BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President Obama urging a coordinated interagency response plan to address the spread of the Zika virus both at home and abroad. The letter calls for the President to take a number of new actions, including taking the Zika virus into consideration as the Administration coordinates and allocates resources from the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016, and moves forward with... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A tripartisan biomass amendment, authored by Senator Collins and cosponsored by Senator Angus King, has been adopted unanimously as part of the Energy Policy Modernization Act, which is currently under consideration in the Senate. The amendment was also cosponsored Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Al Franken (D-MN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and James Risch (R-ID). This amendment echoes the principles outlined in a June 2015... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Just days after CVS Health announced that it will make the opioid overdose reversal medicine naloxone available without a prescription at all CVS Pharmacy locations in Ohio, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) has sent a letter to the company urging them to do the same in Maine. “Naloxone is a critical tool in the fight against opioid deaths, and providing quicker, easier access to it will save more lives. CVS has a strong presence in Maine with 22 locations; as... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As some utility companies across the country attempt to discourage the growth of residential renewable energy sources that help people lower their energy bills, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) today spoke on the Senate floor in favor of an amendment they have filed to the comprehensive energy bill that would support free market competition in the energy industry and foster individual energy independence for families and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Americans prepare for tax season, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Chairman of the Aging Committee, and Patty Murray (D-WA), the Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today introduced the Save Access to a Valuable Investment Needed to Generate Savings (SAVINGS) Act of 2016. Original co-sponsors of the bill include Senators Angus King (I-ME), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO). The bipartisan bill would preserve... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King pressed for action from President Obama to help bring down the soaring cost of prescription drugs for people in Maine and across the country. In a letter sent Tuesday morning, Senator King and a group of lawmakers called for more support in the President’s 2017 budget proposal to help address prescription drug prices and cut health care costs. “Prescription drug prices are soaring in the United States, driving up costs in... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today praised an announcement by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) that the President’s upcoming budget will include $1 billion to fight the heroin and prescription drug abuse epidemic in America. In a letter to the President this past December, Senator King called on the Administration to increase the federal government’s financial... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today congratulated Kathy Welch, a school counselor at York’s Coastal Ridge Elementary School, for being named Maine’s representative to the nationwide School Counselor of the Year Program held in Washington. The program, which is organized by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), honors counselors around the country who run high-quality, comprehensive school counseling programs at either the elementary,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today at a workforce event held in the Senate, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) renewed his call to bridge the digital divide for rural and low-income students so that the next generation of American workers has access to critical digital learning tools, both in the classroom and at home. “More and more students in America today don’t have reliable Internet access at home, and not only does that set them back as they pursue their education, it also puts our... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement today in response to a new study that found that high school students in America last year did not claim up to $2.7 billion in federal financial aid. According to the study, the money, which averages out to nearly $2,000 per student, went unclaimed due in large part to incomplete or unsubmitted FAFSA applications, leaving students in greater debt when they... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King have announced the award of $1.181 million for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The grant, which was awarded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program, will help provide free immunizations to eligible low-income children under the age of 18. “Vaccines are essential for protecting children from a variety of serious infections... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S Senator Angus King (I-Maine) attended a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing focused on heroin addiction and prescription drug abuse in the United States. Senator King, who is not a member of the Committee, sat in the audience for part of the hearing as the Committee considered the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, bipartisan legislation he has cosponsored that would encourage states and local communities to pursue a full array of proven strategies... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King have announced the award of $388,466 to the Penobscot Indian Nation and the Houlton Band of Maliseets. The grant was awarded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Indian Housing Block Grant Program. The Penobscot Nation will receive $249,462, and the Houlton Band of Maliseets will receive $139,004. “These important investments in Maine’s tribal communities will help support... Continue Reading »
LISBON FALLS, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) celebrated the official opening of Blue Ox Malthouse, a 7,500 square foot facility in Lisbon Falls established by owner Joel Alex which will nearly double Maine and New England craft brewers’ access to locally sourced and produced malts. As a strong supporter of Maine’s craft brewing industry, Senator King welcomed the new facility and underscored how it will help strengthen local economies and communities. “With... Continue Reading »
AUGUSTA, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) presented Army veteran Joseph G. Hoerth of Westport Island with several medals he earned for his service during World War II but never received. During a ceremony held at his office in Augusta, Senator King presented Mr. Hoerth with the Bronze Star Medal, Prisoner of War Medal, and Combat Infantry Badge. “These medals are a testament to Joe’s extraordinary service to our nation, as he and millions of other brave... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin sent a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on behalf of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine requesting a bonus buy of Maine wild blueberries. Bonus buys help protect American farmers from unexpected market conditions by purchasing surplus goods and distributing them to food banks and other charitable institutions.... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the University of Maine will receive a grant award of $11,902 for food research from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This investment, provided through the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), will support a project titled, “Investigating Diversity as a Climate Resilience Strategy for Potato and Grain Systems Using DSSAT and Collaborative Modeling.”... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded $395,890 to the University of Maine at Augusta. The funding is provided through the agency’s Strengthening Institutions Program and aims to support low-income students, advance academic quality, and promote the fiscal stability of the University of Maine at Augusta. ... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced today that the Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously passed the Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016, a major piece of legislation that reauthorizes childhood nutrition programs and includes important provisions from two other bills that he introduced last year with Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). The included provisions from the Healthy School Meals Flexibility Act, which... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, released the following statement today after opposing a procedural motion to advance legislation that would effectively end the refugee resettlement program from Syria and Iraq. Senator King voted in opposition to the bill after the failure to reach agreement on an amendment process. “Rather than take a vote that may look good in some thirty second TV ad, we owe it... Continue Reading »
