WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Angus King, Chair of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, questioned Dr. Aprille J. Ericsson, nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology, and Dr. Douglas C. Schmidt, nominee for Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, about the need for “urgency” in research and development of American hypersonic missile capabilities to deter adversaries like China and Russia. Russia... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King have joined a bipartisan resolution recognizing January 2024 as “National Mentoring Month” to celebrate the positive influence mentors can have on children and young adults. The resolution underscores the mentoring gap that exists in the United States, where only one in three young people grow up with a mentor, and highlights the need for more adults to invest their time in the success of young adults. “Mentors provide leadership... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King has joined his colleagues urging federal banking regulators to continue supporting new requirements proposed by the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). In a letter to Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr, FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg, and Acting Comptroller Michael Hsu, the Senators expressed their support for the new capital rules proposed by the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) has introduced bipartisan legislation to help the United States reduce its supply chain dependence on China for key minerals used in military technologies and consumer goods. The Critical Minerals Security Act would counter Chinese industry dominance by directing the U.S. Department of the Interior to evaluate the global supply and ownership of critical minerals, establish a process for assisting U.S. companies seeking to divest critical minerals... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced a $639,449 federal grant for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). The Organic Market Development Grant (OMDG), awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), will help fund MOFGA’s project to strengthen consumer and institutional demand for local organic dairy products produced in the Northeast U.S. The project is expected to benefit more than 286... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King, and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden, are welcoming the news of a $1 million grant to help install rooftop solar panels and twelve electrical vehicle charging stations at the McFarland Hill headquarters campus in Bar Harbor. Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the funding comes from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) program. AFFECT provides... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee joined dozens of his Senate and House colleagues urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) to strengthen and finalize its proposed transmission planning and cost allocation rule, as it maps out how the historical Inflation Reduction Act clean energy projects are rolled out. In a bicameral letter, the Senators and Representatives stress to FERC Chairman Willie Phillips that improved and... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.— Maine’s Congressional Delegation wrote to President Biden today in support of Governor Janet Mills’ request for a Major Disaster Declaration to help address the extreme winter storm damage across ten Maine counties that occurred in December. U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden asked the President to fully grant the Governor's requests to make available federal assistance for Androscoggin, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues to urge a global crackdown on the transport of Iranian oil which is in violation of U.S. sanctions. In a letter to the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), King and his colleagues ask the Panamanian government to investigate the 189 Panamanian-flagged vessels of concern suspected of transporting Iranian oil in violation of U.S. sanctions. The U.S. imposed sanctions on Iranian oil in 2018 and 2019 were... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has joined bipartisan legislation to ensure military families receive the same access to quality reproductive health care as most Americans. The Access to Contraception for Servicemembers and Dependents Act would bring military families’ health care in line with current law for civilian populations by ensuring access to all forms of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with no... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, as extreme storms and flooding continue to hammer Maine, New England and the midwest, U.S. Senator Angus King expressed continued concern at the lack of urgency in tackling the climate crisis. In a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resource (ENR) Committee, Senator King addressed Deputy Secretary of the Department of Energy, David Turk, about the significant impacts of climate change, making clear the tremendous costs to both the environment and the economy. “I... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is joining bipartisan legislation to expand affordable housing availability in Maine through redevelopment incentives of historic buildings. The Historic Tax Credit Growth & Opportunity (HTC-GO) Act would create a new 30 percent tax credit for qualified rehabilitation projects that cost less than $3.75 million while maintaining the existing 20 percent credit. The bill lowers the threshold cost a project must meet to be eligible, bringing the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has introduced legislation to give combat veterans the option to enroll in their health care benefits program before officially transitioning out of active duty — seeking to ensure no lag in coverage for servicemembers. The bipartisan Combat Veterans Pre-Enrollment Act would create an opt-in program allowing transitioning servicemembers to access VA health care services their first day as a civilian.... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today released the December episode of his “Inside Maine” podcast, in which he discussed new gun safety legislation to save lives in Maine and across the country. During the podcast, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) joined Senator King to discuss the GOSAFE ACT which they recently introduced to limit the sale, manufacture and transfer of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms like the one used during the October 25th attack in... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), is urging the Department of Treasury and Department of Veterans Affairs to better support veterans seeking the benefits they’ve earned. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and VA Secretary Denis McDonough, King and a bipartisan group of colleagues urge the federal government to address some important structural issues within the VA’s travel reimbursement program that is affecting the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, is calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to step up its efforts to protect veterans from prescription opioid abuse. In a letter from King and his committee colleagues to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, the Senators are urging the department to take swift action following reports that found a majority of non-VA health care providers are not meeting the VA prescription opioid safety... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – The Senate unanimously passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King designating Saturday, December 16, 2023 as “Wreaths Across America Day.” The annual event honors our nation’s fallen heroes with commemorative Maine-made balsam wreaths laid by thousands of volunteers across the globe, including by a convoy that travels from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. “Wreaths Across America honors the service and sacrifice of the men and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.), Co-Chairs of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), today released the following statement on the inclusion of several key cybersecurity provisions in the final version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Once the President signs the bill into law, 58 out of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s 82 recommendations have now become law – roughly a seventy percent... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Angus King, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, have joined a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas for using sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war against Israelis during the October 7th terrorist attack. More than 1,200 people were killed on October 7, 2023 by Hamas in its terrorist attack against Israel, the deadliest terror attack in the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees and Veterans Affairs Committee, hailed the bipartisan Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – which will strengthen America’s national security, support our men and women in uniform, and boost Maine communities through the dozens of businesses that serve the military’s technological and manufacturing needs. Today’s vote was on the... Continue Reading »
