WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Co-Chairs of the Senate Arctic Caucus, have introduced bipartisan, comprehensive legislation to improve America’s posture and opportunities in the Arctic. The Arctic Commitment Act includes a wide variety of Arctic-focused provisions pertaining to national security, shipping, research, and trade. The bill requires reports on eliminating Russia’s monopoly on Arctic shipping and establishing a permanent U.S.... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), today introduced Nathaniel Fick, nominee to be the State’s Department’s Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In his opening remarks, King highlighted the significant importance of the diplomatic role which was recommended by the CSC, and urged members of the Committee to expeditiously advance the well-qualified Cape Elizabeth... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a confirmation hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) urged a top nominee to support accountability in the Intelligence Community by protecting whistleblowers. During his questioning, King stressed the historic importance of America’s whistleblower protections at otherwise secret agencies, and asked Terrence Edwards – nominee to be Inspector General at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) – if he would protect... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, a member of the Appropriations Committee, and Angus King, a member of the Armed Services Committee, are calling on the Department of Defense (DOD) to expand childcare resources at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) after new DOD guidance has caused dozens of the shipyard’s civilian employees to lose access to the vital service. In a letter to Deputy Secretary of Defense Katherine Hicks with New Hampshire Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King, Co-Chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, is introducing legislation to reinstate internet neutrality protections and prohibit internet providers from unfair consumer practices. The Net Neutrality and Broadband Justice Act would reclassify broadband internet access as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act, giving the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the appropriate authority to reinstate net neutrality... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement after President Joe Biden announced that a U.S. operation resulted in the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al Qaeda and a planner of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks:“When the Twin Towers fell and the Pentagon was attacked on 9/11, Ayman al-Zawahiri was the evil mastermind working alongside Osama... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — United States Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Co-Chair of the Senate Semiconductor Caucus, applauded the U.S. House of Representatives passing his bipartisan legislation to improve federal permitting for semiconductor manufacturing. The bill, which unanimously passed the U.S. Senate in January, would help create jobs and strengthen American national security by adding the manufacturing of semiconductors and other key national security products to a fast-track... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today released the July episode of Senator King’s “Inside Maine” podcast, in which Senator King and his guests discussed the significant investments coming to Maine communities from 2022 Congressionally-Directed Spending (CDS). Senator King was joined by recipients from four organizations receiving CDS: Town of Vinalhaven planner George Kendrick, York County Shelter Programs Executive Director Megan Gean-Gendron, Saint... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) designating the month of July as “National Blueberry Month.” The resolution recognizes the importance of blueberries to the United States’ agricultural economy and highlights the crop’s history. Senators Collins and King ensured that the resolution included language paying tribute to the native Wabanaki.“The wild blueberry holds a... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) has joined bipartisan legislation that would repay up to $250,000 in eligible student loans for mental health professionals who work in underserved areas. The Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act, led by Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), would encourage careers in mental health services and incentivize these professionals to work in underserved areas like those across rural Maine.... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today urged a top Biden administration official to invest in storage technologies as the country works to transition to clean energy and confront the challenges of climate change. In a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, King stressed the “golden opportunity” energy storage presents as the Senate considers climate legislation, and asked Kelly Speakes-Backman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King, Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), today pressed a top Department of Defense nominee to prioritize America’s cyber and electronic warfare defenses. In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, King urged Milancy Harris – nominee to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security – to make sure the country’s cyberdefenses are ready for any potential threat or conflict, specifically emphasizing the importance... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today applauded the Senate’s near-unanimous passage of bipartisan legislation to support U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water projects across the country – including several projects in Maine. The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022, supported by both Senators, invests in the construction and maintenance of essential community water infrastructure, including shore damage mitigation in Saco and dredging along the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Senate Semiconductor Caucus, today applauded the Senate’s 64-33 vote to pass the CHIPS for America Act that invests in the United States’ leading-edge technology manufacturing and scientific innovation. The bipartisan legislation works to reduce America’s heavy dependence on foreign chips – currently a factor in car manufacturing delays and rising costs for many household goods – and improve national security by... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is raising concerns about America’s growing number of monkeypox cases and calling on the Biden administration to take actions to address the shortage of vaccines. In a letter with 21 of his Senate colleagues, King urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to immediately improve monkeypox vaccine distribution across the United States, highlighting widespread reports that the... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) joined a bipartisan group of 24 of their colleagues in urging the Biden Administration to help lower fuel prices and improve economic stability by increasing the proposed biodiesel volumes in upcoming fuel obligations for 2023 and 2024. The Senators highlighted how the American biomass-based diesel industry benefits our economy and environment, and why a strong biodiesel investment in the Renewable Volume Obligations... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to expand senior veterans’ access to assisted living services. The Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act would create a pilot program for eligible veterans to receive assisted living care paid for by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – helping the servicemembers who defended the nation live their senior years more... Continue Reading »
PORTLAND, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today visited the Abyssinian Meeting House — America’s third oldest meetinghouse constructed by a Black congregation — to see and hear how the organization will be using $1,700,000 in Congressionally-Directed Spending (CDS) to help restore the important historic building before its 200th anniversary in 2028. Senator King secured this federal investment for the Maine landmark in the recently-passed 2022 Omnibus... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) urged a top Pentagon nominee to ensure the Department of Defense and Biden administration maintain their focus on terrorism threats in the Africa region as attention and resources are being directed to Russia and China. In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, King asked Lieutenant General Michael Langley – nominee to be general and Commander of United States Africa Command – how he views the efforts of terrorist groups on the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today celebrated the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s bipartisan passage of his bill with Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) to give coastal communities infrastructure funding from wind development. The Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies & Ecosystems (RISEE) Act would amend the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) to direct revenues from future offshore wind construction to shoreline states... Continue Reading »
