Brian Schatz Quotes

When former president Lyndon B. Johnson unveiled his plans for the program that would become Medicaid, he reflected on the future of public policy in the United States.

- Brian Schatz

The filibuster is used more aggressively, so I think doing each individual appropriations bill through regular order would be a home run. But I think that we should try to hit a few singles.

- Brian Schatz

If someone wants to do a carbon fee and someone else wants to do a cap on emissions or a renewable portfolio standard, we don't start labeling each other as more or less progressive.

- Brian Schatz

While some members of Congress have attempted to stall progress on climate change, their actions amount to little more than political theater. We will not abandon our responsibility to our children and grandchildren, nor will we cede global leadership on the defining issue of our time.

- Brian Schatz

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent allied with Democrats, has championed Medicare for All, which would give every American coverage through the federal health insurance program for seniors. Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow wants Medicare coverage for anyone over the age of 55.

- Brian Schatz

A missile attack is federal. A missile attack is not a local responsibility. Confirmation and notification of something like a missile attack should reside with the agency that knows first and knows for sure: in other words, the people who know should be the people who tell us.

- Brian Schatz

Hawaii feels so passionately about climate. You know, our oceans are warming. As a result, we have more ocean acidification and coral bleaching. You can actually see it.

- Brian Schatz

I have served in the Senate since December 2012 with seats on the Appropriations and Commerce committees and previously served as the lieutenant governor and in the state House. These positions provided me insights on Hawaii's priorities and how to effectively work with stakeholders to achieve meaningful results.

- Brian Schatz

It is certainly not news that the president is making mistakes; that he's been intemperate. I think what shouldn't be lost on the American people is that his first tweet around tapes was essentially designed to intimidate James Comey.

- Brian Schatz

To address the open question of whether we are addicted to technological devices and platforms, Congress must understand the current scientific consensus, potential gaps in research, and the best way to build a body of evidence that can inform effective policymaking.

- Brian Schatz

The East-West Center directly supports the U.S. rebalance to the Asia Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue with countries in the region.

- Brian Schatz

Americans are worried about climate change because they can already witness its effects. They see its signature in the drought in California, where record heat has dried the state's fertile soil.

- Brian Schatz

I think there's a short-term legislative strategy. I think there's a longer-term legislative strategy in terms of enshrining net neutrality principles into law rather than a rule, and I think there's an election strategy.

- Brian Schatz

Congressman Bridenstine's legislative record and his own testimony during his nomination hearing show that he rejects NASA's role in earth science, adopts industry perspectives without critical analysis, and embraces extreme and divisive social views. NASA deserves better.

- Brian Schatz

Our objective should be to have a competition of ideas... I think it's a golden age in terms of policy ideas when it comes to Democrats and health care.

- Brian Schatz

The U.S. must continue to carefully withdraw troops from Afghanistan at a pace based on assessment of the ground conditions so we do not leave our Afghan partners unable to guarantee long-term security or risk Afghanistan becoming a terrorist safe haven again.

- Brian Schatz

On a mild day in January 2011, Republicans in the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. It was the first of more than 80 attempts to dismantle the landmark law.

- Brian Schatz

America's brightest minds are charting a course to a clean energy future that will provide for our health, safety, and prosperity.

- Brian Schatz

I think there are districts - a lot of them - where Donald Trump is deeply unpopular, and tying your opponent to Donald Trump's unpopularity is a winning strategy. But that's not true for every district.

- Brian Schatz

I'm saying that when a publicly traded company says something doesn't make a difference in terms of their investments, I trust that they are representing those facts accurately.

- Brian Schatz

I support the administrative rules promulgated by the Department of the Interior which permit a Native Hawaiian government to establish a relationship with the U.S. government. If Native Hawaiians form a government consistent with those rules and seek federal recognition, I would likely support the request.

- Brian Schatz

When we worked with the organization that represents students, they were unequivocal: They want debt-free college. And for many of those students, that has to include the total cost of attendance.

- Brian Schatz

Anybody who thinks that they should lead the country should go ahead and put their hat in the ring. I am not among them. And I want to be unequivocal about that. There are no circumstances. I don't want to be coy about this.

- Brian Schatz

When the Obama administration passed the net neutrality rules in 2015, even when we were winning, I favored trying to get these rules in a statute, because I feel that the best way to establish predictability for the marketplace is to make sure they're not subject to the whims of a partisan vote at the FCC.

- Brian Schatz

Millions of Americans have bad credit because of mistakes from credit agencies, and it can ruin lives, stopping people from getting a job or owning a home or car.

- Brian Schatz

The tendency among Democrats, especially after a devastating loss, is to come up with either a new individual to lead us, a new strategy, a new slogan.

- Brian Schatz

Because these credit agencies operate in the dark, they are allowed to be terribly unfair and unaccountable.

- Brian Schatz

Americans know our only response in the face of mounting risks from climate change must be the swift transition to a clean energy economy. We do not have the luxury of burying our heads in the sand.

- Brian Schatz

It's important and good to email the Federal Communications Commission, and it's important and good to educate your friends via social media about what's happening. But in a representative democracy, the way to get policy changes is through elections.

- Brian Schatz

That's how the Pell Grant system works, in that you get a flat dollar amount, and you can use it for tuition or room and board.

- Brian Schatz

The scientific consensus is that climate change is real, urgent, and caused by humans. This science should be both supported and understood by anyone who hopes to lead NASA, one of our nation's top science agencies.

- Brian Schatz

For several days in July of 2012, Greenland surface ice cover melted more than at any time in 30 years of satellite observation. During that month, an estimated 97% of the ice sheet thawed.

- Brian Schatz

Local Arab partners and the Iraqi government must lead the fight against ISIL. U.S. military advisers are important to this effort, but we cannot be engaged in combat operations. That is why Congress must revoke the previous war authorization and define our appropriate role in defeating ISIL.

- Brian Schatz

As members of Congress, we have to pursue the Congressional Review Act legislation as soon as possible.

- Brian Schatz

We all understand that the Affordable Care Act is not working perfectly. In fact, any major piece of legislation like this has to be tweaked over time, has to be improved over time.

- Brian Schatz

The FCC is a quasi-judicial body. It is supposed to undertake this period of public comment with a degree of seriousness and respect.

- Brian Schatz

There was a summer during which the whole South Shore of Oahu, you could see the bleached coral almost across all of the surfing spots. And so it's gone from an issue that only environmentalists cared about to an issue that almost everybody in the state of Hawaii cares about, because it's really affecting our quality of life.

- Brian Schatz

If there's ever a vote for single-payer, I'm a 'yes.' But there are lots of things we can do in the meantime.

- Brian Schatz

We are now in a situation in which we will have to rely on market forces to maintain a free and open Internet. And nobody really knows whether that will work or not. One thing we do know is we didn't need to do this to ourselves. This was a solution in search of a problem.

- Brian Schatz

It's easy for us to look at another country or another political party and say, 'Enough! Do better!'. It is a tougher conversation when the problem is in our own tent.

- Brian Schatz

I am always open to a conversation. I am always open to a bipartisan compromise.

- Brian Schatz

We believe that if you want a strong middle class, you have to vote for Democrats.

- Brian Schatz

I just believe strongly that anybody who wants to pursue additional education after high school ought to be given that chance.

- Brian Schatz

People in the tech community may not like politics because it seems less interesting or less pure than what they're doing. But you see the result of not caring about politics. This is no longer an abstract problem.

- Brian Schatz

If the private insurance market can survive in a context of a public option, good for them. But if they can't, then that will tell you something about the nature of the market.

- Brian Schatz

Islands are going to suffer from climate change in very, very difficult ways. And it's not just Pacific islands. It's not just Puerto Rico.

- Brian Schatz

The Internet is working because it's free and open, and there's no discrimination. Without these rules, ISPs could treat content differently based on commercial interests or even ideology.

- Brian Schatz

No one can fill Senator Daniel K. Inouye's shoes - but together, all of us, we can try to walk in his footsteps.

- Brian Schatz

This was a theme of Sen. Akaka's career - to advocate for people who did not have power, for people who were vulnerable. He was a champion for the federal government employees who continue to this day to be a punching bag for some.

- Brian Schatz

For the first time in American history, it's not clear whether or not it's smart for a 17-year-old to enroll in college. It absolutely depends on the debt load and the quality of the institution. That is a change from the way things always were and, frankly, the way things always should be. It should always be a good idea to go to college.

- Brian Schatz

I think it accrues to Hawaii's benefit that I have friends in Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin. We're already geographically isolated, so it's really critical that we don't become politically isolated.

- Brian Schatz

We've shown a willingness to do the right thing, and we've shown a willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion. The problems are on the Republican side.

- Brian Schatz

With health care, somebody at some point decided that there was a bright line and that you had to pick sides. Well, I reject that view.

- Brian Schatz

We need a generation of net neutrality voters. People now really understand what's at stake, and we need to translate millions of comments to the FCC into millions of votes in the midterm.

- Brian Schatz

The good news is the Republicans have started to say the right things about net neutrality. The bad news is we're not particularly close on what a bill would look like.

- Brian Schatz

I have a pretty friendly professional working relationship with Mr. Pai, and I told him not to walk down too much of a partisan path. I didn't think it would be good in terms of policy. And I didn't think it would be good in terms of the FCC's ability to solve other problems.

- Brian Schatz

Telecom companies are doing very, very well. And the internet economy is doing very, very well.

- Brian Schatz

There is no lack of profitability or investment among these telecommunications companies. There is nothing that an open-internet order did to them that diminished their success.

- Brian Schatz

Health care has gotten really weird politically. We've sort of tied ourselves in knots on this issue in a way that we don't do... for criminal-justice reform or tax policy or climate policy.

- Brian Schatz

James Bridenstine is a climate denier with no scientific background who has made a career out of ignoring science.

- Brian Schatz

There is a growing consensus in the private sector that companies can and should take action to address the problem of gun violence in our country.

- Brian Schatz

President Trump, in a lot of ways - not just on policy but in terms of style - is everything that Hawaii is not.

- Brian Schatz

The most important thing to remember here is that the Internet is not broken, and all of the innovation that we've seen since inception has been based on it being free and open.

- Brian Schatz

Sen. Akaka never forgot the cost of war on our country.

- Brian Schatz

One of things I have always been open to is making policy in the Senate Commerce Committee.

- Brian Schatz