WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the House of Representatives passing the American Rescue Plan as amended by the Senate, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, is celebrating the legislation’s historic investments in infrastructure that will begin to close the digital divide and ensure that more Americans can access the affordable, high-speed broadband that has facilitated commerce, education, and medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic. After negotiations... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined over 150 colleagues in the Senate and the House of Representatives to urge the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to rescind the former administration’s Title X policies, including the domestic gag rule, that restricted access to vital family planning and sexual health services. As directed by President Biden at the beginning of his presidency, HHS is undergoing a review of the Title X rules issued under the Trump... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee and member of the Congressional Executive Commission on China, questioned U.S. Navy Admiral Philip Davidson, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, on China’s recent investments in militarization in the Pacific region. During the hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator King sought the thoughts of Admiral Davidson about if China’s new activities were an... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) to introduce legislation that provides additional financial flexibility to borrowers struggling to get a better handle on their student debt during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. This legislation allows for borrowers to refinance their loan under certain conditions, to give them a higher standard of living and spending power. King, Warner and Tester are introducing this... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This morning, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) voted for the American Rescue Plan¸ a desperately-needed COVID-19 relief bill that will help bring this deadly pandemic under control and provide critical support to families across the country who are currently struggling to make ends meet. In his full statement below, Senator King emphasizes the cost of inaction, highlights his work to strengthen the bill, and underscores the immense bipartisan support for this legislation... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King released the following statement on the Senate deliberations surrounding an increase to the minimum wage:"Consideration of the Covid relief package in the Senate started with Bernie Sanders’ motion to include his $15 minimum wage proposal in the bill. I voted no along with 7 of my colleagues in the Democratic caucus, which has generated considerable disappointment and anger from callers to my office and commenters on social media. This was... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), emphasized the need for a policy of cyberdeterrance and strengthening international alliances to provide a multilateral response as an effective strategy to prevent foreign adversaries from attacking the United States’ critical infrastructure and cybernetworks. Today’s hearing was held to consider the nomination of Dr. Colin Kahl,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) urged the Biden Administration to update federal standards for high-speed broadband to reflect modern uses and align those standards across the government. In a bipartisan letter to the Biden Administration’s top officials for federal broadband policy – including Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) questioned Major General William Walker, Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard, seeking reforms to flawed processes exposed by the January 6th breach of the U.S. Capitol. During his remarks, Senator King sought to understand the specific failures that led to the U.S. Capitol police being left without the backup of the D.C. National Guard for 3 hours and 19 minutes, fighting against violent insurrectionists... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced his official committee and subcommittee assignments for the 117th Congress, when Senator King will assume the role of Chairman for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Senator King will also become Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, which oversees programs related to America’s nuclear and strategic forces. In addition, Senator King will maintain his... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) sent a letter to Rochelle Walensky, M.D., Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), requesting information as to how the CDC monitors genetic variants of COVID-19. In the letter, the Senators cite the unknown spread of COVID-19 variants throughout the United States, as well as the risk that these variants could be more transmissible or more deadly than the virus’s original strain. Citing these... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Maine’s U.S. Senators Angus King and Susan Collins and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden reintroduced the bipartisan York River Wild and Scenic River Act, bicameral legislation to initiate the final step in the process to add the York River into the National Park System’s Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. If the bill is passed by Congress and signed by the President, the York River will finally receive long-awaited federal protection and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced that he is an original cosponsor of the Equality Act – historic, comprehensive legislation to ban discrimination against LGBTQ Americans. The legislation would amend existing federal anti-discrimination laws to explicitly add sexual orientation and gender identity to be protected against discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, access to credit, federal funding, and more. It would also add... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) renewed his support for the Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed to Survive (RESTAURANTS) Act. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation, which Senator King first cosponsored when it initially was introduced last summer, establishes a $120 billion revitalization fund to support independent restaurants and small franchisees who are facing immense, long-term challenges as a result of the coronavirus... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the February edition of his Inside Maine podcast, focusing on the critical importance of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) during the coronavirus pandemic. This episode features Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), who joined Senator King to discuss his leadership in congressional efforts to hold Postmaster General Louis DeJoy accountable and strengthen... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) renewed his support for the DISCLOSE Act, legislation that aims to combat the corrosive impact of anonymous special interest spending in American politics. The bill would require organizations spending money in federal elections to disclose their donors, allowing the American people to see who is attempting to influence their vote and gain control over their government.“Elections are the foundation of America’s governmental system, when... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have reintroduced the Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at empowering emergency room personnel at health facilities to proactively identify, assess, and treat individuals at risk of suicide. The bill would create a voluntary grant program to assist emergency departments and medical professionals to develop protocols to support those most... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) questioned U.S. Army General Gustave Perna, Chief Operating Officer of Operation Warp Speed, on the status of the current plan for distributing COVID-19 vaccines to Americans and opportunities to strengthen and streamline the process. During his questioning, Senator King sought information on the bottlenecks to the existing systems, and offered the Committee’s assistance to speed up the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.) sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), urging the Commission to administer the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBBP) in a way that helps address the longstanding digital divides that block too many Americans from securing a reliable, affordable broadband connection. In their letter, the Senators encourage the FCC to design the program in a way that helps to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, voted to confirm former Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich.) as Secretary of the Department of Energy. Senator King’s vote comes after he questioned former Governor Granholm during a hearing of the ENR Committee, emphasizing the importance of furthering America’s innovative research into energy storage technology to maximize the capacity of renewable technologies; he... Continue Reading »
