WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement on an updated disaster funding request submitted by the White House. The updated request follows remarks delivered by Schatz on the Senate floor calling for long-term disaster relief funding.

"Maui and communities across the country hit by disasters can't rebuild alone. They need federal support. That means immediately passing supplemental disaster funding. Congress must do the thing we've always done and show up for survivors for as long as they need help. We cannot leave town for the holidays next month without passing the long-term relief that survivors need and deserve. This is not optional. We need to get this done."

Schatz is set to press Administration officials on recovery efforts on Maui in a Senate Appropriations Committeehearing on Wednesday. Following the Maui fires last year, Schatz has been leading efforts to deliver federal disaster relief funding to Hawai'i and states across the country. He worked with congressional leaders and bipartisan colleagues to include $16 billion in disaster relief money as part of a short-term spending bill that was signed into law last year.

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