WINTER HARBOR, ME – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, and Susan Collins, Representatives Chellie Pingree, Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior & Environment, and Jared Golden, and Governor Janet Mills welcomed U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to Maine. During the Interior Secretary’s visit, the Delegation, the Governor, and the Secretary discussed the importance of investments in our nation’s public... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), today applauded the unanimous Senate confirmation of Chris Inglis to serve as the nation’s first-ever National Cyber Director. The newly-created National Cyber Director position was a key recommendation of the Cyber Solarium Commission, and was one of the 25 CSC recommendations included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021. Last week, Senator King introduced... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today emphasized the carbon sequestration benefits created by working forests during a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. During the hearing to discuss the fiscal year 2022 U.S. Forest Service budget, King questioned Victoria Christiansen, Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, on the increased impact of growing forests versus mature forests in sequestering atmospheric carbon. Specifically, Senator King highlighted the... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – Following overwhelming, bipartisan votes in the Senate and House, President Biden today signed into law bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by Senators Susan Collins and Angus King designating Juneteenth as a federal holiday.Juneteenth, observed on June 19, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and is also known as “Emancipation Day,” “Jubilee Day,” and “Juneteenth Independence Day.” On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Major General Gordon Granger... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) issued the following statement after the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act by a ruling of 7 to 2: “Over the last twelve years, the Affordable Care Act has helped more than a hundred million Americans access lifesaving medical care – and over the past year-plus, a once-in-a-generation pandemic drove home the importance of quality, accessible, affordable healthcare. After Americans witnessed the physical, emotional and economic... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the United States prepares to withdraw the last of its troops from Afghanistan by September 11th, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) pressed a top Defense Department nominee for his commitment to prioritize efforts to bring America’s Afghan allies to safety. During a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator King pressed Dr. Ely Ratner, nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, for his commitment to “be irritating” on... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, convened top nuclear experts to talk through the strengths and weaknesses of U.S.’s current nuclear posture. During the hearing, Senator King questioned Dr. Matthew Kroenig on the question of whether or not the President of the United States has unilateral authority to launch a nuclear weapon. In addition, he pressed witnesses on topics including nuclear modernization,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) have introduced major bipartisan legislation to provide $40 billion in flexible funding to states, tribal governments, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia to bridge the digital divide. The Broadband Reform and Investment to Drive Growth in the Economy (BRIDGE) Act of 2021 would provide states with the resources and flexibility to deploy... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, stressed the need for clear cybersecurity leadership and accountability within the energy sector as a key way to confront the ongoing threat of cyberattacks on U.S. critical infrastructure. During his exchange with Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, in today’s hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator King raised New England’s vast reliance on natural gas to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a group of colleagues to support the bicameral John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act. This bill would prohibit discrimination against prospective foster or adoptive parents, and children and youth in the foster care system due to their religion, marital status, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and would bar harmful practices, like conversion therapy. Additionally, the bill would improve services to LGBTQ+ and religious... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, announced that a new report from the National Park Service showed that 2,717,380 visitors to national parks in Maine spent $306,900,000 in the state in 2020. Visitor spending resulted in 4,572 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $453,600,000. “From the coastal views of Acadia National Park to the awe-inspiring Katahdin Woods and Water National... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of this week’s G7 Summit, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is joining a group of Congressional colleagues to push the Biden administration to work toward a global agreement that addresses the ecological threat posed by marine plastic litter and microplastics. In their letter to President Biden, King and his fellow lawmakers emphasized that this crisis requires American leadership on the international stage, and encouraged the administration to engage in international... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, Patty Murray (D-Wash), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) are introducing new bipartisan legislation aimed at closing the growing digital divide in communities across the country. The Digital Equity Act of 2021 would create new federal investments targeted toward a diverse array of projects at the state and local level that promote “digital equity”— a concept defined by the National Digital Inclusion... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) are introducing legislation to make it easier for small farms and ranches to provide locally-produced meats to consumers. The Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act would give individual states the option to permit intrastate distribution of custom-slaughtered meat such as beef, pork, goat or lamb to consumers, restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, and grocery stores. The legislation comes... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today pressed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the decision to include only one DDG-51 Flight III destroyer in President Joe Biden’s budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, contradicting previous budget plans that planned for at least two and threatening Bath Iron Works’ production schedule. During this morning’s hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee focusing on the Department of Defense budget posture, Senator King... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), today introduced fellow CSC commissioner Chris Inglis before his nomination hearing in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) to become the country’s first-ever National Cyber Director (NCD). The newly-created National Cyber Director position was a key recommendation of the Cyber Solarium Commission, and was one of the 25 CSC recommendations included in the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are introducing bipartisan legislation to reform tax laws that cover charitable donations, so that philanthropic funds are made available to working charities within a reasonable time period. The Accelerating Charitable Efforts (ACE) Act would establish a timeline for donations to working charities from donor-advised funds (DAFs), which currently have more than $140 billion set aside for future charitable gifts,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today questioned Christine Abizaid, nominee to serve as Director of National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), on the danger of domestic violent extremism and the NCTC’s role in confronting violence stemming from this demonstrated threat. The exchange occurred during an open hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. During his questioning, Senator King highlighted the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, today applauded the Senate’s 68 to 32 vote to pass the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, bipartisan legislation that strengthens America’s competitive advantage against China by investing in American technological innovation, strengthening U.S. leadership in scientific research, and supporting the nation’s continued economic prosperity. The bipartisan legislation creates a new Directorate for... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today voted to advance the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 in order to help eliminate the gender wage gap, and guarantee that women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable. Despite Senator King’s vote, the motion to file cloture on the legislation failed to by a vote of 49 to 50. In response to today’s failed vote, Senator King – a cosponsor of the... Continue Reading »
