WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced today that he will oppose the nominations of Congressman Tom Price to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services and Steven Mnuchin to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. Senator King released the following statement:

“As I have for all Cabinet nominees, I closely followed Congressman Price’s confirmation hearing and extensively evaluated his record, and after doing so, I have concluded that he would not serve the best interests of Maine and the country as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services. Principally, I am concerned that his longtime support for the privatization of Medicare is unnecessary and would not only make health care less accessible for thousands of Maine seniors, but also make it more expensive, forcing them to reach deeper into their pockets when many are already trying to make ends meet on limited and fixed incomes. Additionally, I believe that his total opposition to the Affordable Care Act, and his unwillingness to offer meaningful improvements, would strip more than 75,000 people in Maine of their health care, drive up costs for thousands more, and destabilize rural hospitals across the state, which would have catastrophic consequences for the towns and people they serve – not to mention the local economies they support.

“It was these same Maine people, small towns, and communities who were at the forefront of my mind when I considered Mr. Mnuchin’s nomination. While I am not reflexively opposed to the former CEO of a large financial institution heading the Treasury Department, I want to know that that person will be a champion for hardworking families in Maine and across the country – and, unfortunately, I have not found anything in his record that would indicate that he would even try to defend, let alone champion, their financial interests. In fact, it seems that some of the lending practices conducted by his company – that he knew about – denied justice to Maine citizens who, in some cases, may have lost their homes as a result. It just doesn’t seem to me that Mr. Mnuchin would put hardworking people, homeowners, small businesses, rural economies, or any of the foundations of Maine’s economy first.”

“For these reasons, I intend to oppose the nominations of Congressman Price and Mr. Mnuchin.”

Senator King evaluates the President’s nominees on an individual basis. He has voted to confirm James Mattis as Secretary of Defense, John Kelly as Secretary of Homeland Security, Mike Pompeo as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Nikki Haley as Ambassador to the United Nations, Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, and Elaine Chao as Secretary of Transportation. He has voted against Betsy Devos for Secretary of Education and Mick Mulvaney as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and has announced his intention to oppose Jeff Sessions to serve as Attorney General and Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

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