After one year in office, Senator King has distinguished himself as a thoughtful, pragmatic, and nonpartisan leader for Maine in the United States Senate, focused on building broad, bipartisan coalitions to break through the gridlock and accomplish the work of the country.

A comprehensive analysis of bills sponsored and cosponsored by Senator King has earned him the label of “centrist Independent” from a leading government transparency organization, GovTrack.us, which places him among a dwindling center of moderates in the Senate, including Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Senator King introduced several significant pieces of legislation and played a central role in many of the most pressing issues that arose during the first session of the 113^th Congress, including:

1.     Restoring Fiscal Order and Sound Budgeting Practices 

As a member of the Budget Committee, Senator King served as a moderating force on the panel, helping to write and pass the Senate's first budget in nearly four years, and as an appointed member of the bicameral Budget Conference Committee, he contributed to the first budget passed by a divided Congress since 1986, which mitigates the harmful sequester cuts, continues momentum toward deficit reduction, and instills sorely-needed certainty for both government agencies and the economy. In addition, Senator King was the only member of the conference committee to publicly offer a grand-bargain compromise plan.

2.     Reforming America's Regulatory System and Making Banking Boring Again

Deeply concerned about the impact of cumbersome regulations on America's job creators, our small businesses, Senator King partnered with Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri to introduce the Regulatory Improvement Act of 2013, which would create an independent commission of Republicans and Democrats tasked with identifying duplicative, overlapping, or outdated regulations for elimination. The legislation was called a “game-changer” by former Staples CEO Thomas Stemberg in an op-ed to the Wall Street Journal.

Senator King also partnered this year with Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, Democrat Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington to introduce the 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act. Devised to decrease the likelihood of financial crises like the one of 2008, the legislation would separate traditional banks that have savings and checking accounts and are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation from riskier financial institutions that offer services such as investment banking, insurance, swaps dealing, and hedge fund and private equity activities. The bill, as one reporter said, makes Senator King “the most hated man on Wall Street.”

3.     Revitalizing Our Manufacturing Base in a 21st Century Economy 

Manufacturing is still at the heart of the American economy, even as critics relentlessly argue that it's on an irreversible decline, but with sensible trade policies and support initiatives from Washington that put American companies first, Senator King believes the U.S. can once regain its technological edge in the 21st century economy. That’s why Senator King has been an ardent supporter of a new initiative to create a Digital Manufacturing and Design Institute (DMDI) within New England. With Centers of Excellence based in every state, the DMDI Institute would serve as a regional hub designed to bridge the gap between basic research and product development, bringing together companies, universities and community colleges, as well as federal and state agencies to co-invest in technology areas that encourage investment and production in the United States.

Senator King has also passionately argued in favor of fairer trade policies for domestic manufacturers, like New Balance of Maine, which produces top-quality footwear. Earlier this year, he even went so far as placing a temporary hold on the confirmation of the President's nominee for Trade Ambassador, Michael Froman, who consequently agreed to visit New Balance in Maine to see their excellent work firsthand. Furthermore, as negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership have progressed, Senator King has continued to press the Trade Ambassador to ensure that Maine's manufacturers get a fair shake in the deal.

4.     Revamping a Broken Student Loan Interest Rate System

Students across the country were nearly dealt a serious financial blow this summer when their student loan interest rates almost doubled after Democrats and Republicans refused to take a seat at the negotiating table in the wake of a legislative stalemate. Alarmed by the inaction, Senator King partnered with Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Tom Carper of Delaware, and Republican Senators Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Richard Burr of North Carolina, and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee to craft a compromise that not only kept interest rates low and instituted protective rate caps, but that also tied rates to the market in order to get Congress out of the unpredictable business of legislating rates.

The compromise brokered by the coalition passed both the Senate and the House by overwhelming bipartisan majorities and was named by Roll Call as one of the seven most important things Congress accomplished this year. Rutgers University Political Scientist Ross Baker also said the deal was “one of the few things to come out of the 113th Congress that is worth talking about.”

5.     Strengthening the Military & Maine's Defense Industries and Prioritizing Diplomacy

As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Senator King has been at the forefront of military-related issues, helping to author the National Defense Authorization Act that contained the most far-reaching approach to combating sexual assault in the military ever undertaken by Congress, as well as several provisions key to Maine’s defense-related industries:

• Authorization of Additional Funding for DDG-51: Senator King worked closely with Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, to secure language that provides statutory authority for a $100 million funding increase to help procure the fifth option DDG-51 Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer to be built at Bath Iron Works.

• Settlement of A12 Issue: Senators King and Collins authored a provision enabling the Navy to accept the terms of a legal settlement with General Dynamics and Boeing under which General Dynamics will provide to the Navy the equivalent of $198 million in design, production, and delivery costs for components of the third Zumwalt-class destroyer to be built at Bath Iron Works.

• No New BRAC Round: Senator King, along with his colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, rejected the President’s call in his Fiscal Year 2014 budget request for additional base closures under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.

• Study Berry Amendment Compliant Shoes: Senator King inserted language into the National Defense Authorization Act that directs the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center to conduct a study of domestically-produced athletic footwear, like that produced at New Balance’s factories throughout Maine, to determine whether the Department of Defense’s needs could be satisfied for new recruits. The Berry Amendment, passed by Congress in 1941, requires that U.S. soldiers wear and use American-made materials to the greatest extent possible. The Department of Defense purchases American-made combat boots, service shoes, and nearly every other uniform type in bulk for initial entry recruit. However, it provides vouchers to new recruits for the purchase of athletic footwear, without any preference to domestically manufactured products. The study that Senator King pushed will require the Army to recognize Berry-compliant manufacturers and determine if their athletic footwear meets the needs of entry-level recruits by examining the size and fit, as well as the cost, capacity, and quality.

As a member of the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, Senator King has also been heavily involved in international affairs. In early July, Senator King and Senator Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan and the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, traveled to Jordan and Turkey to get a firsthand look at the impact of the situation in Syria on the region and on U.S. national security interests. While there, they conferred with government officials as well as U.S. diplomatic and military personnel, and visited camps in both nations where some of hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria’s civil war have fled. Following their trip, the Senators joined forces to call on the United States and other members of the “London 11” nations to convene a meeting of political, military, and intelligence officials to apply additional pressure on the Assad regime.

Senator King has also been a supporter of the recent agreement reached among the United States, Russia and Iran to cease progress on Iran’s nuclear capabilities, applauding the deal as a “promising start” and calling it a case of “trust a little and verify a lot.”

6.     Increasing Oversight of National Security Programs

Recognizing the importance of intelligence and surveillance gathering in a day and age when battle is increasingly often waged in the shadows, Senator King has worked as a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence to strike the appropriate balance between 4^th Amendment privacy rights and national security demands.

Earlier this year after the Obama Administration announced the targeted-killing of an American involved in international terrorism, Senator King partnered with Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida to introduce the Targeted Strike Oversight Reform Act of 2013, which would require an independent alternative analysis, commonly referred to as a “red-team analysis,” to be conducted if the government is considering the legality or the use of targeted lethal force against a known U.S. person located outside the U.S. who is involved in international terrorism. The legislation was ultimately adopted as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2014 Intelligence Authorization Act by a bipartisan vote of 10-5 in November.

Additionally, Senator King also authored several additional amendments to improve the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, including provisions to:

• Require the Director of National Intelligence to record automatically the aggregate number of queries of bulk metadata and report that automatic recording to Congress on a quarterly basis. Passed by a vote of 15-0.

• Require the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to designate outside experts to provide independent perspectives and assist the court in reviewing matters that present a novel or significant interpretation of the law. Passed by a vote of 11-4.

• Enhance the authority of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to conduct independent oversight of the National Security Agency’s collection activities. Passed by a vote of 10-5.

7.     Promoting Affordable Healthcare and Holding the Administration Accountable

Senator King, a cancer survivor, has spent considerable time this year shedding light on several of the lesser-known benefits of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the success of Accountable Care Organizations in Maine, which save money and better coordinate improved care, as well as the health benefits of preventive care and wellness measures supported by ACA funding.

Meanwhile, Senator King has also held the Administration's feet to the fire on the rollout of the Affordable Care Act's federal website and the President's promise that Americans could keep their insurance if they liked it. In fact, a recent letter penned by King and his colleagues prompted the Administration to announce a policy shift to allow those who had lost coverage to qualify for catastrophic insurance.

Throughout the year, Senator King has also been vocal about the soaring costs of healthcare in the United States, which are not only a heavy burden on thousands of American families, but are also the primary drivers of our federal debt and deficit. Consequently, King teamed up with Senators Ben Cardin, Democrat of Maryland, and James Risch, Republican of Idaho, to introduce the Preventive Health Savings Act of 2013, which would direct the Congressional Budget Office to more accurately reflect the cost-savings of preventive healthcare.

Senator King also teamed up with Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia to introduce the Medicare Drug Savings Act, a bill which would provide a pathway to permanently repair the so-called “Doc-Fix” by eliminating a special deal for brand-name drug manufacturers that allows them to charge Medicare higher prices for prescription drugs for some seniors and people with disabilities, saving an estimated $141.2 billion over ten years.

Reviving the Former Governors Caucus

Former Governors turned Senators are often referred to as the most frustrated members of the Senate because of their fondness of getting things done. Taking advantage of that unique mindset, Senator King joined Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Mike Johanns of Nebraska to not only revive the Former Governors Caucus in the United States Senate, but also lead it as its three Co-Chairs. A powerful group of lawmakers who understand the value of pragmatism and working across party lines, the Former Governors Caucus could set the stage for bipartisan cooperation in a Congress plagued by petty partisanship.

What Others Are Saying:

“If you look at what his colleagues are saying about him, he gets very, very high marks,” – Norm Ornstein, Senior Fellow and Congressional Scholar with the American Enterprise Institute. 

“In his time that he's been here he hasn't come across at all as an overly partisan person. He certainly votes pretty consistently with the Democrats on many issues, but not on all. I think he's shown that on some issues such as this that he's willing to find a middle ground between the views of the different parties, and…I think there's a need for that.” – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida.

“He's brought a lot of great ideas to (the budget). He comes in, he listens, he learns, he participates, he's got great ideas. I find him a really valuable member of our committee.” – U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington and Chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee.

“He's a serious member of the Armed Services Committee. I noticed that he almost never misses a hearing or a meeting, and I've been very impressed with him. He wants to be a senator in the Maine tradition and I think he's living up to it.” – U.S Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona.

“I’d say to my friends in Maine that you’ve sent us a good one, and along with Susan Collins, it’s great to work with both your senators. They’re part of the group the growing rational caucus, which we could use a lot more of here in Washington.” – U.S. Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia.

“He's certainly an intelligent man, and I like that very much. There's so much infighting down here that it's nice to see somebody come here to do what he thinks is right. I couldn't be higher on him.” – U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah.

“Angus has got a tremendous reputation for working across the aisle and getting things done. He’s looking at the issues, not the politics. He’s going to be a real problem solver,” – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia.

“We get along extremely well. Obviously we don't always agree on the issues, but each of us is respectful of the other's position. And when it comes to issues affecting Maine, we virtually always work together.” – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine.

“People just like you. They respect you in the Senate, and you’re like a breath of fresh air.” – U.S. Senator Tom Carper, Democrat of Delaware.

“I think you’re doing just an incredible job up on the Hill. It’s probably the most difficult time politically that I’ve seen during my career in terms of the partisanship…and I’m glad that there are folks like you, given your background and your leadership in Maine, who are willing to make the sacrifice to lead the state of Maine and beyond, and be a voice of reason and moderation at the national level.” – Former Republican U.S. Senator from Maine and Secretary of Defense William Cohen.

“Maine is fortunate to have two examples of how Congress should function in both Sen. Collins and Sen. King.” – Former Republican U.S. Senator from Maine, Olympia Snowe.

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