WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined 15 of his Senate colleagues to introduce legislation that would dramatically increase America’s national response to and recovery from the coronavirus pandemic through expanded public service programs. The Pandemic Response and Opportunity Through National Service Act would fund 750,000 national service positions over a three-year response and recovery period, in part to meet the projected need for as many as 300,000... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) questioned Congressman John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), nominee to serve as Director of National Intelligence (DNI), on the importance of fact-based intelligence collection and analysis, wholly independent from political considerations. During his questioning, Senator King pressed to Congressman Ratcliffe to clearly confirm under oath that he will follow facts where they lead, regardless of political consequences, make himself available to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and 32 of his Senate colleagues are making a bipartisan push to support America’s entire scientific research community during the coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus-related research is currently a top federal government priority, but most other research has slowed or stopped due to closures of campuses and laboratories. The people who comprise the research workforce – graduate students, postdocs, principal investigators, and technical support... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden wrote to Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie, urging him to continue to prioritize providing additional testing kits and personal protective equipment (PPE) at the VA Maine Healthcare System and across the entire Veterans Health Administration.“The staff and leadership at Togus in Maine are committed to serving their patients during this crisis,... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—In a letter to President Donald Trump today highlighting the financial strain Maine’s state and local governments are experiencing as a direct result of COVID-19, Maine’s Congressional Delegation advocated for providing additional federal assistance to states and municipalities that have lost substantial revenue resulting from the current public health and economic crisis. U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is urging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take steps to support Maine’s potato and wild blueberry industries, which are experiencing significant shifts in market demand in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic. In letters to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senator King highlights the economic and cultural importance of these industries to Maine communities, and urges USDA to tailor economic relief programs for each specific... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) has cosponsored legislation that outlines a specific, responsive framework for a coronavirus response by federalizing the supply chain for critical medical supplies and equipment, that includes oversight procedures to maintain integrity. The Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act requires the president to utilize all available authorities under the Defense Production Act to mobilize a federal... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that 121 Maine rural health care providers—including hospitals, clinics, and community health centers—will receive $131,501,672 through the CARES Act that they voted for. Senators Collins and King have previously announced a total of $187,806,676 for Maine hospitals and other health care providers to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.“Keeping the doors open to rural hospitals is critical to helping protect the... Continue Reading »
LEWISTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), and Senator Angus King (I-ME) took action today to protect access to health care and preserve important economic drivers in rural Maine. The lawmakers pressed Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza to amend her agency’s yet-to-be finalized Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) rules to make non-profit critical access hospitals currently undergoing Chapter 11 reorganization, like Calais Regional Hospital... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – This morning, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined the Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP) for a teleconference discussing the significant role that Maine’s nonprofits are playing in the coronavirus response in communities across Maine, and the challenges these organizations are facing due to the pandemic. During the call, Senator King discussed the importance of including funding for nonprofits in future Congressional relief packages, and highlighted the best ways Maine... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) led a bipartisan group of Senators in a letter urging Senate Leadership and top appropriators to include funding in the next coronavirus relief package to allow the Department of Defense to appropriately adjust contracts for projects suffering schedule days or production inefficiency as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In their letter, Senators King, Collins, and their colleagues urge... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) joined 35 other senators in a letter urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to increase reimbursements for telephone-based, or audio-only, telehealth services to equal other audio-visual telehealth and in-person visitation reimbursements. Many Americans do not have access to reliable broadband, making it nearly impossible to use video-sharing... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – With the coronavirus pandemic revealing dire deficiencies in the public health system after decades of insufficient investment, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a group of 9 Senators calling for increased funding for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data modernization initiative. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Senators stressed the need for this additional funding in upcoming... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King urged the Administration to release up to $10 billion in loans to the United States Postal Service (USPS) – as authorized by Congress through the CARES ACT – in order to ensure the service can continue to operate during the coronavirus and in the future. In his letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senator King highlights the USPS’s vital role in American society, including its critical place in facilitating communication, commerce, and... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) participated in a video teleconference with YMCA Youth Advocates from Maine and across the nation to discuss the Senate’s efforts to support youth and nonprofits amid the coronavirus pandemic. Organizations like the YMCA are providing children and teens community spaces online where they can participate in activities, learn in a safe environment, and make new friends. Today’s conversation moderated by Martin Brozman, Maine YMCA Youth... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in support of aquaculture farmers’ eligibility for direct relief from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP).“Maine’s aquaculture industry has undergone significant growth and diversification in recent years, creating new jobs and economic opportunities in our... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, United States Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Senate appropriators urging them to include funding in the fiscal year (FY) 2021 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill for programs within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to strengthen global health security, particularly with respect to emerging zoonotic epidemic threats (diseases transmitted from animals to humans). Congress has a long... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a group of 46 Senators in calling on the U.S. Department of Treasury to revise its flawed interpretation of Coronavirus Relief Fund guidelines so that the funds can support states’ work to provide essential public services amidst the coronavirus global pandemic. Under existing guidance, the Coronavirus Relief Funds may be utilized by states and local governments to help with urgent needs and cope with the public health and economic impact... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – All four members of Maine’s Congressional Delegation joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers representing Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York in a letter to Congressional leadership calling for the inclusion of dedicated funding for the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) in upcoming COVID-19 relief legislation.The letter, signed by U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden,... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and 21 of his Senate colleagues wrote a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza, calling on the Administration to develop strong supervisory mechanisms to identify instances of unjust enrichment and ensure that Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds reach struggling small businesses that truly need the money. Recent reports indicate that the initial distribution of the $350... Continue Reading »
