Hawai'i's two U.S. senators have asked the Bush administration to expedite an application for a grant to retrain laid-off Aloha Airlines employees.

Democrats Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka say the state of Hawai'i is preparing to apply for a national emergency grant to help with retraining and job placement.

They sent Labor Secretary Elaine Chao a letter asking her to expedite the grant and provide assurances the Labor Department had the money to fund the program.

The senators say laid-off Aloha employees are struggling with financial obligations, medical care and looking for new jobs.