Skip to content

Press Releases

Press Releases

Senators Collins, King Announce More Than $6.2 Million for 29 Maine Fire Departments

September 10, 2021

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that 29 fire departments in Maine have received a total of $6,220,151 to upgrade equipment and support personnel. This funding was awarded through the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Assistance to Firefighters Grants and the FY 2020 Staffing for Adequate Fire Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants“Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect local residents, homes, and businesses,” said Senators... Continue Reading »


Maine Delegation Announces Seafood Processors and Agriculture Stakeholders Eligible for $700 Million in COVID-19 Relief

September 10, 2021

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will soon publish Requests for Applications (RFAs) for two new grant programs - the Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant program and the Seafood Pandemic Response Safety (SPRS) Block Grant program - to support agricultural stakeholders who haven’t yet received substantial federal financial assistance in responding to... Continue Reading »


Senator King Statement on President Biden's COVID-19 Plan

September 9, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement from Senator King on President Biden's COVID-19 plan:"As threat of the delta variant overwhelms our hospitals and sets back our economic recovery, I support President Biden’s efforts to follow the science and encourage more Americans to take the common sense steps to get past this pandemic – whether that is vaccination, regular testing, or masking and social distancing. As someone who... Continue Reading »


Senators Collins, King Announce More Than $600,000 to Expand Telehealth Services at Alfond Center for Health

September 9, 2021

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that Alfond Center for Health in Augusta has received a total of $603,315 to expand telehealth services. This funding was awarded through the U.S. Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program.“Telehealth services have been a lifeline to patients and providers during the pandemic, ensuring that individuals can continue to receive quality health care from the safety and convenience of their own... Continue Reading »


Navy Secretary Joins Senators Collins, King for PNSY Groundbreaking Ceremony

September 8, 2021

Kittery, ME –Today, Senators Susan Collins and Angus King hosted Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro in Maine, where they participated in the celebration of the groundbreaking for the multi-mission Dry Dock #1 modernization project at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.  A $1.7 billion contract was awarded for the construction project last month, and work is expected to be completed by June 2028. The current Dry Dock #1 can only accommodate Los Angeles-class submarines, which means it... Continue Reading »


Collins, King, and Golden Announce $1 Million to Help Aroostook County Combat the Opioid Crisis

September 8, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Angus King, and Congressman Jared Golden announced that Aroostook Mental Health Center has been awarded $1 million to combat the opioid crisis in Northern Maine. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP). The Maine lawmakers sent a letter to HRSA leadership to help make the case for the application earlier this year.“The opioid... Continue Reading »


Senators Collins, King Host Navy Secretary at BIW

September 8, 2021

Bath, ME – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King toured manufacturing and training facilities at Bath Iron Works with Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro to see firsthand the important work being done at the shipyard.  The Senators hosted Secretary Del Toro in Maine today and participated in a groundbreaking at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery this morning.“It was a pleasure to host Secretary Del Toro in Maine to tour Bath Iron Works,” said Senator Collins. “I am... Continue Reading »


Collins, King Announce $900,000 to Support Endangered Atlantic Salmon Populations in Maine

September 7, 2021

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that four organizations have received a total of $900,000 to restore habitats for endangered Atlantic salmon in Maine. This funding was awarded through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Atlantic salmon are a critical part of our state’s marine ecosystem, but they are endangered and at risk of extinction,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “These fish... Continue Reading »


Maine Receiving Over $128 Million for Broadband From American Rescue Plan

September 3, 2021

BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, applauded an announcement that the U.S. Treasury Department is allocating more than $128 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to expand Maine broadband. These funds are drawn from the ARP’s Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, which was secured by Senator King in the final legislation, and passed 50-49 with the Senator’s vote. In addition to $128,245,250 in broadband funding for the state,... Continue Reading »


Maine Delegation and Governor Mills Oppose New Rule That Will Harm Maine’s Lobster Industry

August 31, 2021

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden, and Governor Janet Mills issued this statement following the release of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Rule:“The Maine lobster fishery has repeatedly made significant improvements to their practices and modifications to their gear to protect right whales, including the implementation of weak link mandates in 1997 and again in... Continue Reading »


King Statement on Kabul Attack

August 26, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released a statement from Senator King following a terrorist attack outside of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. In the statement, Senator King expressed his sorrow and anger at this “tragic waste of human life”, and continued his longstanding advocacy for action to protect the Afghan partners who served alongside American servicemembers over the last 20 years.“Today’s cowardly attack in Kabul... Continue Reading »


Maine Delegation Urges Commerce Secretary to Protect Lobster Fishery

August 23, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden have sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, urging her to ensure that the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Rule does not include last minute changes that would significantly harm the livelihoods of communities that depend on fishing and lobstering without meaningfully protecting whales. In their letter, the Maine Delegation... Continue Reading »


Senators King, Coons, Portman Applaud Education Department for Discharging Outstanding Loans for More than 323,000 Americans with a Permanent Disability

August 20, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today shared the news from the U.S. Department of Education announced that it will be discharging the outstanding student loans for more than 323,000 Americans with a total and permanent disability (TPD), as King and his colleagues Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) encouraged earlier this month. The new directive will eliminate the requirement of student loan borrowers with a TPD... Continue Reading »


Senator King Announces Positive Test for Coronavirus

August 19, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that Senator King tested positive for COVID-19 this morning in Maine. Senator King took the test as a precaution after he began feeling under the weather yesterday. Upon learning of his positive test, Senator King issued the following statement:“Since COVID-19 first reached our shores last March, I have worked to follow the professional guidance and take all precautions necessary to protect myself, my... Continue Reading »


Bipartisan Group of Senators, Including Collins & King, Urge Administration to Immediately Evacuate SIV Applicants from Afghanistan

August 19, 2021

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) were part of a group of 53 Senators who sent a letter today urging the Biden administration to address the quickly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan that threatens the lives of tens of thousands of Afghan partners.  In the letter, the Senators call for the urgent evacuation of Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants and their families, as well as the full and immediate implementation of... Continue Reading »


King Backs Bipartisan Push for Cybersecurity Training at HBCUs, Schools with Higher Student Diversity

August 16, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that Senator King, co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to fund job training initiatives in cybersecurity studies at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The Cybersecurity Opportunity Act, which was authored by Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and also backed by Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), will create the a grant program... Continue Reading »


Senator King, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Ensure Most Profitable Corporations Cannot Evade Taxes

August 11, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-Va.) introduced bicameral legislation seeking to ensure America’s largest corporations pay their fair share in taxes, with dozens of big name, multi-million dollar corporations having paid zero federal taxes in recent years.  The Real Corporate Profits Tax Act of 2021 would create a fairer tax system and stronger economy by establishing a new tax on book income that would,... Continue Reading »


Senators Collins and King Celebrate Unanimous Senate Passage of National Lobster Day Resolution

August 11, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King are celebrating Senate passage of their bipartisan resolution that designates September 25, 2021 as “National Lobster Day.” The declaration was made official through a resolution the Senators authored, which was unanimously passed by the Senate in recent days. National Lobster Day seeks to recognize the economic and cultural importance of the species, which is a major economic driver for Maine. Senators Collins and King have... Continue Reading »


King, Pingree, Golden Applaud Darcie McElwee’s Nomination to Serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine

August 10, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden applauded the announcement that Darcie McElwee, a Caribou native, graduate of the University of Maine School of Law, and longtime Assistant U.S. Attorney, has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Maine. In order to provide counsel to President Biden during this process, Senator King and Representatives Pingree and Golden convened a... Continue Reading »


King, Pingree, Golden Applaud Darcie McElwee’s Nomination to Serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine

August 10, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden applauded the announcement that Darcie McElwee, a Caribou native, graduate of the University of Maine School of Law, and longtime Assistant U.S. Attorney, has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Maine. In order to provide counsel to President Biden during this process, Senator King and Representatives Pingree and Golden convened a... Continue Reading »