WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce the Coronavirus Relief Fund Flexibility Act, legislation that would allow the federal relief funds provided to states and local governments in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to be used to replace revenue shortfalls resulting from the pandemic. The legislation would apply retroactively to the enactment of the CARES Act, and addresses the fact that the decline of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) participated in a video teleconference with Maine Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services to connect with their staff that work with Maine’s behavioral health organizations and help those coping with substance use disorders and mental health challenges. Reports show that the coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on Americans who already struggle with mental health challenges... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – To conclude National Teacher Appreciation Week, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) participated in a teleconference today with the Maine Jump$tart Coalition, a program that aims to improve the financial literacy of Maine people, to recognize two financial educators. Ms. Raelene Allen of Madison High School, and Ms. Samantha Drost of Central Aroostook High School have both been honored as Finance Educators of the Year, to publicly appreciate their outstanding efforts to improve... 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 $4,732,797 to purchase, administer, and expand capacity for COVID-19 testing.“Community health centers are the backbone of Maine’s rural health care system, and they have been instrumental in helping to protect Mainers’ health during the current public health crisis,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “Expanded testing is crucial... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) led a bipartisan group of 30 Senators in a letter to Senate leadership advocating for the inclusion of aid for charitable nonprofits in any upcoming coronavirus relief legislation. Charitable nonprofits have been essential partners in the fight against coronavirus and its economic effects. In the letter, addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) joined a bipartisan group of 19 Senators to urge the Administration to take immediate steps to support federal employees and contractors during the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Acting Director Russell T. Vought and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Acting Director Michael J. Rigas, the Senators emphasize several actions that the administration should take to support... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) pressed Ambassador Kenneth Braithwaite, nominee to serve as Secretary of the Navy, on the importance of providing contract relief for shipyards experiencing schedule delays and incurring added expenses due to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the industrial base benefits and financial savings associated with another round of multi-year procurement for the DDG-51, and emphasized the importance of improving America’s cyber... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden announced today that Maine lobstermen, fishermen, and other Mainers working in the seafood supply chain will receive a total of $20,166,476. The funding represents the fifth-highest amount being awarded among 31 recipients.Senator Collins and Representative Pingree worked with bipartisan groups of their colleagues from coastal states to secure $300 million in the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Angus King (I-Maine) joined a bipartisan group of 25 Senators in pushing for more federal assistance to America’s fishermen and seafood processors, who have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. In their letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the senators request that upcoming coronavirus relief legislation include new funding and provisions to support fisheries around the nation.“Our... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined 17 of his Senate colleagues in calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ramp up Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing at VA facilities nationwide and establish a framework for a large-scale strategy for national testing. In the letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, the senators outline recommendations for producing a testing strategy, including making testing kits available at all VA facilities,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is urging top Senate leaders to include “substantial, additional aid” for states in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent economic impact, an issue with bipartisan support nationwide but currently facing political headwinds in the Senate. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senator King emphasizes the challenges facing states as coronavirus’s effects... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined 15 of his Senate colleagues to introduce legislation that would dramatically increase America’s national response to and recovery from the coronavirus pandemic through expanded public service programs. The Pandemic Response and Opportunity Through National Service Act would fund 750,000 national service positions over a three-year response and recovery period, in part to meet the projected need for as many as 300,000... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) questioned Congressman John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), nominee to serve as Director of National Intelligence (DNI), on the importance of fact-based intelligence collection and analysis, wholly independent from political considerations. During his questioning, Senator King pressed to Congressman Ratcliffe to clearly confirm under oath that he will follow facts where they lead, regardless of political consequences, make himself available to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and 32 of his Senate colleagues are making a bipartisan push to support America’s entire scientific research community during the coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus-related research is currently a top federal government priority, but most other research has slowed or stopped due to closures of campuses and laboratories. The people who comprise the research workforce – graduate students, postdocs, principal investigators, and technical support... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden wrote to Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie, urging him to continue to prioritize providing additional testing kits and personal protective equipment (PPE) at the VA Maine Healthcare System and across the entire Veterans Health Administration.“The staff and leadership at Togus in Maine are committed to serving their patients during this crisis,... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—In a letter to President Donald Trump today highlighting the financial strain Maine’s state and local governments are experiencing as a direct result of COVID-19, Maine’s Congressional Delegation advocated for providing additional federal assistance to states and municipalities that have lost substantial revenue resulting from the current public health and economic crisis. U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is urging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take steps to support Maine’s potato and wild blueberry industries, which are experiencing significant shifts in market demand in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic. In letters to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senator King highlights the economic and cultural importance of these industries to Maine communities, and urges USDA to tailor economic relief programs for each specific... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) has cosponsored legislation that outlines a specific, responsive framework for a coronavirus response by federalizing the supply chain for critical medical supplies and equipment, that includes oversight procedures to maintain integrity. The Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act requires the president to utilize all available authorities under the Defense Production Act to mobilize a federal... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that 121 Maine rural health care providers—including hospitals, clinics, and community health centers—will receive $131,501,672 through the CARES Act that they voted for. Senators Collins and King have previously announced a total of $187,806,676 for Maine hospitals and other health care providers to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.“Keeping the doors open to rural hospitals is critical to helping protect the... Continue Reading »
LEWISTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), and Senator Angus King (I-ME) took action today to protect access to health care and preserve important economic drivers in rural Maine. The lawmakers pressed Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza to amend her agency’s yet-to-be finalized Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) rules to make non-profit critical access hospitals currently undergoing Chapter 11 reorganization, like Calais Regional Hospital... Continue Reading »
