Washington, D.C.—Members of the Maine and New Hampshire Congressional Delegations wrote to the Department of Defense (DOD) to express their concern with an updated policy that reduces the paid administrative leave options available to public shipyard workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The updated guidance creates impediments to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers staying home if necessary to protect public health or the health of a vulnerable family member during this public health... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. — All four members of Maine’s Congressional Delegation wrote to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter Gaynor today to request assistance in helping Maine more easily access personal protective equipment (PPE) secured by the COVID-19 Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force. U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the Maine Hospital Association has been awarded $468,448 to aid Maine hospitals in preparing to treat COVID-19 patients. This funding, authorized in the CARES Act they voted for, was awarded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP).“Doctors, nurses, first responders, and other medical professionals are working on the front lines to combat the COVID-19... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a group of 34 Senators in a letter pressing the Department of Labor to ensure workers Congress intended to be covered by the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program receive the benefits they deserve. In the letter, the senators request that DOL clarify its guidance pertaining to workers who have been diagnosed with coronavirus without receiving a test, workers with COVID-19 who take time off of work, workers without child care... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a group of 34 Senators in a letter pressing the Department of Labor to ensure workers Congress intended to be covered by the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program receive the benefits they deserve. In the letter, the senators request that DOL clarify its guidance pertaining to workers who have been diagnosed with coronavirus without receiving a test, workers with COVID-19 who take time off of work, workers without child care... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a group of 45 Senate colleagues in calling on Vice President Mike Pence and the Coronavirus Task Force, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to conduct a national inventory of the coronavirus diagnostic testing supply, to publicly release data on testing results, and to provide a detailed plan and timeline for addressing future shortages and gaps in the testing supply chain.“Over three weeks after President Trump... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine), and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue, urging the department to directly purchase raw Maine potatoes from farmers. As the pandemic has disrupted much of daily life and closed or restricted restaurants and food service facilities across the nation, Maine potato farmers have lost nearly half of... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined a group of 47 Senators in a letter raising serious concerns about the Administration’s reliance on private companies to distribute desperately needed medical supplies during the Coronavirus pandemic. Although the President has declared a national emergency and mobilized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help distribute supplies, FEMA is currently relying on private companies to distribute masks, N95 respirators,... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that Maine hospitals and other health care providers will receive an immediate infusion of $145,763,812 to bolster their efforts in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The funding distributed today represents the first $30 billion of the $100 billion for medical providers that was included in the CARES Act that Senators Collins and King voted for.“This funding is vital to protecting the health and safety of... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME —Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and 21 Senate colleagues sent a letter to Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell Vought, calling on the executive branch to indefinitely extend public comment periods, postpone public hearings, and pause any new administrative rulemaking actions, unless those actions are explicitly required for the coronavirus response and recovery, until the threats of the current crisis have subsided. In doing so,... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a bipartisan group of 19 Senators to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider the needs of rural hospitals and hospitals with high percentages of Medicaid and Medicare patients as HHS distributes the $100 billion healthcare fund included in the CARES Act. In their letter, the Senators request an equitable distribution of funding from Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to small rural hospitals,... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME –U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) – all who formerly served as governors – in calling on Vice President Mike Pence to work with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to issue guidance to states on how they can use funding from the CARES Act to address budget shortfalls due to the impact of the coronavirus epidemic. The CARES Act that Congress passed into law includes $150... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined 27 Senate colleagues to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reopen the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplace to allow more un- and under-insured Americans to get health insurance as they face potential health issues related to coronavirus – echoing a push he made in March. In a letter to the Secretary Alex Azar, the senators urged HHS to allow Americans to enroll through a unique Special Enrollment Period... 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 $12,893,115 to address screening and testing needs, acquire medical supplies, and boost telehealth capacity in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This funding builds on the more than $1 million Senators Collins and King announced for these health centers last month.“Community health centers are essential to Maine’s... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine), and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) announced that the Economic Development Administration has awarded $2,000,000 to the State of Maine to establish a new 3-year project to develop an industry-led roadmap and action plan called Maine’s Marine Living Resource Economy Initiative. Overseen by the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) and FocusMaine, the initiative will... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined a group of nineteen senators seeking to support local journalism and media in any future coronavirus relief package. In a letter to Senate leadership and appropriators, the senators stress that the widespread impact of the pandemic – including plummeting advertising revenue – could decimate regional and local news outlets even as communities have become increasingly reliant on their reporting amidst the public health crisis. Already... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined 36 of his Senate colleagues to urge the Administration to take additional action to ensure workers receive unemployment insurance as quickly as possible – including the more than 40,000 Maine people who filed for unemployment in the last two weeks after losing their jobs through no fault of their own. In their letter to Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, the senators outline a number of actions the administration should take to help states... Continue Reading »
Click HERE to watch the full video conference callBRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) participated in a video conference call with civics and history teachers from schools across Maine, who are adapting to distance learning. During the call, which was held in collaboration with Maine Department of Education’s Social Studies Specialist Joe Schmidt, Senator King provided updates on the latest federal efforts to support Maine people in the face of coronavirus, discussed the importance... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and a bipartisan group of 31 senators wrote a letter to Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, urging the Administration to ensure the continuity of our country’s food supply and to support rural areas during the coronavirus pandemic by providing needed relief to farmers.“We write to ask that you take action to ensure the continuity of our country’s food supply and support rural areas during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by providing... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a group of 47 Senators in calling on the Administration to issue stimulus checks automatically to recipients of benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Supplemental Security Income program. In their letter, Senator King and his peers point out that these are two groups with large amounts of non-filers and groups for whom the federal government has the data necessary to deliver the stimulus checks... Continue Reading »
