WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), are introducing bipartisan legislation to permanently authorize a successful pilot program to expand access to medical disability exams for veterans filing claims for a service-connected disability. The legislation would allow any eligible health care professional with a current unrestricted license and a contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a hearing of the Senate Veterans Affairs (SVAC) Committee, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) spoke with Dr. Thomas O’Toole, the Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Health for Clinical Services and the Deputy Medical Officer for Veterans’ Health Administration for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about the need to prioritize preventative measures to mitigate veteran suicide. During the exchange, Dr. O’Toole agreed that Senator King’s bipartisan legislation to provide... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Steve Daines (R-MT), leaders of the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, are introducing bipartisan legislation to strengthen and better manage public lands across the country. The America the Beautiful Act would reauthorize the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) and increase its funding to address serious maintenance backlog and ensure that America’s public lands can be enjoyed for generations to come. Senator... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee (ENR), U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), ranking member of the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, pressed Leslie Beyer, the nominee to serve as the Assistant Secretary of the Interior overseeing lands and minerals management, about transferring public land away from federal management for possible resource development without the approval of Congress. During the exchange, Senator King expressed concerns about these... Continue Reading »
To watch the floor speech, click here The full transcript of the speech can be found here WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King today spoke on the Senate floor to commemorate the 75th anniversary of former U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s (R-ME) ‘Declaration of Conscience’ speech. The speech, delivered on June 1, 1950, would be the defining moment in which a Republican stood up to her own party in defense of American democracy. More specifically, King called on his colleagues in both... Continue Reading »
To watch the floor speech, click here WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) today spoke on the Senate floor to commemorate the 75th anniversary of former U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s (R-ME) ‘Declaration of Conscience’ speech. The speech, delivered on June 1, 1950, would be the defining moment in which a Republican stood up to her own party in defense of American democracy. More specifically, King called on his colleagues in both parties to remember her legacy and “…stop... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) and dozens of his Senate colleagues are raising concerns from the public and encouraging the White House to reconsider Social Security Administration (SSA) field office closures in Maine and across the United States. In the letter to Acting Commissioner of the SSA Leland Dudek, King and the other Senators demand SSA field offices remain open so beneficiaries can continue to seek in-person assistance. “We write with concern in response to public... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) are cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to prohibit offshore drilling along the Maine coast, extending throughout the entirety of New England. The New England Coastal Protection Act would ban oil and gas leasing off the coast of Maine and in these protected areas. According to NOAA Fisheries, ocean and coastal industries, including tourism, fishing, and recreation, generate more than $17.5 billion in New England... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), the Ranking Member of the National Parks Subcommittee, marking the week of April 19 through April 27 as National Park Week 2025. The resolution, supported on a bipartisan basis, seeks to boost awareness of the value and availability of recreational areas while encouraging people across the country to spend time in America’s treasured national parks. The resolution is... Continue Reading »
KITTERY, ME – Yesterday, U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Angus King, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) visited Portsmouth Naval Shipyard with Secretary of the Navy John Phelan. The visit was Secretary Phelan’s first to a public shipyard since his confirmation as Secretary of the Navy by the U.S. Senate. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is a key economic driver in the region, supporting thousands of jobs integral to America’s national security. “It was a great pleasure for us to welcome the new Secretary of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King released the below statement following the President’s Oval Office meeting with El Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele: “The recent actions of the Trump Administration in connection with the deportations to a prison in El Salvador, culminating in yesterday’s meeting in the Oval Office, should strike fear and outrage in every American. “Putting two and two together, the President now claims the power to deport anyone he feels might be guilty of a... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Angus King, and a bipartisan group of 58 senators introduced legislation to expand telehealth access in Maine and across the country. The Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act would permanently expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities permanent, improve health outcomes, and make it easier for patients to connect with their doctors.... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Jim Risch (R-ID), co-chairs of the Senate Working Forests Caucus, are introducing bipartisan legislation to improve forest industry employment and participation through a grant program aimed at rural and underserved communities. The Jobs in the Woods Act would support developmental programs designed to better equip and train the forest products workforce for careers with the U.S. Forest Service and timber industries. Nationally, the forest... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resource (ENR) Committee, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) spoke with Dr. Preston Griffith, the nominee to serve as the Under Secretary of Energy, and Dr. Dario Gil, the nominee to serve as the Under Secretary of Energy for Science, about the need to prioritize energy storage technology as America works toward an “all of the above” energy future, making clear the value of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. During the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In an open hearing of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee (SSCI), U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) grilled Joseph Kent, nominee to be Director of the National Counterterrorism Center in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, about whether it was appropriate to share highly detailed information about an imminent military strike in an unsecure Signal chain made up of top national security intelligence officials — and, inadvertently, editor-in-chief of The... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King, in a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Seapower, spoke with Matthew Sermon, the program manager of the Maritime Industry Base, about the importance of strengthening Department of Defense (DoD) operations by removing unnecessary bureaucratic barriers to help expand the defense industrial base. During the exchange, Senator King cited the “burdensome” and “slow” process that companies are currently forced to go through when trying to contract with the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Peter Welch (D-VT) are introducing legislation to help prevent dangerous and costly falls. The Home Accessibility Tax Credit Act would establish a refundable tax credit for eligible home modifications designed to improve accessibility — saving both Americans with the highest risk of falling, as well as taxpayers, from the high medical costs associated with falls. “I often say, ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,’ and the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden today announced that Maine Veterans’ Homes (MVH) has received full reimbursement due to them from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for domiciliary care provided to veterans since 2021. In 2020, Congress passed legislation authorizing the VA to cover the costs of nursing home care provided by state veterans’ homes for veterans with early-stage dementia after it abruptly... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King, in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), spoke with Brandon Williams, the nominee to serve as the Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security, about the grave importance of keeping the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) staffed amid reckless cuts and buyouts inflicted upon the department by the White House at the urging of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). During the exchange, Senator King... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) sat down with Patrick Svitek of The Washington Post in an interview to discuss the unprecedented, unconstitutional overstep from President Trump’s Administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). During the interview — which comes during a surge of reckless federal layoffs and in the midst of a global trade war spurred by the Administration’s announcement of widespread tariffs — King made clear the dangers of Congress... Continue Reading »
