Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that Maine hospitals and other health care providers will receive an immediate infusion of $145,763,812 to bolster their efforts in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The funding distributed today represents the first $30 billion of the $100 billion for medical providers that was included in the CARES Act that Senators Collins and King voted for.“This funding is vital to protecting the health and safety of... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME —Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and 21 Senate colleagues sent a letter to Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell Vought, calling on the executive branch to indefinitely extend public comment periods, postpone public hearings, and pause any new administrative rulemaking actions, unless those actions are explicitly required for the coronavirus response and recovery, until the threats of the current crisis have subsided. In doing so,... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a bipartisan group of 19 Senators to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider the needs of rural hospitals and hospitals with high percentages of Medicaid and Medicare patients as HHS distributes the $100 billion healthcare fund included in the CARES Act. In their letter, the Senators request an equitable distribution of funding from Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to small rural hospitals,... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME –U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) – all who formerly served as governors – in calling on Vice President Mike Pence to work with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to issue guidance to states on how they can use funding from the CARES Act to address budget shortfalls due to the impact of the coronavirus epidemic. The CARES Act that Congress passed into law includes $150... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined 27 Senate colleagues to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reopen the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplace to allow more un- and under-insured Americans to get health insurance as they face potential health issues related to coronavirus – echoing a push he made in March. In a letter to the Secretary Alex Azar, the senators urged HHS to allow Americans to enroll through a unique Special Enrollment Period... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that 18 health centers throughout Maine have been awarded a total of $12,893,115 to address screening and testing needs, acquire medical supplies, and boost telehealth capacity in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This funding builds on the more than $1 million Senators Collins and King announced for these health centers last month.“Community health centers are essential to Maine’s... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine), and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) announced that the Economic Development Administration has awarded $2,000,000 to the State of Maine to establish a new 3-year project to develop an industry-led roadmap and action plan called Maine’s Marine Living Resource Economy Initiative. Overseen by the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) and FocusMaine, the initiative will... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined a group of nineteen senators seeking to support local journalism and media in any future coronavirus relief package. In a letter to Senate leadership and appropriators, the senators stress that the widespread impact of the pandemic – including plummeting advertising revenue – could decimate regional and local news outlets even as communities have become increasingly reliant on their reporting amidst the public health crisis. Already... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined 36 of his Senate colleagues to urge the Administration to take additional action to ensure workers receive unemployment insurance as quickly as possible – including the more than 40,000 Maine people who filed for unemployment in the last two weeks after losing their jobs through no fault of their own. In their letter to Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, the senators outline a number of actions the administration should take to help states... Continue Reading »
Click HERE to watch the full video conference callBRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) participated in a video conference call with civics and history teachers from schools across Maine, who are adapting to distance learning. During the call, which was held in collaboration with Maine Department of Education’s Social Studies Specialist Joe Schmidt, Senator King provided updates on the latest federal efforts to support Maine people in the face of coronavirus, discussed the importance... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and a bipartisan group of 31 senators wrote a letter to Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, urging the Administration to ensure the continuity of our country’s food supply and to support rural areas during the coronavirus pandemic by providing needed relief to farmers.“We write to ask that you take action to ensure the continuity of our country’s food supply and support rural areas during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by providing... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a group of 47 Senators in calling on the Administration to issue stimulus checks automatically to recipients of benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Supplemental Security Income program. In their letter, Senator King and his peers point out that these are two groups with large amounts of non-filers and groups for whom the federal government has the data necessary to deliver the stimulus checks... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement after the President informed the congressional Intelligence Committees of his intention to dismiss Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson:“In these turbulent times marked by unprecedented, complicated threats, we must place a premium on informed advice, straight talk, hard truths, and clear thinking. Making sure we’re gathering and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) wrote to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, emphasizing the importance of supporting the seafood industry through designated funds in last week’s $2.2 trillion legislation. In the letter, King, Pingree, and Golden emphasize the importance of Maine’s fisheries and related businesses to the state’s coastal communities, and encourage the Department of Commerce to... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a group of colleagues in a letter to House and Senate leadership requesting robust funding for all K-12 students to have adequate home internet connectivity if their schools close due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Senators expressed their disappointment with the lack of such funding in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that recently passed Congress, despite their repeated call for resources dedicated... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King sent a letter urging Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to provide immediate assistance to rural hospitals and clinics. Senators Collins and King joined 41 Senators and 81 Representatives in requesting the Administration use funding included in the recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help rural health care providers. The lawmakers point out that... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—All four members of Maine’s Congressional Delegation wrote to President Donald Trump today to express their full support of Governor Janet Mills’ request for a Major Disaster declaration for the entire state as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden asked the President to fully grant the Governor’s requests for federal Public Assistance and for four supplemental assistance... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King applauded a move by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to reverse its previous guidance and allow Social Security beneficiaries to automatically receive the direct payments included in the recently-passed CARES Act without having to file tax returns. This move brings the IRS’s administration of the direct cash assistance in line with Congress’s intent, as the law’s drafting specifically stated that the Treasury Department had the... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined 41 of his Senate colleagues in urging the Treasury Department and the Social Security Administration to ensure that all Social Security beneficiaries will automatically receive the direct assistance included in the recently-passed CARES Act without having to file tax returns. While the legislation ensured that the Treasury Department had the authority to send automatic direct cash assistance to Social Security beneficiaries... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined business leaders from across Maine in a tele-conference to discuss the federal government’s work to combat the economic challenges presented by the coronavirus and hear directly from Maine businesses on the largest obstacles they face in terms of sustaining themselves and providing for their workforce during the pandemic. The call was hosted by the Maine Chamber of Commerce (and can be heard by clicking here), and continues Senator... Continue Reading »
