Sen. Hirono to Donate Salary During Shutdown

Sen. Mazie K. Hirono announced that she will donate the pay she would normally receive during the government shutdown, to Hawai‘i’s 14 Federally Qualified Community Health Centers.

Sen Mazie Hironon. Courtesy photo.

“Community Health Centers serve hundreds of thousands of Hawai‘i residents, including keiki who rely on the Children’s Health Insurance Program,” said Sen. Hirono. “Despite broad bipartisan support for both of these programs, the President and Congressional Republicans allowed them to lapse last September. I know we can negotiate a bipartisan compromise to end the shutdown that restores resources for these critical services, protects DREAMers, and includes parity between defense and non-defense spending.”

Sen. Hirono’s salary will be divided equally between the Community Clinic of Maui, Hāmākua Health Center, Hāna Community Health Center, Ho‘ola Lahui Hawai‘i, Kalihi-Palama Health Center, Koolauloa Community Health and Wellness Center, Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services, Lana‘i Community Health Center, Moloka‘i ‘Ohana Health Care, the Bay Clinic, Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, Waikīkī Health, Waimānalo Health Center and West Hawai‘i Community Health Center.

During the 2013 government shutdown, Sen. Hirono donated her salary to Hawai‘i Meals on Wheels, Lanakila Pacific, the Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council, Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity and Hale Mahaolu.

Sen. Hirono released the following statement on the government shutdown:

“Tonight, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and Donald Trump turned things upside down. They’ve spent the past year working behind closed doors to take away health care from millions of people and pass huge tax cuts for the richest people and corporations in our country without input from Democrats or the public. At the same time, they’ve ignored reauthorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Program, funding Community Health Centers, protecting DREAMers, and providing parity between defense and non-defense programs. All of these issues have bipartisan support and should have gotten done months ago.

“Republicans are in charge of the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. They are in charge of setting the time table and the agenda, and now they’re blaming the Democrats for their own misplaced priorities.

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“Congress is a separate branch of government. Instead of bowing to the unpredictable, mercurial, and unreliable positions of the President, we should do our jobs and send the President a government funding bill that addresses all of these priorities.”

Background: Senator Hirono is a cosponsor of Pay Our Military legislation that would ensure that our servicemembers and Department of Defense employees are paid throughout the shutdown, and the Federal Employees Fair Treatment Act, legislation to ensure that all federal civilian employees receive back pay in the event of a shutdown.