WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is introducing bipartisan legislation to increase the efficiency and efficacy of livestock feed — leading to higher produce yields and harvests. Under current law, farmers and ranchers do not have access to the most up-to-date additives to help improve the quality and quantity of their meat and dairy products. The Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development (FEED) Act would help cut bureaucratic red tape at the U.S. Food and Drug... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is cosponsoring legislation to expand Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug prices and lower the costs of prescription medication nationwide. The Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act would also reduce federal spending by reaching lower-price agreements, and give the Department of Health and Human Services stronger tools to negotiate lower drug prices in Medicare Part B and Part D. According to preliminary estimates from... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), senior members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), led their House and Senate colleagues in a letter to Doug Collins, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requesting detailed information on the hundreds of cancelled contracts across the agency impacting earned health care and benefits for veterans in Maine. In the letter, the senators slam the Secretary’s untruthful narrative... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), received commitment from General David Allvin, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, to support the KC-46 tanker program and remain focused on military readiness and availability. Last fall, it was announced that Bangor Air National Guard Base was a finalist to receive the KC-46A fueling tankers to replace the aging KC-135s. During the exchange, Senator King touted the tremendous... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), Ranking Member Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) are calling on the Trump Administration to protect veteran caregivers in Maine and across the country. In a letter to Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins, the Senators press the administration to extend a pause in discharges for legacy caregivers enrolled in the VA caregivers’... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is joining bipartisan legislation to ensure the United States is well positioned to mitigate potential prescription drug shortages and respond to future health emergencies. More specifically, the Mapping America’s Pharmaceutical Supply (MAPS) Act would improve federal coordination and visibility for essential medicine supply chains by proactively identifying and addressing supply chain shortfalls or weaknesses. The bipartisan MAPS Act... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is joining his colleagues today in demanding the Department of Defense be transparent with them about the substantial national security risks of the $400 million Air Force One bribe from the Qatari royal family. Just days after Senator King told Scripps News that the jet transfer “poses a serious national security risk,” he signed a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, seeking answers about the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), spoke with Dr. William Greenwalt, the former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy, on the wide-ranging benefits of the United States’ collaboration with allies to bolster American defense modernization. During the exchange, Senator King noted that by retreating from our European, Japanese and Australian allies, we are “squandering that asset and siloing innovation.”... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), in a hearing of the Energy and Natural Resource (ENR) Committee, pressed Connor Prochaska, nominee to serve as the Director of Advanced Research Projects Agency within the Department of Energy, and Dr. Ned Mamula to serve as the Director of U.S. Geological Survey within the Department of the Interior, on extreme budget cuts impacting critical research programs at both departments. During his exchange with Prochaska, Senator King repeatedly asked... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Angus King, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), are urging the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to process nearly 150 personnel that have received initial job offers from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for civilian positions that have been approved by U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan. In their letter to OPM Acting Director Charles Ezell, the Senators note that individuals who are needed to fill critical national security roles cannot be fully onboarded... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Angus King questioned an administration nominee on his willingness to follow the science in the face of increasingly occurring and violent weather events. In his questioning of Mr. Adam Telle to be Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, King asked about the importance of Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) in responding to natural disasters and how, if confirmed, he would... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Jim Banks (R-ID), members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, have introduced bipartisan legislation to make the veteran benefit claims process more streamlined and fair. The Review Every Veteran’s Claims Act would reform the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) claims process, helping to ensure that veterans’ benefits claims are never denied solely because they miss a medical disability exam appointment. Currently, many VA... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), has joined a bipartisan group of colleagues and introduced legislation to strengthen the civilian defense workforce in Maine and address workforce shortages. Their bill, the Defense Workforce Integration Act would leverage existing programs and best practices within the Department of Defense (DoD) to retain the talent and motivation of those who desire to serve but are classified as... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to help the United States outcompete foreign adversaries like China that are significantly investing in research and development (R&D). The American Innovation and Jobs Act would help American small businesses expand and strengthen research and development (R&D) by extending and making permanent vital tax credits –allowing full expensing... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), pressed Sean O’Keefe, nominee to serve as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, for his commitment to maintain focus on addressing brain injuries stemming from weapon blast traumas. During the exchange, Senator King’s remarks were informed by the analysis of the brain of the Lewiston shooter — who shot and killed 18 Maine people in October 2023 — which... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As mass shootings continue to kill or injure Americans needlessly, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) reintroduced legislation to curb these mass killings without hindering 2nd amendment gun rights. The Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act would protect communities from gun violence while safeguarding law-abiding Americans’ constitutional right to own a firearm for legitimate self-defense, hunting, and sporting purposes by limiting the features of certain... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) introduced bipartisan legislation to curb violence against health care workers. The Save Healthcare Workers Act would help deter and prevent violence against health care workers by making it easier to prosecute individuals who commit violence against hospital employees. The legislation would establish fines and federal criminal penalties for persons convicted of assaulting hospital personnel, with increased penalties... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), in a hearing of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), pressed Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to provide some details about the 585 VA contracts he has announced he plans to cancel nationwide. The hearing comes two months after Senator King wrote a letter to Secretary Collins requesting a full list of all the contracts cancelled and made clear that arbitrary, reckless cancellations will harm veterans by denying... Continue Reading »
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 »
