WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a push by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) to modernize U.S. icebreaking capabilities, the Obama Administration announced today that it has requested from Congress $150 million to acquire a heavy polar icebreaker for use in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Senator King released the following statement: “A robust fleet of U.S. icebreakers is critical to expanding our presence and influence in the Arctic, particularly as Russian and other... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement today in response to an announcement by the Obama Administration that the President’s forthcoming budget request will increase funding for cyber-security by 35 percent to bolster national defense: “A frontline of warfare in the 21st century is computer... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King released the following statement today in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce announcement that it had initiated an expedited review of Catalyst Paper and Irving, sought by both companies, in connection with a trade case involving supercalendered paper exports from Canada. Catalyst and Irving requested the expedited review because they were not individually investigated by the Department of Commerce and were... Continue Reading »
PORTLAND, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Jay Williams and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree to announce $640,000 in federal funding to support innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation in Maine. Senator King, Assistant Secretary Williams, and Congresswoman Pingree announced that the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development (MCED) in Portland will receive $390,000 to expand its Top Gun Program into... 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 Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert McDonald urging him to take immediate action to improve the implementation of the Choice Program and ensure that all veterans in Maine receive timely care. “Our staff recently participated in a roundtable discussion on the implementation of the Choice Program in Maine along with representatives from the... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) has joined with a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce legislation that would improve how the federal government manages its buildings and other property across the country. The Federal Property Management Reform Act of 2016, introduced by Senators King, Tom Carper (D-Del.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.) last night, would establish a framework for federal agencies to... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today toured TechPlace, Brunswick Landing’s Technology Accelerator, to see firsthand how the innovative center is supporting the small business development needs of early-stage Maine manufacturers and technology companies. TechPlace, which Senator King helped get off the ground by helping secure a federal grant, provides local entrepreneurs a place to network with other innovators, research and develop ideas, build prototypes, test... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today attended the 150th Anniversary Celebration for Norway Savings Bank at the bank’s branch on Maine Street in Brunswick, where he presented a special Congressional Record statement recognizing the bank’s longstanding and high-quality service to Maine people. As a strong supporter of community banks like Norway Savings, Senator King has been working in Congress to cut unnecessary government red-tape and help make it... Continue Reading »
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 »
