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Press Releases

Press Releases

Reminder: Maine Congressional Delegation Accepting Military Academy Nomination Applications

June 30, 2025

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, Jr., and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden announced that they are accepting nomination applications from Maine high school students for appointments to the United States service academies operated by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Merchant Marine. No nomination is required to apply to the United States Coast Guard Academy. Students should apply for a nomination in the spring and summer of their junior year.... Continue Reading »


King on Senate Floor: This Tax Bill is “Irresponsible, Regressive, and Downright Cruel”

June 30, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) spoke on the Senate Floor to share remarks on the so-called GOP ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ and the potential harm it would do to Maine people. In the next hour, the bill is scheduled for an extended series of votes on amendments before a final Senate vote is held. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the legislation would add $3.3 trillion dollars to the federal deficit over the next ten years, while also cutting $1.1 trillion from... Continue Reading »


Maine Delegation Presses Labor Secretary to Reopen Job Corps Centers

June 26, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Maine’s Congressional delegation opposed the agency’s attempt to bypass Congress and close Job Corps centers nationwide. The move, which DOL calls a “phased pause in operations,” comes just months after officials froze enrollment at the Loring and Penobscot Job Corps Centers —  exacerbating rural workforce shortages in central and northern Maine. “By calling this... Continue Reading »


“Adaptation of New Technology is What Wins Wars” King Stresses in Armed Services Hearings

June 26, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), spoke with Michael Dodd, the nominee to serve as the Assistance Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies, about the importance of developing and deploying new defense technologies. During his discussion with Dobb, Senator King highlighted that previously the United States has significantly underfunded the development of advanced weapon technologies like directed... Continue Reading »


King, Colleagues Demand Answers on Potential Political, Personal Discrimination at VA

June 26, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C.– U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) and several of his colleagues are calling on the administration to explain secret hospital guideline changes. In a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins, the Senators request an explanation of why certain VA Medical Center bylaws were changed in a way that could invite discrimination against veteran patients and health care providers. Recent reporting has uncovered how the Trump Administration is secretly... Continue Reading »


Patrick Dempsey Joins Senator King in Inviting Maine People to Share Real-Life Impacts of Cuts to MaineCare and CoverME

June 25, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, in partnership with fellow Maine native Patrick Dempsey, U.S. Senator Angus King is calling on Maine people to speak up and share their stories of how potential cuts to MaineCare and CoverMe will impact their health and their wallets. In a new public information campaign, King and Dempsey highlight that the only way to save Medicaid (also known as MaineCare in Maine) and CoverME is to speak up, call your elected officials and share the potentially devastating consequences... Continue Reading »


King, Blumenthal Call for Investigation into Cancelled Contracts Impacting Veterans

June 24, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) Ranking Member Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General to launch an investigation into the Trump Administration’s controversial, unilateral cancellation of VA contracts at the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Despite multiple requests from Senators King and Blumenthal, VA Secretary Doug Collins... Continue Reading »


Former Governors in Senate: GOP Reconciliation Bill will Slash Medicaid Services, SNAP

June 23, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) led a number of his Senate colleagues who previously served as state governors to communicate to Republican leadership the devastating impacts of the Senate reconciliation bill on states. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo and Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman John Boozman, the former governors lay out their significant concerns about how this partisan... Continue Reading »


Outlining Maine Economic Benefits of Foreign Students, Senator King Urges Secretary of State Rubio to Reconsider Harmful Pause

June 20, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) called on the State Department to reinstate student visa programs for the benefit of Maine schools and the state’s local economy. In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, King outlined the immediate impact of revoking student visas on schools in Maine like Thornton Academy, the University of New England (UNE), Foxcroft Academy, College of the Atlantic and the University of Maine (UMaine) System. Senator King began, “I write to underscore the... Continue Reading »


King Blasts Defense Secretary for Presenting Incomplete FY26 Pentagon Budget

June 18, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) blasted the Department of Defense (DoD) for not presenting the committee with a full year 2026 fiscal budget that fully reflects the department’s funding priorities and needs. In an unprecedented move, the DoD is submitting its FY2026 budget in two pieces – the core budget that reflects no increase in spending, and an additional budget via the GOP reconciliation bill to make up... Continue Reading »


King Highlights Administration Hypocrisy: Slashing IRS Funding Will Balloon Federal Deficit

June 18, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is joining efforts to highlight the hypocrisy of White House policy slashing funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), resulting in diminished enforcement for “wealthy tax cheats.” In a letter to IRS Commissioner Billy Long, King and his colleagues suggest that plans to slash IRS funding would balloon the federal deficit and result in $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade.  In June last year, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent... Continue Reading »


King Cosponsors Bipartisan Bill to Combat National Security Threats from China

June 17, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) and Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), is cosponsoring legislation to counter threats to U.S. national security posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Countering Chinese Espionage Reporting Act would direct the Attorney General to prepare a report on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) efforts to combat threats from China and espionage in the United States, so that the federal... Continue Reading »


King, Colleagues Press White House to Resume Processing DACA Applications

June 16, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) and his colleagues are urging the White House to abide by a court ruling and resume processing applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In a letter to Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Angelica Alfonso-Royals, the Senators highlight the popular support for providing Dreamers a pathway to citizenship and request that the administration comply with the recent Fifth Circuit Court... Continue Reading »


Tomorrow Is Officially “Vets Get Outside Day” After Senators King, Cassidy Resolution Passes Senate Unanimously

June 13, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), both members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), marking Saturday, June 14th as “Veterans Get Outside Day.” The resolution encourages veterans, especially those struggling with mental health challenges, to spend time in the great outdoors. Veterans have free lifetime access to National Parks and Maine State Parks. “From beach walks on... Continue Reading »


Senators Collins, King Announce USS Gravely to Visit Eastport for Fourth of July Celebration

June 12, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that Eastport will receive a port visit during the city’s 2025 Fourth of July celebration. The U.S. Navy has committed to sending the guided missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG-107), which has a crew complement of approximately 330 sailors. USS Gravely is a battle-tested warship and recently saw action in the Red Sea. “We are grateful to the U.S. Navy for honoring the State of Maine with this port visit during... Continue Reading »


King, New England Colleagues Urge Coast Guard to Delay Removal of Navigational Buoys

June 12, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King and a bipartisan cohort of the New England Senate Delegation are urging the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to delay the removal of navigational buoys off the coast of New England so they can better engage with stakeholders and understand the impacts of the proposal. In a letter to Coast Guard Commandant Kevin Lunday, the Senators ask for USCG to extend the comment period for public input, undertake more extensive outreach and enhance the... Continue Reading »


King Spars with Interior Secretary Over Harmful, Arbitrary Budget Cuts to National Parks

June 11, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, in a hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, Senator Angus King (I-ME), co-chair of the National Parks Subcommittee, demanded answers from Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum as to why the National Park Service’s (NPS) budget is being cut by $1.2 billion. During the exchange, Senator King pressed Secretary Burgum to justify the cuts and made clear that arbitrary budget decisions will have devastating consequences for national parks... Continue Reading »


Ahead of Severe Weather Season, King and Colleagues Call on White House to Nominate an Experienced FEMA Administrator

June 11, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With Maine facing a severe weather season, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) joined his colleagues calling on the White House to nominate an experienced Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator. In a letter to President Donald Trump, King and his colleagues expressed serious concern about the ongoing absence of a Senate-confirmed FEMA Administrator and steps his administration has taken to weaken and destabilize the agency, including the abrupt termination last... Continue Reading »


King: Modern, Cost-Effective Weapons Systems Should be Deployed in Red Sea, Future Conflicts

June 10, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), spoke with Secretary of the Navy John Phelan and raised the importance of properly funding cutting-edge directed energy programs — the class of weapons systems that use electromagnetic energy, such as high-energy lasers. Calling it the “weapon of the future,” he received commitment from Secretary Phalen to advocate for an increase in the directed energy budget.   “It’s unclear in... Continue Reading »


King, Murkowski Introduce Bill to Strengthen Maine’s Coastal Workforce, Fisheries and Infrastructure

June 10, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced legislation that would lay the groundwork to boost the workforce, energy and shoreside infrastructure, food security, and economies of coastal communities in Maine and across the country. The Working Waterfronts Act, which is also co-sponsored by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), is comprised of more than a dozen provisions, would support efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change and strengthen... Continue Reading »