WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced today that the U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) a contract modification for DDG-1000 class services worth $212,000,000. This contract will allow BIW to build the deckhouse, hangar, and aft vertical launch system (VLS) for the third DDG-1000 ship. “This... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Mike Crapo (R-ID) have joined together to introduce legislation that would direct the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to more accurately reflect the cost-savings of preventive healthcare, including screenings. The Preventive Health Savings Act of 2013 (S. 1422) would also allow the Chairman or Ranking Member of the House or Senate Budget Committee, or the health committees – HELP, Finance, Ways and Means, or... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an ongoing effort to keep folks at home informed of his work in the Senate, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) took a few minutes to discuss the events of this past week in the nation’s capital. In his weekly recap, Senator King addressed: His visit to New Balance’s manufacturing facility in Norridgewock with U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. “I wanted him to see the people, to see the factory, to see the work that they do, and to understand how... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) released the following statement today after the Senate failed, by a vote of 54-43, to invoke cloture on S. 1243, the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. Although the motion received a clear majority, it failed to get the 60 votes necessary under Senate rules. Senator King said: “For years, Republicans in the Senate have criticized Democrats for governing irresponsibly by conducting business outside... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King today praised the passage of the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act by the U.S. House of Representatives. Senator King, along with Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Tom Carper (D-DE), Richard Burr (R-NC), Tom Coburn (R-OK), and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) crafted the bipartisan compromise and led the fight for its passage in the Senate. The bill is a permanent-fix that lowers student loan interest rates for all students. It will now head to the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the University of Maine, along with partners Maine Maritime Academy, Sandia National Laboratories, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, received a $983,997 grant from the National Science Foundation to design, develop, and construct a unique, multidirectional Wind-Wave generating system called W2. Once completed, W2 will be able to simulate wave and wind conditions similar to those found in... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, and U.S. Senator Angus King today announced that ten Maine airports have been awarded federal grants, totaling more than $5.1 million, from the Federal Aviation Administration to be used for general improvements and safety enhancements. “Maine's large geographic area makes air travel an important transportation option that connects towns and cities... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate last night unanimously passed a resolution authored by Senators Susan Collins and Angus King that designates August 7th, 2013 as “National Lighthouse and Lighthouse Preservation Day”. Senators Collins and King introduced the resolution in advance of August 7th, which will mark the 224th anniversary of President George Washington’s signing of the Lighthouse Act of 1789. The legislation established the federal government’s role in... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) today introduced the Regulatory Improvement Act of 2013, a bill that would create a Regulatory Improvement Commission to review outdated regulations with the goal of modifying, consolidating, or repealing regulations in order to reduce compliance costs, encourage growth and innovation, and improve competitiveness. “Business owners and entrepreneurs in Maine regularly tell me that the single greatest obstacle to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representative Mike Michaud today welcomed United States Trade Representative Michael Froman to Maine, where he joined Senator King and Representative Michaud on a tour of New Balance’s manufacturing facility in Norridgewock. Senator Collins, who is managing the Senate Transportation and Housing and Urban Development funding bill on the Senate floor, was not able to join the tour. She last visited the New Balance... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an ongoing effort to keep folks at home informed of his work in the Senate, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) took a few minutes to discuss the events of this past week in the nation’s capital. In his weekly recap, Senator King addressed: Final passage of the “Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act” by a vote of 81-18. The bill, introduced by Senators King, Manchin, Burr, Coburn, Carper, and Alexander, provides a long-term fix that lowers student loan... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Richard Burr (R-NC), Angus King (I-ME), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Tom Carper (D-DE) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) announced the passage of the “Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act” by a vote of 81-18, which provides a long-term fix that lowers student interest rates for all students. “Today’s bipartisan vote marks an important step forward for this institution, for our students, and for the nation. We have... Continue Reading »
Mr. President, we've been hearing really two debates around here in the last few days, in fact in the last few weeks and months, about student loans. Both are important, but they're separate and I think they need to be separated and thought of as two separate debates as we consider the issue that's before us this afternoon. The first and the larger issue is the cost of college. It's too high. Everyone agrees to that, and in fact the cost of college, of higher education, has exploded in the last... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Susan Collins and Angus King joined Representative Mike Michaud in praising the U.S. Department of Transportation announcement that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved over $3 million for improvements at the Princeton Municipal Airport and the Bangor International Airport. “These investments in Maine’s airport infrastructure are critical not only to the safety of airport staff and the traveling public, but also to our... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a Senate Budget Committee hearing today to evaluate the impact of sequestration on national security and the economy, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) criticized Congress’s inability to pass a budget that replaces sequestration, citing that failure as the most serious threat to United States national security. “I haven’t yet heard anybody say a good word about the sequester in this building for the past six months, but we still have it. It’s... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) today announced the first of two rotations of constituent outreach hours for the month of August. Constituent outreach hours, which are part of Senator King’s “Your Government, Your Neighborhood” initiative, offer an opportunity for area residents to meet directly with a staff representative to discuss specific problems, legislative issues, or any concerns regarding federal government agencies. No appointment... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), as part of his continuing efforts to keep Mainers apprised of his work in the U.S. Senate, took a moment to recap the events of this past week in Washington. In his remarks, Senator King addressed: The agreement reached by Senate leaders earlier this week to avert the so-called ‘nuclear option’: “We didn’t change the rules, but I’m hoping what happened is that we changed the attitudes. Because no matter what... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Richard Burr (R-NC), Angus King (I-ME), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Tom Carper (D-DE), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced a bipartisan compromise, the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act, to lower interest rates for 100% of borrowers who have taken out, or will take out, a new federal student loan after July 1, 2013. “As elected officials we have a responsibility to work with one another to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) released the following statement today after an accord was reached concerning the use of filibusters: “I’m pleased the Senate has reached an agreement that averts the ‘nuclear option’ and that moves the President’s nominees closer to a confirmation vote without setting-off the disruption that a majority-only rules change would have entailed. The agreement is a positive step forward for the country and for the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded $88,650 in federal grant funding to the City of Belfast for improvements at the Belfast Municipal Airport. The Belfast airport serves small aircraft, and is a gateway to the Belfast Airport Business Park. The grant is intended to fund the analysis phase of a project that will remove obstructions from runway... Continue Reading »
