What Mazie K. Hirono said, and what was done

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, despite its name, this bill does nothing--nothing--to meaningfully help pregnant students, nor does it protect their rights. It is yet another step in a broader war on reproductive freedom--this time by threatening funding losses for colleges and universities that do not comply.”

“By intentionally withholding medically accurate information from students at a moment when access is already under attack, this bill will only further undermine access to reproductive care. This bill does nothing to protect the rights of students.”

“Mr. President, rather than handing the administration another blank check for ICE, we should be investing in our future. Youth membership programs help prepare young people for the future while also helping parents of working and middle-class families who rely on these programs--programs provided through organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America.”

“Mr. President, I am glad to join my colleague Senator Schatz in rising today to recognize the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors men's volleyball team, the 2026 NCAA national champions.”

“Mr. President, Republicans' budget resolution would provide another $140 billion for immigration enforcement. With that amount Republicans have proposed, Democrats could fully fund Federal programs for low-income students, fully fund Federal programs for students with disabilities, quadruple Federal funding for afterschool programs, double the Pell grant maximum award, and provide universal free school meals for all students.”

“Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and a waiver of provisions of applicable budget resolutions, I move to waive all applicable sections of that act and applicable budget points of order for the purposes of the pending measure.”

“Mr. President, for 125 years, women have bravely served in our Armed Forces, risking their lives to defend our country and to protect our national security. Today, more than 2 million--2 million--women veterans live in the United States--women Trump has ignored.”

“Mr. President, I thought it was instructive to listen to my colleague from Maine, Angus King. And today, he quoted Cicero in saying: If you don't know your history, you live your whole life as a child.”

“Mr. President, I rise today in opposition to S. 3627, the so-called Pregnant Students' Rights Act. But before I begin, I want to take a moment to honor Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were horrifically killed by DHS officers in a tragic demonstration of the lawlessness of this regime.”

“Mr. President, I want to thank my colleague from Maryland for his passionate advocacy for IDEA. IDEA is a critical program of the U.S. Department of Education. Let me tell you what is happening to the U.S.”

“First of all, I commend you for holding the floor to raise issues of such concern to the American people. I want to focus my question on the corruption of the Trump regime.”

“Mr. President, I rise today and join my colleagues in support of Senator Blumenthal's bill to curtail the President's authority under the Insurrection Act. This legislation is critical, given President Trump's blatant disregard of our democratic values and the rule of law.”

“Federal Government. Since day one of the Trump regime, they have used that control to sow chaos and attack programs and services that the American people rely upon.”

“Mr. President, earlier this month, the State of Hawaii officially designated September 2025 as Hawaiian History Month. Designated on September 2, 2025, the 187th anniversary of the birthday of Hawaii's last ruling monarch Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaiian History Month aims to recognize, reflect, and share Hawaii's true history.”

“Native Hawaiian community. He secured Federal dollars for the dredging and construction of Pearl Harbor, helped establish Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and laid the foundation for Hawaii's modern government structure and its county system, which remain in place today.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate Medicare and Medicaid, two programs that have enabled millions--millions--of Americans to get the healthcare they need. Sixty years ago today, President Johnson signed into law a bill creating these two critical programs.”

“Mr. President, we have an administration that is flouting the law at every turn. Since being sworn into office, Donald Trump has signed dozens of Executive orders attempting to do everything from ending birthright citizenship and eliminating the Department of Education to invoking the Alien Enemies Act to deport individuals without due process.”

“Mr. President, for all the reasons provided by me and my colleagues before me on the Democratic side, I urge my colleagues to join me in defending the rule of law by not putting into a lifetime appointment somebody who thinks that he can ignore court orders and certainly not by saying ``f you'' to the courts; that that person not be confirmed by this body.”

“Mr. President, public broadcasters are essential to rural communities, often serving as the only emergency alert system when disasters or emergencies occur. These alerts can mean the difference between life or death.”

“Mr. President, nearly 90 percent of K through 12 students attend public schools. Yet Republicans are pushing a plan in this bill to undermine support for public schools through the first-ever nationwide Public-Private School Voucher Program.”

“Madam President, Democratic Senators have been on the floor for hours today pointing out what is in this thousand-page bill that took over 16 hours to read. I call it the thousand pages of pain and the billionaires' gain.”

“Let's just provide $4 billion per year, in perpetuity, in tax credits for private school programs that have no accountability along these lines. We all know that this kind of funding could be used for rural and low-income schools, for students with disabilities, for other programs that actually support and strengthen public schools.”

“Mr. President, I rise in recognition of educators in Hawaii as well as across the Nation who are dedicating--have dedicated--their lives to the benefit of the children of our country.”

“Mr. President, in June, we will welcome Hawaii businesses and entrepreneurs to Washington, DC, for the ninth annual ``Hawaii on the Hill,'' an event for local businesses to showcase their products and hear from government leaders about the issues affecting their lives.”

“Mr. President, Social Security is essential to millions of Americans, including nearly 300,000 in Hawaii, but Donald Trump and Elon Musk see Social Security as nothing more than a Ponzi scheme.”

“Madam President, in January, the U.S. Mint released a dollar coin featuring Mary Kawena Pukui, the renowned Native Hawaiian scholar, anthropologist, ethnographer, author, composer, dancer, and teacher who has influenced generations of individuals through her work on Native Hawaiian language preservation, history, and culture.”

“I am glad you mentioned M&M's. Both of us are lawyers. I remember I got through the study for the bar exam by eating mounds and mounds of M&M's.”

“Together, they have attempted to shutter USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, just for two examples. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has returned more than $21 billion to consumers through its enforcement actions--$21 billion going to our consumers.”

“Mr. President, over the past 2 months, we have seen chaos unleashed across our country as Donald Trump and Elon Musk take a chain saw to our Federal Government, firing thousands of Federal workers en masse with no explanation and more firings to come.”

“Reserving the right to object, my colleague thinks that this bill will reform our broken asylum system. As the other naturalized citizen in this body, I object. We actually passed comprehensive immigration reform out of the Senate in 2013, and I was one of the Senators who worked on that bipartisan bill.”

“Public education is foundational. It allows people to get ahead. As simple as that, it is foundational. I have spoken before on the floor about the power of public education in my own life.”

“Mr. President, when I immigrated to this country from Japan, as a young girl, I spoke no English. But when I enrolled at Koko Head Elementary, I met Ms.”

“Mr. President, we are less than 3 weeks into the Trump administration, and already, Americans across the country are reeling from the chaos. Donald Trump ran on lowering costs for working Americans--an admirable goal, but one he clearly had no intention of making good on.”

“Constitution, Congress, and the millions of hard-working Americans impacted by decisions he will make at OMB. Americans need to know that OMB is extremely powerful, with oversight over the President's budget and, functionally, all Federal Agency actions, including regulatory decisions.”

“Mr. President, in examining all of the President's Cabinet nominees, I am focused on two things: their fitness and their qualifications for the positions to which they are nominated, including their ability and willingness to put loyalty to the Constitution above loyalty to the President.”