U.S. Senator Brian Schatz at the Forefront
Alfredo G. Evangelista | Assistant Editor
All photos courtesy Sen. Brian Schatz
Within hours of the report the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had raided the Kahului residence of several J-1 teachers from the Philippines, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz issued a statement denouncing the actions of ICE, calling it “outrageous”: “This is racial profiling and a shameful abuse of power,” Schatz stated. “We are a nation of laws but the broad ICE raids this week are clearly designed just to instill fear. Our teachers, our visitors, and our neighbors deserve dignity and safety, not fear of seemingly arbitrary harassment.”
Since the election of Donald Trump as president, Schatz has been at the forefront at challenging Trump’s actions, often speaking on the Senate floor against Trump.
In an interview in late April with The Fil-Am Voice, Schatz discussed several issues including the Lahaina fires, tariffs, immigration and the fight between China and the Philippines over the Philippine Sea.
Currently, Schatz is the Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations and Other Programs on the Senate Appropriations committee. In the Senate leadership, Schatz is currently the Chief Deputy Whip under Senator Richard Durbin. Schatz also holds the title of deputy Democratic conference secretary. With Durbin announcing he won’t be seeking re-election, Schatz (and others) are in line to be the number two Democrat in the U.S. Senate and maybe even higher if current Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who is 74 years old, also decides it is time for younger Democrats to lead.
When then Governor Neil Abercrombie appointed 40-year-old Schatz to the U.S. Senate in 2012 after the death of longtime U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Abercrombie noted Schatz could serve in the U.S. Senate for a very long time. (On his deathbed, Inouye wrote Abercrombie to appoint then Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, 61 years old, as his replacement.) Abercrombie’s prediction is playing out.
When Schatz was Chair of the Transportation Housing and Urban Development Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, he was able to secure a little over 1.5 billion dollars for the County of Maui after the 2023 fires. The funds are “to help primarily with housing and infrastructure related to housing so that we can actually rebuild the homes and the infrastructure that will enable those homes to get stood up,” Schatz says. The Senator notes he is working closely with the County of Maui which has “submitted their action plan and we’re working together.” Schatz explains “we remain laser focused on the need to rebuild homes. Nothing can happen in Lahaina if there’s not a place for people to live and with 2,200 structures destroyed, that’s the highest priority going forward.”
Schatz is cautiously optimistic the funds to rebuild Lahaina will not be cut back by Trump’s administration. “I think it’s a fair thing to worry about but all I can say is that at the present time, nothing has been canceled or slowed or threatened.”
Schatz, in discussing Trump’s tariffs, was clear in his opposition to them. “These tariffs are absolutely awful,” he says. “We depend on Canadian lumber, we depend on Chinese and Japanese electronics for appliances and for automobiles, and so there’s not a single aspect of our daily life that isn’t being made more expensive by these tariffs.” Schatz says the idea that tariffs will increase domestic manufacturing is “an absolute fantasy” because a lot of America’s manufacturers depend on imports from other countries.
Schatz explains he is working on bipartisan legislation to constrain Trump’s actions on the tariffs. Already seven Republicans are sponsoring legislation, meaning six more Republicans are needed to reach the magical number of sixty votes. Schatz is realistic, however, and does not believe any resolution will come in the next couple of weeks. He remains hopeful that “things are gonna get better” but he is not sure how quickly. Schatz understands the voters were frustrated by inflation but believes those who voted against the Democrats because of the price of things they needed are the most likely to swing back and vote Democratic. “We’re still a country that is governed by its people and I think the people are rising up against this economic policy.”
Trump’s actions on immigration have also caused consternation, especially in Hawai‘i. Schatz sees the federal courts as stopping Trump. “I think the federal courts have been our bulwark against these illegal actions.” Schatz notes people were frustrated about the disorder at the border. But Schatz observes “He’s essentially doing nothing to secure the border and just sort of terrorizing a bunch of people who are here legally—green card holders, students, tourists and H1B visa holders and others.”
“What we’re seeing recently is people are perfectly capable of having a hawkish view about border security but also wanting the rule of law to be upheld, wanting due process to be upheld, and also reacting negatively to the meanness, the coarseness, the racism that is expressed through the Trump administration’s action.”
Schatz notes that although the Trump administration has ignored some of the federal courts’ rulings, not all of them have been ignored. Schatz believes the White House leadership does not want a “full-blown constitutional crisis” but recognizes others such as Elon Musk who are “just not as loyal to the constitution and laws of the United States.” Schatz says, however, “If they systematically ignore court orders then we’re in a whole new era. And of course, legislators will do what they have to do but that has to be responded to at least partly with a broad-based citizen’s movement that is not a left-wing or right-wing or centrist movement but an American movement to uphold the rule of law.”
As far as Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship, Schatz clearly does not believe those efforts will be successful. “I think that part of what’s happening right now is they are acting so unlawfully and with such impunity and they’re starting to irritate some of the more reasonable conservatives on the Supreme Court.”
Schatz also commented on the situation in the Philippine Sea. “Between the Indo-Pacific Command and the State Department, the policy has not shifted significantly. I think it is fair to be vigilant and slightly worried about whether Donald Trump wakes up one morning and decides that China is our ally and the Philippines is not. But of course, we have one of the most long-standing, rock-solid, bilateral defense relationships with the Philippines. I do not see any evidence that is shifting significantly but in the Trump era, that could change in 24 hours, right. But right now, so far so good.” Schatz noted the policy of Congress, the State Department, and the Defense Department, is the United States is still close friends with the Philippines, Japan and Korea. “On the list of things I worry about, it is on the list but it is not among the highest of risk levels.”
With all his attention on global and national affairs, Schatz does have a little time to be an NBA fan. “I think it’s one of the best times to be an NBA fan because there’s just so much talent.” Schatz is cheering for the Oklahoma City Thunder because he roots for the small cities.
The human, fun and adventurous side of Schatz was on full display in September 2024 when, joined by his Filipino staff (Michael Dahilig, Sr. Policy Counsel; Bryan Andaya, O‘ahu Field Representative, and Michael Inacaya, Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director), Schatz ate balut for the very first time.
“So one of the things I take pride in is I never turn down food,” Schatz explained. “I eat all foods. But the one thing I’ve never eaten is balut. And I’m looking forward to being guided through this experience by Mike and Bryan and Mike.”
After the experience was posted on Instagram, Schatz proclaimed: “I never say no to trying new food. Had some fun trying balut for the first time with some help from my Filipino staff.” While Andaya was tearing up, Schatz and the others survived, drawing kudos and respect.
All in a day’s work for the senior U.S. Senator from Hawai‘i.
Assistant Editor Alfredo G. Evangelista is a graduate of Maui High School (1976), the University of Southern California (1980), and the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law (1983). He is a sole practitioner at Law Offices of Alfredo Evangelista, A Limited Liability Law Company, concentrating in estate planning, business start-up and consultation and nonprofit corporations. He has been practicing law for 41 years (since 1983) and returned home in 2010 to be with his family and to marry his high school sweetheart, the former Basilia Tumacder Idica.