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Press Releases

Press Releases

King: Senate GOP Plan Does Not Reflect Needs of American People

July 27, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement in response to the Senate Majority Leader’s proposal for a new coronavirus relief package:“On May 15th, the House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act to help lay out the next stage of support for the American people during the coronavirus pandemic. This should have been seen as a starting point from which to begin a dialogue – but instead, the proposal languished on the Senate Majority Leader’s... Continue Reading »


King, Murkowski Introduce Legislation to Enhance Testing, Tracing Protocols

July 27, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have introduced legislation to establish a grant program through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help enhance coronavirus testing, contact tracing, and supported isolation efforts. The COVID-19 Testing, Reaching, And Contacting Everyone (TRACE) Act’s grants could be used to support programs that use mobile health units or work through community-based organizations, provide coronavirus... Continue Reading »


Senators Collins, King Announce Nearly $330,000 for Health Center to Expand COVID-19 Testing in Androscoggin and Cumberland Counties

July 27, 2020

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that Community Clinical Services in Lewiston has been awarded a total of $329,717 to expand COVID-19 testing and tracing capacities.  The funding was awarded through the Paycheck Protection Program & Health Care Enhancement Act that was signed into law on April 24, 2020.  This legislation, which Senators Collins and King supported, included $52.7 million for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services,... Continue Reading »


Senate Passes Bipartisan King Legislation to Cut Red Tape For “American-Made” Products

July 24, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation led by U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) to establish a uniform federal standard for products labeled “Made in the U.S.A.” or “Made in America.”  Under current conditions, businesses that make their products in the United States face a patchwork of different state laws – making compliance costs burdensome in order to ensure products can be sold across the country with the... Continue Reading »


King, Young, Capito Seek Ways to Make Coronavirus Telehealth Expansions Permanent

July 24, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) to introduce legislation to study the impacts of telehealth during the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID–19 Emergency Telehealth Impact Reporting Act of 2020, requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to assess key health care data, including utilization rates and hospital readmission rates, for patients who received their healthcare through... Continue Reading »


King Announces Opposition to Fed Nominee

July 24, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced his opposition to the nomination of Dr. Judy Shelton to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, after she passed through the Senate Banking Committee on a party line vote. His full statement below highlights concerns that Dr. Shelton would support dangerous economic policies – including a return to the gold standard – and abandon the longstanding independence that has allowed the Federal Reserve to set economic policy... Continue Reading »


Senate Passes National Defense Bill with King Priorities to Ensure National Security, Increase Military Pay, Strengthen America’s Cyberdefense, and Accelerate Coronavirus Response

July 23, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today voted for the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation includes a number of provisions proposed and advocated for by Senator King, which will support Maine jobs, bolster our national security, and boost our economy and military in the face of the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. The bill also includes a number of provisions that were recommended by... Continue Reading »


To Honor Civil Rights Icon, King Joins Group to Introduce John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

July 23, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined 47 of his Senate colleagues to introduce the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a bill to restore the landmark Voting Rights Act and end the scourge of voter suppression. The legislation has been renamed to honor the legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis.“John Lewis fought every day of his life to make our nation live up to the ideals we hold dear – including the idea that we are a government of, by, and for the people,” said... Continue Reading »


King Announces Opposition to Fed Nominee

July 23, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced his opposition to the nomination of Dr. Judy Shelton to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, after she passed through the Senate Banking Committee on a party line vote. His full statement below highlights concerns that Dr. Shelton would support dangerous economic policies – including a return to the gold standard – and abandon the longstanding independence that has allowed the Federal Reserve to set economic policy... Continue Reading »


King, 36 Senators Push for Significant, Flexible Funding for State and Local Governments in Upcoming Coronavirus Relief Package

July 23, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and 36 of his Senate colleagues urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to support the funding levels for state and local governments that were included in the HEROES Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives over two months ago, as well as the legislation’s funding flexibility provisions. The HEROES Act included $500 billion for states, $375 billion for local governments and $20 billion each for territories and tribal... Continue Reading »


King-Led Parks and Conservation Legislation Passes House, Heads to President’s Desk

July 22, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) by a 310-107 vote, bipartisan legislation championed by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) that will support national parks and public lands across our nation. The GAOA includes the Restore Our Parks Act, legislation introduced by Senator King and others to address the existing $12 billion maintenance backlog in our national parks – including an estimated $65 million... Continue Reading »


King Warns of Foreign Threats to America’s Election Integrity, Provide Additional Resources to Protect Right to Vote Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

July 22, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) pressed state election officials and election rights experts on the importance of taking steps to support and defend U.S. elections in advance of the 2020 election. During the hearing, Senator King hammered home the need to help Americans identify attempts by foreign actors to interfere in our election process, and he pushed officials on the steps needed to help make sure Americans are able to safely and securely exercise their right to... Continue Reading »


Semiconductor Manufacturing in Maine, U.S. Gets Bolstered By Passage of Amendment Supported by Senators Collins, King

July 22, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate voted to include an amendment cosponsored by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) which would support the production and development of microelectronics in the United States in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment, which was approved by a vote of 96 to 4, mirrors the American Foundries Act of 2020, legislation introduced by the Senators and a bipartisan group of their colleagues earlier this... Continue Reading »


With Schools Seeking Guidance on Potential Reopening, King Urges President to Let CDC Officials Testify Before Congress

July 21, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) urged President Donald Trump to allow top public health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to testify before Congressional committees to discuss the challenges facing schools across the nation as they weigh options for the fall semester. In his letter, Senator King emphasizes the importance of allowing school leaders to hear directly from experts as they attempt to create a safe and healthy learning... Continue Reading »


King Backs Legislation to Block Deployment of Federal “Authoritarian Policing Tactics” in American Cities

July 21, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced his support for the Preventing Authoritarian Policing Tactics on America’s Streets Act, which would block the executive branch from deploying unidentified, unmarked federal forces against Americans. The legislation comes as the Administration utilizes federal law enforcement officers to confront protestors with munitions and tear gas in Portland, Oregon, even as state and local officials urge the federal government to stand... Continue Reading »


King Testifies in Congressional Homeland Security Hearing, Stresses Cybersecurity Protections

July 20, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC – The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced that Senator King – joined by Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC) Co-chair Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Commissioners Suzanne Spaulding and Samantha Ravich – testified before the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security and presented the CSC’s recommendations to establish a comprehensive, forward-looking cybersecurity strategy for the United States. The final report, issued on March 11, lays... Continue Reading »


King Urges USDA to Support Lobster Industry, Follow Through on Presidential Memorandum

July 17, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released a letter that Senator King sent to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to take steps to maximize aid for the lobster industry in the wake of President Trump’s June 24th presidential memorandum. Specifically, the letter emphasizes the need for the Administration to expand its efforts to seek input from industry leaders, and presses the Administration to offer equal aid that was provided... Continue Reading »


King Pushes Back on Administration’s Efforts to Divert Coronavirus Data

July 17, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released a letter sent by Senator King expressing his concerns regarding the recent decision by the Administration to require hospitals to report coronavirus data directly to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rather than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In his letter to Vice President Mike Pence and Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Deborah Birx, Senator King emphasizes that while he... Continue Reading »


Senators Collins, King Announce $450,000 to Expand Maine Apprenticeship Programs

July 17, 2020

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the Maine Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) has received a total of $450,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA).  The competitive funding was awarded to Maine to serve, improve, and expand the RAP model by broadening registered apprenticeships to include health care, mental health care, addiction... Continue Reading »


King Presses Administration to Abide by Supreme Court DACA Decision

July 15, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced that Senator King and 32 of his Senate colleagues have sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf calling on the Administration to immediately comply with the Supreme Court’s decision rejecting the Administration’s rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and requiring the Administration to reopen DACA for new applicants. The Supreme Court announced its decision on... Continue Reading »