WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a $1,579,000 loan to Fox Islands Electric Cooperative through USDA Rural Development’s Electric Program to support the communities on Vinalhaven and North Haven. Fox Islands Electric Cooperative will use the funds to improve five miles of electric line and make other system improvements. Fox Islands Electric Cooperative is a utility cooperative that... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined 21 of his colleagues in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) calling on them to protect the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) and ensure it is not used to offset the costs of reauthorizing important bipartisan health initiatives. The U.S. House of Representatives has proposed cutting 75 percent of the Prevention and Public Health Fund as part of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, today questioned representatives from Facebook, Twitter, and Google about the Russian government’s use of social media platforms to interfere in the 2016 election and the committee’s ongoing investigation. During his questioning, Senator King underscored both the responsibility of social media companies to create clear guidelines to mitigate malign activity on their... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a statement submitted to the Congressional Record last week, U.S. Senator Angus King paid tribute to the life of Richard Dudman, a career journalist and dedicated community member in the Ellsworth region. Dudman is perhaps best known for his work Forty Days with the Enemy which chronicles the time he spent in the captivity of Viet Cong-aligned guerillas while on assignment for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Dudman passed away this... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today released the October edition of his podcast, Inside Maine with Senator Angus King. In this special Halloween edition, Senator King speaks with Sally Lobkowicz, also known as the “Lady in the Red Cloak,” about her haunted history tours in Midcoast Maine and the way Maine’s history can help build community and drive tourism. Senator King then speaks to Tom and Andy Wilbur, the father-son duo behind Wilbur’s... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) today wrote to the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) urging it to reconsider its proposed strategies to address the maintenance backlog in the National Park System. The letter follows an announcement this week from the DOI that it is proposing to increase fees at 17 highly-visited national parks – including Acadia National Park – during peak seasons to help offset the backlog. The proposal... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that this week, they joined a group of bipartisan colleagues and sent a letter to the International Trade Commission (ITC) in support of a petition by the Coalition for the Fair Trade of Hardwood Plywood. In the letter, the Senators voice their support for an affirmative decision in an ongoing antidumping/countervailing duty (AD/CVD) case against Chinese hardwood plywood... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s move to declare the opioid epidemic as a public health emergency. “Opioid abuse is a slow-moving hurricane that envelops the entire nation, and with each loss leaves another community and family wrecked in its wake. The President’s declaration of a national public health emergency is a strong indication that this administration is turning... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today continued his push to establish a comprehensive strategy to combat the opioid and heroin epidemic that is devastating communities in Maine and across the country. Senator King joined a group of his colleagues to introduce the Combating the Opioid Epidemic Act, legislation that would invest $45 billion for prevention, detection, surveillance and treatment of opioids. Senator King today also wrote to President Trump urging him to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that last night the Senate unanimously passed a resolution honoring the Sailors and Marines of the USS Forrestal, an aircraft carrier that caught fire following a series of ammunition explosions on July 29, 1967 while in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War. The fire claimed the lives of 134 servicemembers and injured 161 others. Among the survivors was now-Senator John McCain (R-AZ). Senator King joined a bipartisan... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that the U.S Senate Select Committee on Intelligence voted 12-3 to approve the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017, which will extend the sunset of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Act to December 31, 2025. Included in the reauthorization is an amendment Senator King introduced with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) that addresses the procedures by which U.S. intelligence agencies query data incidentally... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) spoke at the Opportunity Alliance in South Portland to urge Maine people to prepare for the Affordable Care Act 2018 Open Enrollment Period, which begins November 1st. Senator King was joined by healthcare advocates, application assisters, healthcare providers and insurers to highlight the continued availability of ACA healthcare plans, as well as reinforce the shortened enrollment window to sign up for coverage. “Reports of... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that six organizations received grants totaling $196,124 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program. These funds will be used to help microenterprises start-up and grow in Androscoggin, Franklin, Oxford, Aroostook, Cumberland, and Penobscot Counties. “These investments will give invaluable assistance to Maine entrepreneurs by providing resources and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) questioned officials from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation during a Senate Armed Services Committee focused on the nation’s cyber defenses. In his questioning, Senator King emphasized the importance of establishing a national doctrine for deterring adversaries in cyberspace. “I think [the need for a doctrine is] one of the key issues here,” said... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor about the budget resolution and tax cut framework currently before the Senate. During his remarks, Senator King highlighted the impact the budget resolution and tax framework will have on working people, seniors, and future generations of Americans. “If we pass unfunded tax cuts, they aren’t really tax cuts, they are simply a deferral of the tax... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that Pine Tree Legal Assistance will receive two technology grants from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) totaling $261,250. The first grant for $175,250 will be used for a project benefitting low-income veterans, while the second grant for $86,000 will be used for improvements to statewide legal websites. “For the past five decades, Pine Tree Legal Assistance has been steadfast in its commitment to... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that Shaw House, a non-profit in Bangor that serves homeless and at-risk youth, will receive a total of $145,937 through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The funding will support operations at Shaw House’s Basic Center Program (BCP) for homeless and runaway youth and their families. Senators Collins and King wrote a letter in support of Shaw House’s grant application in... Continue Reading »
RANGELEY, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of both the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, released the following statement after today’s announcement that the administration plans to withhold Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) certification to Congress. “While I’m deeply concerned with Iran’s malign activity in the region, I believe that remaining in the JCPOA at this time is in our national security interest. This is not just... Continue Reading »
FARMINGTON, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today hosted a discussion on the state of the opioid crisis in Maine with Mount Blue High School students, school administrators, and local health professionals at Mount Blue High School in Farmington. The discussion focused on what can be done in Maine school systems to prevent opioid use and raise awareness about the issue. “The impact of the opioid crisis in Maine is staggering and affects every corner of our communities,... Continue Reading »
BIDDEFORD, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined local students, teachers, and manufacturers at Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick to celebrate the importance of Maine manufacturing for the state’s economy and traditions and help expose students to high-tech manufacturing opportunities in Maine. The event, hosted by the Manufacturers Association of Maine and Lockheed Martin, included a Lockheed Martin F-35 Cockpit Demonstrator that students were able to test. Senator... Continue Reading »
