capitol Hill have yet to agree on the top-line numbers to guide the extension of federal funding [...]
01/29/2025 --kron4
Senate Democrats on Wednesday grilled Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President’s Trump’s pick for Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, during a contentious confirmation hearing, hitting the former Democrat and independent presidential candidate on past statements supporting abortion access and the belief that chemicals in drinking water could be making more children gay or transgender. They [...]
01/29/2025 --theepochtimes
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and Democrat Sens. Tammy Baldwin, Brian Schatz, Chris Van Hollen, and Chris Murphy speak at 9:00 a.m. ET on Jan. 29, ahead of this week’s Senate Finance Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearings on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
01/29/2025 --dailykos
The Trump administration’s unprecedented, sweeping freeze on $3 trillion in federal grants and aid sent shockwaves through vulnerable communities and every level of government on Tuesday, but Democratic attorneys general quickly banded together to fight back. Twenty-three states filed a lawsuit just minutes after U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan blocked the freeze Tuesday afternoon. The administrative stay pauses the action until Monday, according to the Associated Press.Donald Trump’s latest stunt would have halted essential programs like Medicaid and Head Start, which are vital lifelines for low-income communities who rely on them for school meals, health care, and early childhood education. The funding freeze also jeopardizes critical education initiatives like Pell Grants and ESSA funding, which help students access college, and child care block grants that support working families.Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii announced on Tuesday that health care providers in multiple states had been locked out of the Medicaid portal, essentially blocking Medicaid payments and jeopardizing medical treatment.“This is a Trump shutdown, except this time it’s unlawful,” he wrote on BlueSky. xMultiple states locked out of Medicaid portal. This is a Trump shutdown, except this time it’s unlawful.— Brian Schatz (@schatz.bsky.social) January 28, 2025 at 8:27 AMA mere four hours after the funding freeze first made headlines, Democratic attorneys generals from six states held a press conference to announce they were forming a multistate coalition to sue the Trump administration over the shutdown. Filed late Tuesday, the lawsuit seeks an immediate court order to stop the policy's enforcement and keep funds flowing and was brought by Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.New York Attorney General Letitia James called Trump’s order “reckless, dangerous, illegal, and unconstitutional.”“When the president and his administration, with the stroke of a pen, issues an unconstitutional and unlawful directive that freezes that funding simply because he doesn't like something about our state, about a particular person in our state, about a policy that duly enacted in our state that’s totally unrelated ... he not only violates the laws and the constitution of this nation, he violates the norms of who we are as a people,” said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha emphasized that Trump’s shutdown affects everyone, not just the vengeful president’s perceived political enemies. “If you drive on a road, you’re impacted,” Neronha said. “If you get health care, you’re impacted. If your children are being educated, you’re impacted. If you believe in public safety, you’re impacted. If you’re a man or woman in blue, and all of you who are protected by them, you’re impacted.” Some of Trump’s reliable Republican cronies were quick to defend the brazen move, including Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia, who defended the decision to take school meals away from children during a Tuesday interview with CNN. McCormick said those kids should work for McDonald’s instead of “sponging off the government.”"Before I was even 13 years old, I was picking berries in the field before child labor laws that precluded that. I was a paper boy, and when I was in high school, I worked my entire way through," McCormick bragged. "You’re telling me that kids who stay at home instead of going to work at Burger King, McDonald’s during the summer, should stay at home and get their free lunch instead of going to work? I think we need to have a top-down review."One Bluesky user sarcastically commented, “Hey, hungry 8-year-olds. Get off your lazy ass and get an after school job to pay for your food!”Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced that the House Democratic Caucus will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday to strategize about how to challenge Trump’s order in court and what message to communicate to constituents.“Republicans are ripping off hardworking Americans by stealing taxpayer dollars, grants, and financial assistance as part of their corrupt scheme to pay off billionaire donors and wealthy corporations,” Jeffries said in a statement. “The Republican Rip Off will raise the cost of living for the working class, while hurting children, seniors, veterans, first responders, houses of worship and everyday Americans in need.”Campaign Action
01/28/2025 --fox5sandiego
State Medicaid programs across the country are reporting they've lost access to federal payment portals one day after President Trump announced a freeze on federal grants and aid.
01/28/2025 --dailykos
Donald Trump's illegal Monday night order to freeze the disbursement of all congressionally appropriated federal funds will have sweeping negative consequences for millions of Americans, including unhoused veterans, seniors, and children.Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, which is basically the human resources of the federal government, issued a memo Monday saying that all federal agencies, “must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.”Reports about the negative impacts of Trump’s funding freeze came fast and furious on Monday, showing that the blanket pause on spending—which is illegal under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974—will not only hurt the most vulnerable, but it could also impede law enforcement operations. “Last night 500 pounds of meth were seized in Arizona thanks to federally funded programs that could see their funding paused under Trump’s unlawful order. This illegal action would seriously hamper the work of law enforcement agencies working to keep our communities safe,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes posted on Bluesky.Sen. Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, said on Bluesky that states are reporting that they are unable to access portals to Medicaid, which provides health care to more than 79 million low-income people across the United States.“Multiple states locked out of Medicaid portal. This is a Trump shutdown, except this time it’s unlawful,” he wrote.Sen. Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, issued a memo listing the possible impacts of the spending freeze, including cuts to state food inspectors, K-12 schools across the country, federal student loans, small business loans, and more.Marty Robertson unpacks food from Meals on Wheels in Ohio.Meals on Wheels, which provides nutritious meals and companionship for 2.2 million seniors across the country every year, told HuffPost reporter Arthur Delaney that "the uncertainty right now is creating chaos for local Meals on Wheels providers not knowing whether they should be serving meals today. Which unfortunately means seniors will panic not knowing where their next meals will come from."According to Huffpost, Head Start programs received communication from the Trump administration that payments could be delayed due to the freeze. Head Start provides preschool and other services to nearly 800,000 low-income children, and a freeze in payments could cause providers to be unable to make payroll for their employees.Jeff Stein, White House economics reporter for the Washington Post, reported that a Northern California nonprofit that assists unhoused veterans by helping get them off the streets and into shelters will be unable to provide those services if federal grants are shut off.“They are close to 100% funded by federal grants,” he wrote on X. “Official warned homeless veterans will get hurt if their grants are frozen, which they think appears likely under the OMB order.”Topher Spiro, an Office of Management and Budget official during the Biden administration, said that the funding freeze will also cut off opioid prevention funding, funding for the suicide lifeline, HIV/AIDS treatment, and grants to help states address the bird flu outbreak. In an attempt to stem the chaos created by its late-night memo, the Trump administration is now saying that the freeze is not across the board. In a memo obtained by Stein, Trump’s OMB said that the freeze is “expressly limited to programs, projects, and activities implicated by the President’s Executive Orders, such as ending DEI, the green new deal, and funding nongovernmental organizations that undermine the national interest.” The Green New Deal is not law, and thus no federal funds are tied to it.The original memo announcing the freeze was not clear, and the Trump administration’s attempt to clean it up is a sign that it feared public backlash from the insane and lawless order.“This is written in a very matter-of-fact way as if all this was clear from the original memo. It really was not,” NOTUS reporter Tara Golshan wrote on X.What’s more, in the first daily White House press briefing of the new Trump administration, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that organizations need to personally ask budget chief nominee Russ Vought, who has yet to be confirmed, to get funds—even though Congress already appropriated the money, and the law says that Trump can’t cut off funding just because he wants to.xAsked how organizations that rely on federal funding should make payroll, Trump Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says they should call Russ Vought and make a case— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-01-28T18:26:15.345ZAlready, a group of nonprofits filed an emergency lawsuit seeking to halt Trump’s freeze, arguing that the order is arbitrary and capricious and “fails even to acknowledge the catastrophic practical consequences that an immediate, across-the-board freeze on federal grant programs will produce, let alone to provide a reasonable explanation why those consequences could possibly be warranted merely to conduct a review of which ones ‘may be implicated by any of the President’s executive orders.’”“This Memo—made public only through journalists’ reporting, with barely twenty four hours’ notice, devoid of any legal basis or the barest rationale—will have a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of grant recipients who depend on the inflow of grant money (money already obligated and already awarded) to fulfill their missions, pay their employees, pay their rent—and, indeed, improve the day-to-day lives of the many people they work so hard to serve,” the lawsuit states.Despite the fact that this is blatantly illegal and will hurt millions, Republicans are shrugging their shoulders about the pause."I think that’s normal practice at the beginning of an administration until they have an opportunity to view how the money is being spent,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters—a blatantly false statement.Sen. Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, said that the Trump administration should have taken a different approach to a spending freeze, but was ultimately nonplussed about the fact that Trump is trying to illegally cancel congressionally appropriated funds.“There are a lot of federal programs that appear to be swept up in this order, and I think the administration needs to be more selective and look at a department at a time, for example,” she told HuffPost’s Igor Bobic. “But make sure that important direct service programs are not affected.”Democrats, meanwhile, are hammering Trump and Republicans over the pause."Last night, President Trump plunged the country into chaos. Without a shred of warning, the Trump administration announced a halt to virtually all federal funds across the country, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “In an instant, Donald Trump has shut off billions, perhaps trillions, of dollars that directly support states, cities, towns, schools, hospitals, small businesses and most of all American families. This is a dagger at the heart of the average American family in red states, in blue states, in cities, in suburbs, in rural areas. It is just outrageous.”xSchumer: "Last night, President Trump plunged the country into chaos ... "— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-01-28T15:42:50.658Z"What happened last night is the most direct assault on the authority of Congress, I believe, in the history of the U.S. It is blatantly unconstitutional," Sen. Angus King, independent of Maine, told HuffPost reporter Jennifer Bendery. "If this stands, then Congress may as well adjourn."Thank you to the Daily Kos community who continues to fight so hard with Daily Kos. Your reader support means everything. We will continue to have you covered and keep you informed, so please donate just $3 to help support the work we do.
01/24/2025 --axios
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) used a rare emergency meeting on Friday to make a plea for unity, but Democrats have a tactical problem he can't avoid.Why it matters: Schumer can't guarantee the votes to give Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) the time and leverage to negotiate with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on the upcoming ICC sanctions bill.Democratic senators know they're stronger when they stick together, especially on procedural votes.But many senators have a greater interest in voting for GOP legislation that can help them win reelection in Trumpy states.Zoom in: Democrats didn't resolve any of their short- or long-term strategic differences in Friday's 90-minute meeting, which Axios scooped was coming in Hill Leaders.After the meeting, senators were extremely reluctant to discuss the open rift in their party. They emerged stone-faced and weren't in the mood to talk.Staff weren't allowed to attend the strategy session.Between the lines: Schumer approached the meeting with a message of kumbaya, according to a source briefed on the session.To give her room to negotiate, Shaheen needs Democrats to send a clear signal that they oppose the current version of the bill — and are prepared to vote it down.Shaheen is the ranking member on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Cotton introduced the ICC sanctions bill in the Senate.But lawmakers emerged from the meeting without a clear strategy on how to approach the ICC measure, which has splintered progressives and moderates.Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) told Axios after the meeting "all I can tell you is that Jeanne Shaheen is in the middle of negotiations."The bottom line: Schumer has a handful of moderates who are up for reelection next year, and they will face pressure to back some GOP legislation.Schumer allowed Democrats to vote their conscience on the Laken Riley Act, the GOP's first border crackdown bill of the new session.With a dozen Democratic votes for the procedural vote, Republicans passed the bill without any changes to the legislation.
01/21/2025 --dailygazette
Marco Rubio has been confirmed by the Senate for secretary of state with unanimous support. Now comes the hard part that could make or break his tenure: retaining the full backing of his new boss, Donald Trump. The 53-year-old Rubio...
01/21/2025 --sun_sentinel
Rubio comes into the job with more experience than President Trump’s previous secretaries of state.
01/17/2025 --tulsaworld
The framers of the U.S. Constitution designed a unique system to choose our president in 1787: the Electoral College. More than two centuries later, it remains an invaluable institution that helps safeguard us against the tyranny of the majority and...
01/09/2025 --kron4
The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly cleared a key procedural hurdle toward passing the Laken Riley Act, a bill aimed at curbing crime by migrants, in the first vote of the year by the chamber. Senators cleared the first vote 84 to 9, with 33 Senate Democrats joining with every Republican present to vote "yes." The [...]
01/09/2025 --foxnews
The GOP-led Laken Riley Act defeated the legislative filibuster on Thursday, effectively ensuring it will pass and become law.
01/09/2025 --kron4
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is set to host four candidate forums this month as the party looks to replace outgoing Chair Jaime Harrison. Eight candidates are running to take the helm of the DNC, though state party chairs Ken Martin of Minnesota and Ben Wikler of Wisconsin have emerged as the front-runners. The other [...]
12/16/2024 --kron4
Three Democratic senators unveiled a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College system Monday, just more than a month after President-elect Trump stunned the Democrats by sweeping all seven battleground states, knocking off three Senate Democratic incumbents in the process. Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii,) Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), three leading progressive Senate [...]
12/03/2024 --buffalonews
Senate Democrats reelected Chuck Schumer as party leader on Tuesday as the party moves into a deeply uncertain time.
11/26/2024 --kron4
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said Tuesday he is taking seriously President-elect Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs against a trio of countries shortly after he is inaugurated in January, despite potential consternation among members of both sides of the aisle. Trump rolled out his plan Monday night to slap 25 percent tariffs on all goods entering [...]
11/26/2024 --foxnews
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema appeared amused by Senate Democrats now backing the filibuster after her former party had called for it to be abolished during the Biden administration.
10/29/2024 --kron4
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) on Tuesday tried to calm the nerves of Democrats heading into election week, saying they're in a good spot as former President Trump and Vice President Harris head for the finish line. "No, I'm not freaking out," Schatz told reporters at the Capitol. "It's a toss-up, and we're executing well and they're not, [...]
10/25/2024 --huffpost
In his new TV ad, Sen. Martin Heinrich embraces a controversial power line project — the sort of thing Democrats used to run away from.
10/25/2024 --abcnews
Hawaii voters will be among the last in the country to cast their ballots on Election Day, when they’ll weigh in on the races for president, U.S. Senate and House, and both chambers of the state Legislature
10/24/2024 --rollcall
Longtime appropriator Mitch McConnell, who is stepping down from his role as Senate minority leader, could become the top Republican on the Defense Appropriators Subcommittee in the next Congress.
09/30/2024 --theintercept
Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced legislation last week that would block $20 billion of U.S. weapons sales to Israel.The post Progressives Escalate Calls for Arms Embargo as Israel Expands War Into Lebanon appeared first on The Intercept.
09/30/2024 --rollcall
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the ongoing response to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in the White House on Monday. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
08/22/2024 --civilbeat_org
There are expectations that personal relationships and shared concerns will translate into continued federal support for the islands. Call it Biden-Harris 2.0.
08/17/2024 --huffpost
As Kamala Harris considers the FTC chair's fate, Khan's effort to ban noncompete agreements highlights how anti-monopoly policy affects ordinary people.
08/05/2024 --nbcnews
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he'll push to pass artificial intelligence and deepfake bills before the end of the year as the 2024 elections approach.
08/01/2024 --wfla
Trump's campaign has spent days trying to flip the script by highlighting things about Democrats it says are weird.
07/29/2024 --huffpost
Opponents of Donald Trump have called him a “threat to democracy,” but lately they’ve been saying he and his allies are just weird.
07/29/2024 --huffpost
The sanitation department has some advice for people who've fallen out of love with their sofas.
07/24/2024 --latimes
Will the coconut and 'brat summer' memes pay off for Kamala Harris? Young progressive voters try to harness a viral moment.
07/23/2024 --bismarcktribune
From “brat summer” to “coconut tree,” a tidal wave of Kamala Harris memes are flooding social media timelines. Here’s a primer to get in the know.
07/22/2024 --chicagotribune
From “brat summer” to “coconut tree,” it’s been a timeline full of Kamala Harris-related memes for many people since President Joe Biden exited the 2024 presidential race and endorsed his No. 2 to lead the party.
07/22/2024 --kron4
Democrats are urging Vice President Harris to look to the battleground states and the party’s governors for her potential running mate as she consolidates Democratic support behind her nascent bid for the presidency. Harris has swiftly brought the party to her side since President Biden stepped aside as the Democratic nominee on Sunday and endorsed [...]
07/22/2024 --dailygazette
If you’re trying to get up to speed on Vice President Kamala Harris’ swift emergence as Democrats’ possible nominee this fall, you really need to know your memes. From “brat summer” to “coconut tree,” it’s been a timeline full of...
07/22/2024 --huffpost
Kelly is a low-profile senator with a strong resume from a swing state who could bring “demographic balance” to the Democratic ticket.
07/22/2024 --rollcall
Several groups have announced plans to protest as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses Congress this week. Above, Netanyahu is pictured in Tel Aviv on Oct. 12, 2023.
07/22/2024 --kron4
President Biden’s decision to drop out of the White House race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris could give Democrats a jolt of energy from young voters as Harris seeks her party's nomination just over 100 days out from Election Day. While some young voters had been prepared to grit their teeth and vote for [...]
 
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