WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) has joined bipartisan legislation that would repay up to $250,000 in eligible student loans for mental health professionals who work in underserved areas. The Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act, led by Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), would encourage careers in mental health services and incentivize these professionals to work in underserved areas like those across rural Maine.... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today urged a top Biden administration official to invest in storage technologies as the country works to transition to clean energy and confront the challenges of climate change. In a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, King stressed the “golden opportunity” energy storage presents as the Senate considers climate legislation, and asked Kelly Speakes-Backman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King, Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), today pressed a top Department of Defense nominee to prioritize America’s cyber and electronic warfare defenses. In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, King urged Milancy Harris – nominee to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security – to make sure the country’s cyberdefenses are ready for any potential threat or conflict, specifically emphasizing the importance... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today applauded the Senate’s near-unanimous passage of bipartisan legislation to support U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water projects across the country – including several projects in Maine. The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022, supported by both Senators, invests in the construction and maintenance of essential community water infrastructure, including shore damage mitigation in Saco and dredging along the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Senate Semiconductor Caucus, today applauded the Senate’s 64-33 vote to pass the CHIPS for America Act that invests in the United States’ leading-edge technology manufacturing and scientific innovation. The bipartisan legislation works to reduce America’s heavy dependence on foreign chips – currently a factor in car manufacturing delays and rising costs for many household goods – and improve national security by... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is raising concerns about America’s growing number of monkeypox cases and calling on the Biden administration to take actions to address the shortage of vaccines. In a letter with 21 of his Senate colleagues, King urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to immediately improve monkeypox vaccine distribution across the United States, highlighting widespread reports that the... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) joined a bipartisan group of 24 of their colleagues in urging the Biden Administration to help lower fuel prices and improve economic stability by increasing the proposed biodiesel volumes in upcoming fuel obligations for 2023 and 2024. The Senators highlighted how the American biomass-based diesel industry benefits our economy and environment, and why a strong biodiesel investment in the Renewable Volume Obligations... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to expand senior veterans’ access to assisted living services. The Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act would create a pilot program for eligible veterans to receive assisted living care paid for by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – helping the servicemembers who defended the nation live their senior years more... Continue Reading »
PORTLAND, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today visited the Abyssinian Meeting House — America’s third oldest meetinghouse constructed by a Black congregation — to see and hear how the organization will be using $1,700,000 in Congressionally-Directed Spending (CDS) to help restore the important historic building before its 200th anniversary in 2028. Senator King secured this federal investment for the Maine landmark in the recently-passed 2022 Omnibus... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) urged a top Pentagon nominee to ensure the Department of Defense and Biden administration maintain their focus on terrorism threats in the Africa region as attention and resources are being directed to Russia and China. In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, King asked Lieutenant General Michael Langley – nominee to be general and Commander of United States Africa Command – how he views the efforts of terrorist groups on the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today celebrated the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s bipartisan passage of his bill with Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) to give coastal communities infrastructure funding from wind development. The Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies & Ecosystems (RISEE) Act would amend the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) to direct revenues from future offshore wind construction to shoreline states... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Chairman of the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, today welcomed the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s overwhelmingly bipartisan passage of his legislation to create more affordable year-round and seasonal workforce housing on Mount Desert Island (MDI). As housing shortages on the island threaten economic growth, the legislation would transfer part of an undeveloped parcel of land in the Village of Town Hill from Acadia National... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is cosponsoring legislation to defend Americans’ access to medication abortions where legal after the Supreme Court eliminated nearly a half century of precedent by overturning Roe v. Wade. The Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act would codify current FDA guidelines so that women in states where the right to an abortion is still protected can access the medications through telehealth and certified pharmacies,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King and Representative Chellie Pingree announced today that Maine will be receiving $62.2 million from the American Rescue Plan to grow and support small businesses. The new State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) funds will create four different programs, including two venture capital programs that will boost Maine startups with fewer than 10 employees to generate opportunities for minority-owned and rural small businesses. The funds will also... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) today applauded the FCC’s proposal to redefine broadband connections as 100 megabits (Mbps) per second download or faster, enabling American families to access connections that meet the needs of modern internet users. The Senators had previously called on the FCC and the Biden administration to make this change, replacing the current outdated 25 megabits per second... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is joining 22 of his Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to simplify the tax filing process for millions of Americans, saving them significant time and money. The Tax Filing Simplification Act of 2022 would direct the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to develop free, easy to use, online tax filing software, and eliminate unnecessary red tape for all taxpayers. The legislation would also help ensure that more eligible people receive tax... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that Bowdoin College and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA) have received a total of $2,251,730 to improve instructional materials of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for pre-k and kindergarten students and teachers. This funding was awarded through the National Science Foundation (NSF). “Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are critical skills in the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Broadband Caucus, today announced the approval of a $110 million investment in Maine broadband infrastructure from the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund, which Senator King helped author. The historic funding will go to Maine Infrastructure Ready, a competitive broadband grant program administered by the Maine Connectivity Authority, which is expected to bring high-speed, reliable internet... Continue Reading »
Portland, MAINE – Governor Janet Mills and U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden issued the following statement today in response to the First Circuit Court of Appeals decision reinstating a ban on lobster fishing gear in nearly 1,000 square miles in the Gulf of Maine: “Once again, Maine’s lobstermen have been unfairly targeted by a misguided court decision. Today’s ruling fails to acknowledge the substantial steps that Maine’s... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to help ensure America’s first responders receive full retirement benefits if they are injured on the job. The First Responders Fair Return for Employees on Their Initial Retirement Earned (RETIRE) Act will help federal firefighters, law enforcement officers, Customs and Border Protection officials, and other federal employees with potentially dangerous jobs receive their full retirement benefits if... Continue Reading »
