WASHINGTON, D.C. – This afternoon, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) met with former Governor Sonny Perdue, President Trump’s nominee to serve as Secretary of Agriculture. Senator King released the following statement after the meeting: “Governor Perdue and I had a substantive and constructive conversation this afternoon,” Senator King said. “We focused primarily on the strength and diversity of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) re-introduced legislation to eliminate a tax penalty levied on student loans forgiven for families after the death of their child and Americans who develop permanent disabilities. Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Ron Kind (D-WI) are also re-introducing a House companion bill today, and Senators Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), John Hoeven (R-Neb.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Susan... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded a total of $732,842 in federal funding to three Maine Health Centers. Bucksport Regional Health Center in Bucksport will receive $324,131. Maine Migrant Programs, Inc. in Augusta will receive $200,460. St. Croix Regional Family Health Center in Princeton will receive $208,251. “People across Maine rely on rural health care providers for... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King joined 39 of their colleagues today in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price urging him to work with Congress to prioritize quality health care for rural states like Maine. In the letter, the Senators also emphasized the importance of rural health care providers and their critical role in rural communities. “As you take on this new leadership role at HHS, we request that you... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin applauded the affirmative determinations from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in its final phase antidumping and countervailing duty investigations of Chinese producers for selling unfairly subsidized industrial grade amorphous silica fabric (ASF) in the United States at less than fair value. The ITC voted unanimously in agreement with Auburn... Continue Reading »
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 »
