BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the May edition of his Inside Maine podcast. This month’s show highlights the impacts that the coronavirus pandemic has had on the lives of Maine people, and federal, state, and local efforts to respond to the virus and keep Maine people safe. Senator King is joined by the Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control, Dr. Nirav Shah, and Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts at Darmouth, Dr. Erin Bromage, who recently wrote a piece highlighting the core risks in transmitting the virus – and has become a national resource on the topic.  

“The coronavirus pandemic has interrupted life as we know it, adding unprecedented dangers to our usual behaviors, and forced our nation to stay home to protect their communities,” said Senator King. “As we continue to navigate through this ‘new normal’, it is vital to make sure we are making decisions based on the best scientific research available. Dr. Shah and Dr. Bromage have each done important work to help clarify the stakes of this pandemic and the importance of slowing its spread, and I’m grateful to each of them for taking the time to join me for an important conversation on how we can save lives.”

Senator King has been a champion of strengthening America’s public health policies in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. In November – before the emergence of coronavirus – Senator King questioned USAID’s decision to shutter the PREDICT program that tracks emerging potential pandemics. Senators King and Elizabeth Warren followed up on this request in January, after the first coronavirus case was confirmed in the United States. Though USAID, after the Senators’ questioning, decided to extend PREDICT’s funding for six more months through September 2020, it is unclear how the agency will fund Global Health Security efforts moving forward.Senator King has introduced legislation to permanently create a Presidentially-appointed position to manage outbreak response efforts, develop a global health security strategy, advance the goals of the 2014 Global Health Security Agenda, and authorize annual funding towards that goal. Though a relevant position has existed through executive order since 2016, that position has been vacant for nearly two years – weakening the nation’s preparedness. He is also an original cosponsor of the bipartisan Public Health Emergency Response and Accountability Act, which would create a permanent reserve fund to enable quick and effective responses to future public health emergencies.

The “Inside Maine Podcast with Senator Angus King” is a 30-minute program that aims to help keep Maine people informed about issues of the day, how they affect life in the state, and how they factor into Senator King’s work as one of two independents in the U.S. Senate. Senator King’s podcast builds on an existing radio show that airs on Newsradio WGAN in Portland, Maine between 10 and 11 a.m. each Saturday. The link to the May podcast can be found HERE.