Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that Kennebec Valley Community Action Program (KVCAP) received $921,395 for its Early Head Start program in Kennebec and Somerset Counties.“Head Start programs are instrumental in ensuring that children cultivate new skills and receive educational opportunities that prepare them for a lifetime of success,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “We welcome this important investment in Maine families... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) sent a letter to the leadership of the Judiciary and Commerce Committees expressing their concern about the reauthorization of distant signal provisions in the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELAR).Provisions in STELAR, which expires at the end of this year, allow satellite TV companies to import TV signals from major markets into local markets. When the law initially passed 30 years ago,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that he has cosponsored the For the People Act, a sweeping package of legislative reforms that would strengthen anti-corruption laws and address the dominance of big money in politics; the bill is the Senate’s companion legislation to H.R. 1 in the U.S. House of Representatives, which passed the House earlier this month.To further strengthen campaign finance reform laws, Senator King also announced his reintroduction of the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) questioned Acting Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt on a number of environmental issues important to Maine people, including the possibility of offshore drilling in the Gulf of Maine, the status of the Katahdin Woods and Water Monument, and Senator King’s legislation to address the National Park Service’s $12 billion maintenance backlog. Senator King’s questioning came during a hearing in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) emphasized the responsibility of the Navy to ensure its contractors and subcontractors take adequate precautions to defend themselves against cyber attack. Senator King’s questioning comes on the heels of recent reports that the Navy’s industry partners are being targeted by foreign cyber attacks, who use these systems to access classified information. Today’s comments came during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King and Joe Manchin (W-Va.), members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) requesting information about NERC’s efforts to protect the United States’ bulk power system from supply chain vulnerabilities, particularly those posed by vendors from Russia and China. The letter was motivated by Senator King’s questioning of NERC CEO James Robb in a February 14th... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced his co-sponsorship of the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement Deterrence (TRACED) Act, bipartisan legislation that gives regulators more resources to find robocall scammers, increases penalties for violators, and promotes call authentication and blocking adoption. The legislation would also bring together federal agencies and state attorneys general to address obstacles to criminal prosecution of illegal... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) voted against the Green New Deal resolution before the Senate. In his full statement, which can be read below, King emphasized that while he opposes the contents of the resolution, he strongly agrees with the need for “decisive action.” Also in his statement, Senator King expressed his frustration with to the circumstances surrounding today’s vote, which he described as “a cynical act of political theater.” Senator King’s full statement... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement after the Department of Justice (DOJ) backed a federal judge’s ruling in Texas v. United States that deemed the entire Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. If the decision stands, millions of Americans could be left without health coverage and pre-existing condition protections, and families across the country could see healthcare costs rise.“While one Department of Justice decision is driving headlines... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King and Susan Collins today applauded an announcement from the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) that they have partnered to initiate the Mass Timber University Grant Program. The new grant program aims to promote the construction of mass timber buildings on American higher education campuses throughout the country. The announcement follows a December 2018 letter – led by Senator King and signed by Senator... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the following statement upon reviewing Attorney General William Barr’s letter outlining the ‘principal conclusions’ of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report:“Attorney General William Barr’s letter confirmed for me what I have gathered from the last two years of public reports: Special Counsel Mueller and his team have conducted a serious, careful, and thorough investigation into the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and Doug Jones (D-Ala) led a bipartisan group of 12 Senators to call on the U.S. Department of Commerce to release its report on whether imported automobiles and auto parts threaten the country’s national security.Last year, Commerce self-initiated a “national security” investigation into automotive imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Under the statute, the president is authorized to impose... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded the State of Maine $2.3 million to help combat the opioid epidemic. The State Opioid Response grants are administered by HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) and aim to address the opioid crisis by increasing medication-assisted treatment.“No community is immune from this heartbreaking epidemic that... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, announced Senator King’s cosponsorship of the Sunlight for Unaccountable Non-Profits (SUN) Act, legislation that requires the IRS to publish the names of any donors who give more than $5,000 to tax-exempt political organizations.“The Framers intended to create a government that is both by the people and for the people. This cannot and should not allow secretive... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) and Representative Jared Golden (D-Maine) today applauded an announcement from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that it will immediately reopen the Bangor Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) two days a week. The IRS announcement comes days after the members of the Maine delegation urged the IRS to reject the recent closure of the Bangor tax office, which served as the last remaining TAC in the Second Congressional... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today urged the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure it remains the primary provider of veteran health care and to implement the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) as a means to fill gaps in veteran health care coverage. The VCCP, authorized by the VA Mission Act of 2018, offers American veterans local care outside of the VA depending on certain conditions and eligibility... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) and Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) urged the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today to reject the recent closure of the last remaining Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) in Maine’s Second Congressional District. The members of Congress, led by Golden, wrote to the IRS urging agency leadership to reject the move and provide answers on how IRS will meet the needs of rural Mainers. “I won’t stand by while bureaucrats in Washington try... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – On Maine’s 199th birthday, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) and Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Jared Golden (D-ME) wrote to the United States Postal Service (USPS) expressing their strong support for creating a commemorative postal stamp in celebration of Maine’s bicentennial on March 15, 2020.“Since joining the Union 199 years ago as the 23rd state in 1820, Maine has contributed enormously to the social fabric of our country,” the Maine... Continue Reading »
BANGOR, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee and ranking member of the National Parks Subcommittee, today brought together Maine leaders and advocates to meet with Acting U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt to discuss National Park Service priorities in Maine. During the meeting, Senator King underscored the Katahdin Woods and Water National Monument’s economic potential for the region, and stressed the immediate... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) voted in favor of a resolution of disapproval to overturn the President’s declaration of a national emergency to build a wall on the southwestern border. The resolution of disapproval passed by a vote of 59-41, with 12 Senate Republicans voting to block the declaration.“Today’s vote was not a choice between the President’s border wall and open borders – and frankly, the repeated suggestion that I or any of my Senate colleagues support... Continue Reading »
