WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today called on the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to fund two additional staffing positions in Maine that will help better serve the needs of justice-involved Maine veterans confronting homelessness, mental health, or substance abuse issues. In a letter sent today, Senator King urged VA Secretary Shulkin to fund a Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) Specialist and a VJO Re-entry Specialist as part of the Veterans Justice Program.... 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 acting U.S. Trade Representative Maria Pagan, regarding reports of unfair subsidies that may have been illegally offered to a company in Quebec, urging her to ensure that there are no violations in international trade rules which could harm Maine and Maine businesses. “We believe it is critical to have fair and robust trade with our friends... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced this afternoon that he will vote to confirm Dr. David Shulkin as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs later this evening. Senator King released the following statement: “Having worked directly with Dr. Shulkin in the past, I know that he has the best interests of Maine veterans at heart and is committed to improving health care services for them,” Senator King said. “I also believe he shares my view that... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that he has joined Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) to reintroduce legislation that would offer employers incentives to voluntarily provide paid family or medical leave to their employees. The legislation – the Strong Families Act – comes after President Trump has expressed a desire to extend paid leave benefits to more families across the country. ... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced today that he will oppose the nominations of Congressman Tom Price to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services and Steven Mnuchin to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. Senator King released the following statement: “As I have for all Cabinet nominees, I closely followed Congressman Price’s confirmation hearing and extensively evaluated his record, and after doing so, I have concluded that he would not serve... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to an announcement from Sappi Fine North America that it will invest $165 million in Paper Machine No. 1 at its Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King released the following statement: “Sappi’s major investment builds on the company's leadership in modernizing and investing in the critical infrastructure that will continue to help the forest industry be a significant source of good jobs in Maine. In... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement today in response to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirming that President Trump supports allowing Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower prices of prescription drugs. Last month, Senator King reintroduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, legislation that would lower prescription drug prices for seniors by allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) voted against the nomination of Betsy DeVos to serve as Secretary of the Department of Education. Despite Senator King’s opposition, Ms. Devos was confirmed by a vote of 51-50, with Vice President Mike Pence casting the tie breaking vote in favor. Senator King released the following statement after the vote: “After following her confirmation hearing closely and after a great deal of consideration, last month I... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced today that he has cosponsored the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at improving rural communications and addressing call completion. Today, persistent dropped calls in rural communities across the country are creating major inconveniences for families, hurting businesses, and even threatening public safety. A 2012 test call project found that nearly one in five calls placed to rural... Continue Reading »
To watch Senator King’s video, click HERE. DIXFIELD, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) toured the Irving Forest Products Eastern White Pine Sawmill in Dixfield where he surveyed its operations and expressed his continued support for the forest products industry and its hardworking employees across Maine. “This is a fabulous mill. It’s the fourth largest sawmill in Maine – a huge contributor to the Maine forest economy, bringing wood in, sawing wood, and... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released an agenda for its February Open Meeting indicating that it will move forward with Phase II of the Universal Service Fund’s Mobility Fund (MFII), which is aimed at providing broadband service in rural areas of the country. The move by the FCC follows pressure from Senator King and his colleagues who wrote to new FCC Chairman Ajit Pai urging him to expand mobile broadband deployment in rural areas. Senator King... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King applauded the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) action today to exempt most civilian employees at public shipyards, including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, from the recently announced federal civilian hiring freeze. While the hiring freeze was not intended to apply to military personnel or positions considered essential to meet national security responsibilities, the uncertainty caused shipyards across the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement in response to an announcement by the Maine Attorney General that more than one person a day died of drug overdose in Maine in 2016: “Right now, Washington is consumed in petty partisanship and political bickering. But back in Maine, more than one person a day died from a drug-related overdose last year. That’s a troubling, staggering figure – and it should be a wake-up call to those in... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, today voted against the motion to report the nomination of Congressman Mick Mulvaney to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) out of the Senate Budget Committee. Following the vote, Senator King released the following statement: “While I personally like Congressman Mulvaney, I was extremely concerned that he refused to unequivocally state that the debt ceiling... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined several of his colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai asking him to prioritize mobile broadband deployment in rural and underserved areas. Specifically, the Senators are calling on the agency to move forward with Phase II of the Universal Service Fund’s Mobility Fund (MFII), which is aimed at providing broadband service to these... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced the release of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) 2016 Arctic Strategy. Senators King and Sullivan sponsored an amendment to the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that required “an updated military strategy for the protection of United States national security interests in the Arctic region.” Such a strategy... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement tonight on President Trump’s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court: “My approach to considering Judge Gorsuch’s nomination will be consistent with my approach to considering Merrick Garland’s nomination last year: I will listen to the views he expresses... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the co-chairs of the Senate Broadband Caucus, led 48 senators, including Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), in urging President Donald Trump to include broadband in any infrastructure initiative he puts forward. “Expanding access to broadband, both rural and urban, is the infrastructure challenge of our generation and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the support of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today favorably reported the nominations of Governor Rick Perry for Secretary of Energy and Congressman Ryan Zinke for Secretary of the Interior to the full Senate for its consideration. Senator King released the following statement: “While I do not agree with some of the positions held by Governor Perry and Congressman Zinke, after meeting with both of them... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced today that he has been named the Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water and Power. The Subcommittee on Water and Power is responsible for overseeing programs related to irrigation, reclamation projects, including related flood control purposes; power marketing administrations; energy development impacts on water resources; groundwater resources and management;... Continue Reading »
