WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today congratulated Muna Mohamed of Lewiston and Andrew Sandweiss of Bangor on their selection as Maine’s delegates to the 53rd Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP). Muna and Andrew will join 102 other students from across the country in spending a week in the nation’s capital where they will have an opportunity to study the American political process first-hand. “I have the honor and privilege of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), along with Senators Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), today introduced the FAST Act, a bill to simplify the process of applying for and receiving federal financial aid to attend college, allow year-round use of Pell Grants, discourage over-borrowing and simplify repayments. The bill would reduce to a single postcard – called the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), along with Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), introduced legislation to reform federal student loan repayment programs. The Repay Act, which Senators King and Burr originally introduced last Congress, would simplify the complex maze of federal student loan repayment programs by consolidating many of the benefits of current... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement congratulating Governor Paul R. LePage on his inauguration for a second term as Maine’s Governor: “I join with the people of Maine in congratulating Governor LePage on his inauguration, and I wish him the best as he begins his second term,” Senator King said. “I have always believed that when the Governor succeeds, the people of Maine succeed, and I look forward to working... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter today to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) expressed his continued concern over the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to update the New Source Performance Standard for Residential Wood Heaters. The proposed update, which has been finalized by the EPA and sent to the OMB for review, aims to curb emissions of particulate matter. However, as Senator King writes, the aggressive target... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced his support for legislation that would help lower the price of prescription drug prices for seniors and save taxpayer money. The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, introduced today by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and cosponsored by Senator King, would empower Medicare to negotiate for the best possible prescription medication prices for seniors who are enrolled in Medicare Part D. “It’s... Continue Reading »
“The Federal Reserve Board would be well-served by someone with community bank experience,” – Senator King, May 2014 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today applauded the President’s announcement that he intends to nominate Allan R. Landon, a candidate with strong community bank experience, to serve on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Senator King had previously urged the President to nominate an individual with such... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to help provide fuel assistance to households struggling with their winter heating bills, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME) and Jack Reed (D-RI) are once again leading the effort to restore and increase federal heating assistance to low-income families and seniors to past years’ levels. Collins and Reed are leading a bipartisan coalition of 43 U.S. Senators, including King, in urging the President to provide Fiscal Year (FY)... Continue Reading »
PORTLAND, ME – Yesterday, President Barack Obama signed into law a provision sponsored by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) that creates insurance coverage parity between certain bank and credit union accounts. The Credit Union Share Insurance Fund Parity Act, legislation that Senator King introduced in and helped usher through the Senate, creates deposit insurance parity for credit unions by directing the National Credit Union Administration to extend share insurance coverage to trust... Continue Reading »
PORTLAND, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined officials from Pine Tree Legal Assistance (PTLA) and the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) to announce a new technology initiative aimed at improving civil legal aid for veterans, particularly underserved female veterans. The initiative, which is led by PTLA and supported by a 36-month grant from LSC, will expand StatesideLegal.org, a national legal assistance website for military members, veterans, and their families. It will... Continue Reading »
Senator Angus King and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree have written to the US Department of Agriculture to urge the federal government to buy 18 million pounds of frozen Maine wild blueberries to use in school lunch and emergency food assistance programs. "Not only are frozen wild blueberries a nutritious addition to school meals or emergency food programs, but USDA purchases also stabilize the price for growers who face challenges from domestic oversupply and international competition," they... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the support of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), the Senate this evening passed a package of 55 retroactive tax-relief provisions, referred to as “tax-extenders”, that will allow businesses and taxpayers to claim certain tax deductions for their 2014 tax filing. Senator King released the following statement: “Several of the provisions renewed in this package are crucial to Maine businesses and help them to make the type of investments that drive... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to quickly reach a decision regarding the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System 2010 rate proceeding in order to provide certainty to businesses and consumers of natural gas. “This case is complex and, because of rehearing requests and compliance filing challenges, natural gas consumers in northern... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the support of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, the U.S. Senate passed the 2015 Omnibus Federal Appropriations bill, which funds the government through September 30, 2015 and includes funding for several priorities benefiting Maine. “There’s no doubt that there isn’t a perfect bill, but there are some important provisions in this one – particularly for Maine,” Senator King said. “Not only... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of his ongoing effort to keep the people of Maine informed of his work in Washington, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) recapped this week’s events in the nation’s capital. This week, Senator King discussed the release of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report regarding the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Detention and Interrogation Program, and highlighted the speech offered by Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) following the release of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the strong support of U.S. Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, the Senate today passed the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes more than $3 billion for the U.S. Navy destroyer programs, including $2.66 billion for two Arleigh Burke-class DDG-51 destroyers, one of which will be built at Bath Iron Works, and $419 million for construction of the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers, among many other provisions important to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced that the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee today assigned him to serve on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources during the 114th Congress. Senator King worked closely with the Senate Democratic Caucus leadership to secure this important appointment for Maine. “High energy costs, particularly in states like Maine, continue to eat away at people’s budgets and often unfairly force them to make... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United States Senate unanimously passed two provisions authored by U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) to help relieve America’s small financial institutions, like community banks and credits unions, of regulatory burdens so that they are better able to serve their communities. “Small banks and credit unions are often the financial cornerstones of communities across the country, providing the very credit that helps drive our... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the support of U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, the Senate and House Appropriations Committees have reached an agreement on the Fiscal Year 2015 Omnibus Appropriations bill that provides $554 billion in funds for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the national security programs of the Department of Energy (DoE). The bill includes more than $3 billion for the U.S. Navy destroyer programs, including $2.66 billion for two Arleigh Burke-class DDG-51... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) praised the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vote to modernize the Universal Service Program for Schools and Libraries, more commonly known as E-Rate. The FCC approved the second phase of an effort to close the rural connectivity gap and boost high-speed Internet access at schools and libraries across America. “Access to high-speed broadband is an essential part of ensuring that students in the United States, no... Continue Reading »
