As Congress Is Expected To Consider New Disaster Aid, Schatz Continues Leading Efforts To Deliver Federal Disaster Recovery Funding To Maui

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has been leading efforts in Congress to deliver additional federal funding to help Maui recover from last year's tragic fires.

This week, Schatz worked with the White House to release an updated disaster funding request, pressed the Department of Housing and Urban Development on rebuilding housing in Lahaina at a Senate hearing, and spoke out on the Senate floor again to call attention to the urgent need to deliver federal funding for Maui and other communities across the country struggling to rebuild and recover from disasters. This week's efforts follow a year of work to deliver billions in federal funding for disaster relief and underscore the urgent need for federal support as Maui survivors continue to recover from the devastating 2023 fires.

"Everyone is doing the best that they can to recover," said Senator Schatz. "They are working so hard. They have pulled together so much. They have summoned courage and compassion and persistence. They have plowed through every barrier put in front of them. They have saved each other's lives. They are trying to rebuild this beautiful, historic, pluralistic, joyful, multicultural town. But they need our help."

Senator Schatz continued, "The one thing we cannot leave undone in December, the one thing we cannot leave undone in December, is disaster aid. Not just for the people of Maui, but for people all across the country. If the federal government is for anything, it has to be for this."

Video of Appropriations Committee hearing available here. Video of Senator Schatz's remarks on the Senate floor available here.

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