WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement after voting against a proposal from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) which would not have adequately met the crisis facing the American people – and which was hundreds of billions lower than the previous Republican relief gesture. In his statement, Senator King highlights the fact that previous moves to reject Senator McConnell’s coronavirus relief proposals have resulted in drastically... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a bipartisan group of senators to call on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie to provide coverage of comprehensive telehealth services, including voice communication, for beneficiaries of the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA). Currently, federal regulations are focused on advanced technologies like telemedicine and do not allow CHAMPVA to cover health care... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. — Following longstanding, bipartisan efforts by U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representative Chellie Pingree, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue announced today that the USDA will provide approximately $530 million to support U.S. fishermen in coastal states impacted by retaliatory tariffs from foreign governments. The funding will be provided through the Seafood Trade Relief Program and funded through... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposal modeled after the DRIVE-Safe Act, bipartisan legislation originally cosponsored by Senator King to bolster America’s trucking workforce. FMCSA recently posted a notice in the Federal Register requesting public comment on the proposed pilot program, which would allow 18- to 20-year-old commercial driver’s license holders... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden announced that the Frances Perkins Center has received $500,000 through the National Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures Grant Program. This grant funding will allow the Center to preserve and improve the condition of the principal structures at the site of the Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark in Newcastle.“The Frances... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that 18 health centers throughout Maine have been awarded a total of $3,997,779 to address screening and testing needs, acquire medical supplies, and boost telehealth capacity in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).“Community health centers are the backbone... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that Isle au Haut has received $211,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to install a solar power array, enabling the island to receive 100 percent of electricity from clean, renewable solar power. This funding was awarded through the USDA Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). “Located seven miles off Stonington, Isle au Haut is a small, remote island in the Gulf of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released a letter from Senator King and a group of his Senate colleagues demanding answers from United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on how recent Postal Service delays have negatively affected service for small businesses. The Senators’ letter emphasizes the importance of the United States Postal Service (USPS) to small businesses across the nation, and underlines the heightened challenges facing these organizations... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON — Today, Maine congressional delegation announced that the VA has approved the construction of a new 24-bed program requested by the members of Congress to provide residential substance use disorder rehabilitation and treatment to Maine veterans. The announcement comes after dogged work from Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02), along with Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01), to advocate for the creation of the program.“Maine... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, and Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a bipartisan group of their colleagues in sending a letter to the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) urging the agencies to fully implement two key aviation workforce programs that invest in and expand the development of the next generation of aircraft pilots and maintenance... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that Senator King joined 28 of his Senate colleagues in a letter urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fully extend school meal waivers through the end of the 2020-2021 school year in order to ensure that schools have the flexibility they need to fully serve students, regardless of whether or not they are attending school in person. The letter continues a push initially made in July, and comes on the... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that 10 Maine organizations have received a total of $7,455,970 to help combat the opioid crisis. The investments will enable Maine community health centers, rural organizations, and hospitals to establish and expand access to integrated substance use disorder and mental health services. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).“The opioid crisis is devastating families and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced that Senator King and 33 of his Senate colleagues wrote to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar calling out the Administration for its ongoing political interference in the coronavirus response. The Senators warned that decisions to pressure and overrule public health experts – particularly the errant, overstated convalescent plasma claims this week that have resulted in two dismissals... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement from Senator King, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, on the Office of the Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe’s announcement that it will no longer brief Congress on election security issues. Instead, the top intelligence office will provide written updates.“The idea that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence would stop briefing Congress on... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that Atlantic Corporation in Waterville and Northern Spent Grains in Yarmouth have been awarded a total of $206,000 to advance food science and nutrition through early stage research and development projects. This funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.“Small businesses are... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that 93 skilled nursing facilities and nursing homes in Maine have been awarded a total of $10,421,700 to support increased testing, staffing, and personal protective equipment (PPE) needs. The funding announced today is a targeted distribution from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Provider Relief Fund, which is funded through $175 billion included in... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a total of $11,550,148 to the Maine Department of Health of Human Services (DHHS), the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), and the Aroostook Band of Micmacs. The funding will boost efforts to support cleaner air, safer drinking water, and the redevelopment of hazardous waste sites.“Protecting the health of our... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the University of Maine has been awarded $2,998,114 to support graduate research on the rapidly changing Arctic. This funding was awarded through the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Research Traineeship Program to train graduate students in the interdisciplinary field of Arctic systems science. The project anticipates training 57 MS and Ph.D. students, including 20 funded trainees from... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced that Senator King, a member the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, joined 46 of his Senate colleagues in a letter to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt urging him to remove William Perry Pendley from his position leading the Bureau of Land Management. The senators also call on the President to nominate a qualified director for consideration through the regular confirmation process.... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced that Senator King participated in a virtual teleconference with the Houlton Rotary Club to provide updates on the coronavirus pandemic and discuss his efforts to bridge partisan divides in Congress. Senator King was joined on today’s call by dozens of members of the Houlton Rotary Club, which was established in 1920 and currently has nearly 85 members from a diverse variety of occupations in Northern Maine.“In... Continue Reading »
