WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the petition for Trade Adjustment Assistance for the more than 500 workers displaced from Verso Paper has been approved by the U.S. Department of Labor. Displaced workers will be eligible for employment training in another job or career, income support, job search allowances, and relocation services for those individuals who obtain jobs outside of their normal commuting area. “The closure of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources approved a bill cosponsored by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) that would encourage the research and development of renewable energy generated through waves, currents, ocean tides, and free-flowing water in lakes and rivers, known as hydropower. The Marine and Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Act of 2013 would encourage private investment in marine hydrokinetic power technologies by streamlining the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King, who was in Washington in advance of the upcoming Senate session tomorrow, attended the National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery and placed a wreath at the Maine column of the World War II Memorial on the National Mall. Senator King’s staff also attended several Veterans Day events throughout Maine. Senator King released the following statement in honor of Veterans Day: “It was at the eleventh hour of the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today released the following statements applauding an announcement from Expera Specialty Solutions that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets related to the Old Town Fuel & Fiber pulp mill: “This is encouraging news for Maine's forest products industry and for the workers in the Old Town area who lost their jobs earlier this year,” Senator Collins said. “While there is much... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement in response to President Obama’s urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt strong Net Neutrality rules: “An open Internet is so important to the future of this country. It’s the equivalent of this century’s interstate highway system, connecting people and delivering information and data to new places faster than ever before,” Senator King said.... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced more than $6 million in federal grant and loan funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve rural water systems in Maine. The investments announced today are provided through USDA's Rural Utilities Service Water and Environmental Program, which assists rural communities with water and wastewater infrastructure. “We are pleased that USDA is making this significant... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released a letter from the Senator applauding the announcement of a four-year grant totaling $1,911,849 from the U.S. Department of Education to support arts education in four public schools in Portland. The funding, which was announced today during an event at Howard C. Reiche Community School in Portland that was attended by Senator King's staff, will be used to support Project IMAGINE, a partnership between... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding a total of $120,400 in Rural Business Enterprise Grants to two Maine snowmobile clubs to support the state’s snowmobile industry and help promote the development of small and emerging businesses in rural areas. Moosehead Riders, Inc. in Greenville will receive $75,000 and the Portage Lakers Snow-Mobile Club, Inc. in Portage Lake will receive... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) attended a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Hearing on the outbreak of Ebola and the government’s continuing preparedness and response efforts, after which he released the following statement: “First, it should be understood that there are no direct flights from the affected countries to the United States. Mr. Duncan, the only known case to have entered this country, flew from Brussels. In light of this fact, the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, today released the following statement after returning from a nine-day trip to South Asia and the Middle East that included stops in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Qatar: “The trip I just returned from to India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Qatar was informative and challenging. I learned a great deal about the region, our interests there, and how best to further... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services has released an initial $3.05 billion in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds for the first quarter of fiscal year 2015 – $35,328,047 of which will go to Maine. Last week, in an effort to help millions of Americans who are struggling with their energy bills as winter approaches, Senators Collins and King were among a bipartisan... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) recognized Disability Mentoring Day, a nationwide initiative led by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) with the support of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) that promotes career development for students with disabilities. The program matches students with workplace mentors to spend a day on the job learning about how they can prepare to enter the workforce. Participants in Maine include students from... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Capping a nine-day visit across the region that included stops in India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) traveled to Qatar, where they met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani and visited Al Udeid Air Base, home of the Combined Air and Space Operations Center (CAOC) which functions as the “nerve center” for the ongoing air campaign against ISIL in Iraq and Syria and for... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, were in Pakistan October 12-14 to meet with U.S. Embassy officials as well as high-level Pakistani officials. The Senators met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, were in Afghanistan the past two days visiting with U.S. troops and U.S. Embassy personnel, as well as meeting the leaders of the new Afghan government. The Senators were the first members of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, and Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, wrapped a four-day visit to India that included stops in New Delhi and Mumbai. In New Delhi, the senators met with senior Indian defense and foreign affairs officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Members of Parliament and leading... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today joined a bipartisan group of their colleagues in expressing their concern to the Administration that federal rules for health care facilities do not adequately consider the impact these decisions have on rural communities. In a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Director Marilyn Tavenner, the senators pressed for details about how the agency is incorporating rural health care experts earlier... Continue Reading »
ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), members of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces which has oversight of the country’s nuclear weapons enterprise, toured the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico. The national laboratories are responsible for maintaining a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent for the United States and for other science-related functions in support... Continue Reading »
SANFORD, ME – In honor of National Manufacturing Day, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today attended a celebration sponsored by the Manufacturers Association of Maine (MAMe) at ODAT Machine, toured the newly-expanded Jøtul heating stove production plant in Gorham, and visited Evonik, a global leader in specialty chemicals that employs 120 people at its facility in Sanford. The event at ODAT Machine brought together more than 75 students and teachers who, along with Senator King,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to help millions of low-income families and seniors on fixed incomes afford their energy bills this coming winter, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, along with a bipartisan group of 46 of their colleagues, are calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to quickly release as much federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) heating aid as possible. “The LIHEAP program is one of our most effective tools to... Continue Reading »
