To watch the floor speech click here WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) today spoke on the Senate floor to share his growing concerns over the Trump Administration’s largely unconstitutional and unprecedented overreach – sharing the usurpation of Congressional Authority that has now reached the constitutionally-directed ‘power of the purse.’ In the speech, King also shared the detrimental impacts of reckless, indiscriminate government cuts on critical federal functions like... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) are introducing legislation to fast-track veteran’s access to earned health care benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Servicemember to Veteran Health Care Connection Act would codify and expand the existing VA pre-transition health care registration process for all servicemembers transitioning to civilian life. This would ensure that the VA, in partnership... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) scorned the recent firing of one thousands employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) across throughout the country as having a detrimental impact on veterans and their ability to access their earned benefits. In a hearing of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), King also questioned the Honorable Paul Lawrence Ph.D., nominee to be Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, on his support for these cuts and how he will work... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, is introducing legislation to help improve conditions for kelp forest and marine life. The Help Our Kelp Act — which also has a companion bill in the House of Representatives — would invest federal resources to address ongoing crises that kelp forest ecosystems face along the Maine coastline and across the country. Kelp forest ecosystems in Maine and along the nation’s shores... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee, is cosponsoring legislation to allow surviving spouses of fallen servicemembers to retain certain survivor benefits if they choose to remarry. Under current law, most benefits from the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are terminated for surviving spouses who remarry before age 55. The Love Lives On Act would allow... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Angus King raised several urgent questions with Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey, the Commander of United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), and Air Force General Gregory Guillot, Commander of United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM). Senator King, pushed the military officials about the lack of military presence and resources in the Caribbean to interdict illegal drug shipments — in addition to in the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the Select Senate Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to help law enforcement combat fentanyl trafficking and equip scientists with the tools to research and better understand fentanyl and other opioid-related substances. The bipartisan Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act would finally make permanent the scheduling of illicitly produced... Continue Reading »
To watch the floor speech click here WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) tonight took to the floor of the Senate to share his concern over President Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). In the speech, Senator King began his remarks by outlining the roles of Congress and the Presidency as America’s Founders envisioned: to make laws and to execute laws, respectively. He then turned to the HHS candidate, speaking... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) released the following statement after voting against Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to serve as the Director of National Intelligence. Congresswoman Gabbard was confirmed in a vote of 52-48. “The Director of National Intelligence position boils down to judgment and management — and I find Congresswoman Gabbard lacking in both of these essential traits. “First to the quality of judgment and discernment. While the Congresswoman has... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and John Cornyn (R-TX) are introducing bipartisan legislation to protect a higher-quality veterans’ experience with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Improving Veteran Experience Act would lock into law the Veterans Experience Office (VEO), making it an official fixture to help meet the increased demand for services. Founded in 2015, the VEO collects veterans’ feedback through surveys and uses that data to continuously improve the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to help protect youth from the harmful impacts of social media. The Kids Off Social Media Act would enforce minimum age limits to use social media platforms and prevent social media companies from feeding algorithmically-targeted content to users under the age of 17. Studies have shown a strong relationship between social media use and poor mental health, especially among children. From 2019 to 2021, overall... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), is joining his colleagues in demanding the Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary protect veterans’ personal information. In a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins, the Senators urge him to take immediate actions to secure veterans’ personal information provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). The call to protect this data follows... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is introducing legislation to prohibit direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceutical drugs. The Responsibility in Drug Advertising Act would prohibit direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of a new drug in the first three years after the drug receives Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The FDA could waive the third year of this prohibition if an affirmative value to public health is established or extend the prohibition if the drug has... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Energy and Natural Resources National Parks Subcommittee Ranking Member Senator Angus King (I-ME), and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-NM) urged newly confirmed U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to immediately take action to resolve looming staffing... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) shared his growing concerns over the Trump Administration’s largely unconstitutional and unprecedented overreach. In a speech on the Senate floor, King cited the Founding Fathers to add historical perspective to the decisions facing the Senate including the importance of keeping a separation of powers between the branches of government. “The framers were so fearful of concentrated power that they designed a system that would be hard to... Continue Reading »
To watch the floor speech click here WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) today spoke on the Senate floor to share his growing concerns over the Trump Administration’s largely unconstitutional and unprecedented overreach -- adding historical perspective to the decisions facing the Senate. In the speech, King also shared his position on Russell Vought, the nominee to become Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): “We began our careers here with the following words,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King joined 26 of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) calling for the immediate implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act. This bipartisan legislation, which Senator Collins coauthored with former Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and which was co-sponsored by King, will provide full Social Security benefits for millions of public servants impacted by the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), joined his committee colleagues to sound the alarm on the new national security risks that present themselves with the current operations of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the Senators write about the risks to national security by allowing unvetted DOGE staff and representatives to access classified and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Armed Services Committees, is introducing bipartisan, bicameral legislation to improve financial security for servicemembers, veterans, and their families. The Fairness for Servicemembers and their Families Act would ensure life insurance packages for servicemembers and veterans adjust for increases in cost of living and inflation. From 2006 to 2023, the maximum insurance value available for service members... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) and 36 of his colleagues have contacted Secretary of State Marco Rubio, expressing their deep concern regarding the growing chaos at the U.S. Department of State and the Trump Administration’s attempt to abolish the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In a letter to Secretary Rubio, the Senators highlighted that USAID is a critical pillar of U.S. national security strategy, providing lifesaving aid and development support around... Continue Reading »
