WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) to introduce the Visit America Act, which would set a visitation goal of 116 million annual international travelers to the United States by 2028, formally authorize the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, and create a high-ranking position within the Department of Commerce focused on bolstering America’s travel and tourism industry and coordinating a tourism strategy... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), announced that a new National Parks Service (NPS) study of the Restore Our Parks Act – legislation introduced by Senator King and expected to be debated in the Senate next week – found that the legislation will support an average of 40,300 direct jobs and 100,100 direct and indirect jobs over the next five years, while helping to address the more than $12 billion backlog in long-delayed maintenance projects at the NPS. The Senate is... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) participated in a teleconference with the Maine Dental Association to discuss coronavirus-related challenges facing Maine’s dentists. Topics of discussion on today’s call included the economic challenges facing many dental practices, the importance of the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act, legislation introduced by Senator King which was signed into law today, best practices to safely reopen dental offices, and concerns regarding... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced his cosponsorship of the Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payments Improvement Act – legislation that would adjust a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) loan program in order to help healthcare providers manage the financial pressures created by the coronavirus pandemic. If passed, the legislation would lower participants’ interest rate from 10.25% to 1%, extend the period of time providers have to repay the... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that Maine hospitals have been awarded a total of $1,355,641 to support their efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. This investment is part of the second tranche of $350 million allocated by HHS through the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act and the CARES Act to bolster the U.S. health care system’s response to COVID-19. In total, Maine has received $2,991,576.“This... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), announced his cosponsorship of the Utilizing Strategic Allied (USA) Telecommunications Act, bipartisan legislation aimed to encourage and support U.S. innovation in the race for 5G, through significant investments in technological alternatives to the security risks posed by Huawei and ZTE. The bill would reassert U.S. and Western leadership by encouraging competition that... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Senate passed H.R.7010, the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act, which mirrors the bipartisan bill introduced on May 21st by U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) – and will make vital changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) so it can better support small businesses. The legislation will make key adjustments to the PPP to help small businesses through the coronavirus pandemic, including extending new loans over a longer... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C (June 2, 2020) - U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), co-chairs of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), today announced the release of a new Cyberspace Solarium Commission white paper, “Cybersecurity Lessons Learned from the Pandemic.” While many of the challenges identified in this white paper and the Commission’s final report have existed for the better part of four presidential administrations, the pandemic highlights the relevance of... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—In a bipartisan effort to prevent thousands of Maine children from losing access to meals, all four members of Maine’s Congressional Delegation wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to express their full support for a request by the Maine Department of Education for a waiver extension that is critical to maintaining children’s access to meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current waiver allows meal sites to serve free meals to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a group of his Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin requesting that the agency clarify the disbursement formula used to allocate payments to Tribal governments from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In the letter the senators ask Secretary Mnuchin... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—Maine’s Congressional Delegation wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to call for improvements to be made to the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, which is purchasing up to $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy, and meat products to distribute to those in need. No Maine distributors were awarded a contract in the first tranche of funding, and as a result, the program’s benefits to Maine farmers and food pantries have been limited. U.S.... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that HealthReach Community Health Centers, the Maine Hospital Association, Inc., the Penobscot Community Health Center, the Katahdin Valley Health Center, and the Maine Primary Care Association have been awarded a total of $5,794,031 to support their efforts to provide health care to Mainers during the COVID-19 pandemic. “During this public health crisis, community health centers and... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) provided closing remarks at the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) Virtual Student Conference. During his talk, Senator King reflected on the 2002 establishment of MLTI during his time as Governor, highlighted Maine’s leadership in helping students access technology to enhance their learning, and congratulated all involved with the continued growth and success of the program. A groundbreaking initiative during his second term,... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME — Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) applauded the House of Representatives’ overwhelmingly bipartisan passage (417-1) of the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act, a bipartisan bill that would make necessary changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The legislation, which mirrors a bill introduced by Senators King and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) last week, would adjust PPP rules that are preventing some businesses from fully utilizing the funds to address the severe... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the Maine Department of Labor has been awarded $1.5 million to help address the workforce-related impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding, allocated through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs) program, was awarded through the CARES Act. “This important funding will help to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Maine’s workforce, ensuring that our... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the Maine Department of Public Safety and local municipalities have been awarded $3,972,092 through the CARES Act for law enforcement to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Maine’s state and local law enforcement make sacrifices every day to keep our communities safe,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “As they continue to work on... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released a video on his social media channels honoring Memorial Day and emphasizing the importance of honoring our nation’s fallen servicemembers, even as coronavirus’s social distancing requirements interfere with traditional forms of observing the day. The video, shared to Senator King’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, can be downloaded in full HERE.“Memorial Day is a sacred moment for Americans. It’s an important moment because it’s the... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the May edition of his Inside Maine podcast. This month’s show highlights the impacts that the coronavirus pandemic has had on the lives of Maine people, and federal, state, and local efforts to respond to the virus and keep Maine people safe. Senator King is joined by the Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control, Dr. Nirav Shah, and Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts at Darmouth, Dr. Erin... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, joined 17 senators on a letter calling on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to request that the FCC extend the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window by 180 days, given the challenges and delays associated with the coronavirus. Extending this deadline would allow Tribal governments additional time to secure access to unassigned spectrum over tribal lands suitable for both mobile... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) to introduce the Health Care Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act. The new bipartisan bill directs $2 billion to help health care providers increase their broadband capacity and expand telehealth services... Continue Reading »
