WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, led a group of ten Senators in urging the Biden administration to seriously reevaluate exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in order to reduce domestic energy and heating costs. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, the lawmakers stress that with energy and heating cost on the rise – especially in New England – the U.S. shouldn’t be exporting historic levels... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate NATO Observer Group, and Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Baltic Caucus, participated in a virtual conversation on the escalating threat posed by Russia in Eastern Europe with Ambassadors from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. During the discussion, the Senators and seven colleagues stressed the importance of the NATO alliance, their support for Ukraine’s... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Angus King (I-Maine) – the Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, respectively – today introduced the Gateway Community and Recreation Enhancement Act, an effort to address the growing problem of park overcrowding and boost awareness of lesser-visited recreation areas. The bipartisan bill would create a pilot program to inform potential park visitors in real-time of crowd levels at National Parks or... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) sent a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) from the Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire Senate delegations seeking to ensure that offshore wind developments in the Gulf of Maine are pursued in a sustainable manner backed by “rigorous scientific research.” In the letter to BOEM Director Amanda Lefton, King and Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Senate Majority Whip and Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) released a discussion draft of their legislation, the Electoral Count Modernization Act, which would update the Electoral Count Act of 1887. In response to the threats to our democracy since the 2020 Presidential election, this legislation seeks to establish clear, consistent, and fair procedures... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is calling on Congressional leaders to protect vital telehealth expansions in upcoming legislation, as the nation continues to face serious health threats from the omicron resurgence nationwide. In a bipartisan, bicameral letter signed by 45 lawmakers, King and his colleagues stressed the importance of telehealth access for Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic, and urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy... Continue Reading »
To listen to the January edition of Senator King’s podcast click HERE.WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today released the January episode of Senator King’s “Inside Maine” podcast featuring a discussion about the benefits to Maine and the country of the recently passed annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Senator King was joined by U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Dr. Habib Dagher, Executive Director of the University of Maine’s... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – In the face of persistent issues with mail delays, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is urging United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to address repeated reports of postal delays and to ensure rapid COIVD-19 tests are able to be delivered to Maine people efficiently. In a letter to the Postmaster General, Senator King laid out the importance of the Postal Service to Maine’s older and rural communities, and stressed that while he understands the burdens... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) announced today that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a joint rule making available an additional 20,000 H-2B visas for the first half of fiscal year 2022 that will help small businesses fill seasonal job openings. DHS announced that the additional H-2B visas will become available to employers on January 28, 2022.“This announcement is welcome news for Maine’s... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that Maine will be receiving $55.2 million in Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) funds this fiscal year from the American Rescue Plan – more than doubling the state’s typical funding. Through the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, and annual Congressional appropriations, Maine will receive a total of $90.2 million in 2022 from the program, the largest amount since it was first... Continue Reading »
You can watch the interview hereWASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today released the January edition of “Answering the Call: Maine’s Veteran Voices,” Senator King’s monthly series in which he shares the stories of the lives, selfless service, and sacrifice of Maine’s veteran community. In the third interview of the series, conducted in partnership with the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project, Senator King spoke with Scarborough... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) co-sponsored the Telehealth Modernization Act, bipartisan legislation that would update coverage restrictions that have long prevented the nation’s roughly 61 million Medicare beneficiaries from accessing life-saving telehealth services.“Telehealth services have been a lifeline to patients and providers during the pandemic, ensuring that individuals can continue to receive quality health care from the safety and... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) announced that the State of Maine has received a total of $683,464 to help families heat their homes this winter. This funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).This funding represents the first installment of the five-year, $500 million investment in LIHEAP included in... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Office of Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced Senator King is joining a group of his Senate colleagues in urging the Biden administration to extend their guidance requiring insurance companies to pay for rapid COVID-19 tests to include Medicare recipients. Currently, most private insurance companies are required to cover the cost of up to eight over-the-counter at-home COVID-19 tests per person, per month, but the 61 million Americans and almost... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) has been awarded $500,000 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to establish a comprehensive Maine aquaculture workforce training program that will help students pursue careers in the growing field. In launching the program, GMRI will work with the Maine Department of Labor and multiple community colleges to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced $1,514,211 in American Rescue Plan funding for the University of Maine System to support tailored evidence-informed training development within health profession and nursing training activities. The Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Training Program’s curriculum aims to help reduce burnout and promote resilience among health care students, residents, health care professionals,... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation that would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to begin holding Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) hearings by this summer, to give milk producers a greater voice in dairy pricing. These hearings would reevaluate how the price of Class I (or fluid) milk is calculated and pave the way for important changes to better support the dairy industry. Class I, or fluid milk, is milk that is sold... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON — In response to a serious and sustained shortage of school bus drivers across Maine, the state’s congressional delegation is pushing the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to take steps to safely address the urgent need for additional drivers. The lawmakers, in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, called for the agency to delay or temporarily waive certain training and certification requirements that could keep prospective bus drivers from quickly filling open... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) voted to adjust the Senate’s procedures to defend the democratic process and voting rights after a GOP filibuster blocked key voting rights protections. Long reluctant to change the filibuster, Senator King signaled in March 2021 that he would change his thinking if the tactic was used to “simply obstruct” rather than in good faith as a negotiating tool.Earlier this evening, he spoke on the Senate floor urging this limited reform, but... Continue Reading »
Watch Senator King’s floor speech hereWASHINGTON, D.C. – This evening, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate to call for adjustments of Senate procedures to defend the democratic process against partisan restrictions of voting rights in 19 state legislatures nationwide. Long reluctant to change the filibuster, Senator King signaled in March 2021 that he would change his thinking if the tactic was used to “simply obstruct” rather than in good faith as a... Continue Reading »
