WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Angus King spotlighted the deadly toll that illegal narcotics are taking on Maine people and the nation, as he questioned U.S. Army General Laura Richardson, Commander of the United States Sothern Command (SOUTHCOM), about the U.S. government’s capacity to intercept dangerous drug shipments coming into the United States by sea. In his exchange with General Richardson, Senator King highlighted that, on... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Maine’s Congressional Delegation wrote to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough requesting an update on a rule that would allow VA to reimburse Maine Veterans’ Homes (MVH) for nursing home care for veterans with dementia. In the letter, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden, stressed that the ongoing delay in finalizing the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and John Cornyn (R-TX) are urging the Administration to be more nimble in preventing the funding of the Russian war effort via gold sales. In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the Senators argue that the United States needs to take additional steps to prevent Vladimir Putin and his cronies from selling gold to obtain hard cash that funds the Russian war machine. King and Cornyn previously... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Senator Angus King pushed top Biden Administration officials on the need to support America’s wildland firefighters. In a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (ENR), King shared the first-person account of a wildland firefighter and the conditions he endures with Meryl Harrell, Deputy Under Secretary of Natural Resources and the Environment at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Joan Mooney, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today joined their Congressional colleagues in welcoming Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Writing to Swedish Ambassador Urban Ahlin, Pingree, Collins, and King called Sweden’s membership in NATO an “historic achievement” and thanked Sweden for its “commitment to defending democracy.” Sweden’s inclusion in NATO comes after generations of reluctance on the nation’s part to join... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King spoke to top intelligence officials about the immediate need to address the opioid crisis that is causing around 300 American deaths per day, and costing Maine. In an open hearing of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee (SSCI), King asked Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray about what the intelligence community is doing to help the government halt the flow of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Angus King, Chair of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, questioned Dr. Paul Scharre, the Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security, about the need for the Department of Defense (DoD) to shift its research and development (R&D) strategies. Citing hypersonic missiles and directed energy as examples, King suggested the Pentagon should prioritize working... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King have joined bipartisan legislation to ensure that auto manufacturers continue to provide AM radio service in every new vehicle. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act would direct federal regulators to require automakers to include AM broadcast radio in their new vehicles at no additional charge. AM radio is especially important for rural communities, with the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) finding that two-thirds of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden announced that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (Maine DHHS) will receive $2,048,452 through the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Emergency Response Grant program (SERG). This program is designed to meet emergency substance use and mental health needs for communities impacted by a precipitating emergency or... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is joining legislation that would help public service providers like first responders and teachers afford homes and live in the communities where they work. The Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator, and Responder (HELPER) Act would establish a new, one-time-use home loan program for law enforcement officers, firefighters, medical first responders, and teachers. A recent study from a group of Maine housing experts found that Maine is now short... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C .– During tonight’s State of the Union Address, President Biden is expected to announce his decision to order the U.S. military to establish a temporary port in Gaza to facilitate more humanitarian aid to Palestinians in need. The decision follows the efforts of Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), and Senator Angus King (I-ME), a senior member of SASC, who recently delivered a letter to President Biden urging his Administration to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is joining colleagues to cosponsor legislation cracking down on the enforcement of illegal robocalls. The Deter Obnoxious, Nefarious, and Outrageous Telephone (DO NOT) Call Act cracks down on illegal robocalls and robotexts, improves enforcement, and increases penalties for robocallers who violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The TCPA restricts the use of automated telemarketing calls. In 2022, Americans received 78 billion... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a joint hearing of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee (HVAC), U.S. Senator Angus King received confirmation of the value of several of his policy initiatives with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). In an exchange with VFW Commander-in-Chief Duane Sarmiento, King detailed three specific pieces of legislation he’s co-sponsored that would ease the paperwork process for those transitioning to civilian life, in order to make... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Armed Services (SASC) and the Senate Veterans’ Affairs (SVAC) Committees, is cosponsoring legislation to protect and enhance the fertility services offered by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA). Senator King’s support of this legislation comes on the heels of the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision equating frozen embryos to children. The Veterans Families Health Services Act would... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is co-sponsoring bipartisan legislation that would allow workers to use their tax-free educational savings plans to pay for credentialing and training. The Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act would change existing policy and allow tax-free 529 plan education funds to pay for the expenses of a post-secondary credential, such as a commercial driver’s license. The bill also grants the Department of Labor authority to determine what... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has introduced legislation banning energy exports to China and other foreign adversaries. Having long warned of America “exporting our principal advantage in the world economy,” Senator King joined with colleagues to introduce the Protecting American Households From Rising Energy Costs Act. The legislation would ban the export of crude oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND), members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, have introduced a bill that would require the VA to study the risks to elderly veterans of a proposed rule by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that would unsustainably change staffing ratios at nursing homes. The bill requires an assessment of the VA’s ability to continue meeting the long-term care (LTC) needs of veterans at VA and VA affiliated... Continue Reading »
Sanford, ME – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree, and Governor Janet Mills announced the Maine Defense Industry Alliance (MDIA), a newly established non-profit coalition of Maine defense companies, state agencies, community colleges and universities, and other vocational training organizations. Based at the York County Community College (YCCC) Instructional Site in Sanford, this partnership was created to attract and train thousands of new... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King today encouraged United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) leadership to assess threats to America’s significant private and public satellite fleet. In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), King questioned General Stephen Whiting, USSPACECOM Commander, about what the United States is doing to mitigate existing risks in space and what the country can do to keep American assets and infrastructure safe from foreign adversaries. The... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), and SASC Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) are urging the Biden Administration to deploy a U.S. Navy hospital ship to the region. Sending a hospital ship would help to alleviate suffering and treat the injuries of Gazans hurt in the current conflict between Israel and Hamas terrorists embedded in the civilian population. In a letter to the White House, the Senators make the case that supplying a... Continue Reading »
