Angus King’s Newsletter

A Bill That’s Harmful to Maine

Yesterday, the Senate voted on a horrible bill that I worry will have terrible impacts on Maine people. In fact, I think this is the worst, most regressive and harmful piece of legislation I've ever seen. 

Here's the way I can best explain the consequences of this bill: 

1. It will have devastating impacts upon Maine itself, on our state and on our state budgets. 

2. It's going to have awful impacts on the vast majority of Maine people.

3. It's a gross transfer of wealth from lower-income middle-class Americans to the very wealthy. 

4. Even with these devastating cuts, the bill still explodes the federal deficit which will result in higher interest rates and a drag on business expansion in Maine and across the country.

Let me tell you what I worry this will do to Maine, and why I call this bill the Great Maine Robbery. First, it’s going to shift millions of dollars to state budgets — which means Maine taxpayers will be left footing the bill for essential services like healthcare and food assistance. It will also likely result in the closure of rural community health centers and hospitals — although the health fund in this bill will provide some limited relief to Maine hospitals, it won’t do anything for the thousands who will lose their health care under the terms of this bill. This will leave Maine people traveling further and spending more money out of pocket than they would otherwise. Many Maine people will also likely lose their MaineCare and CoverME marketplace coverage entirely, and significant Medicare cuts from this bill will harm Maine’s older adults.

Essentially, this bill is a ‘shift and shaft’ to provide huge tax cuts for those making more than $400,000 per year in exchange for the elimination of critical programs that Maine people rely on for food, health and safety. This is not politics — this is the wellbeing of Maine people, and even though this bill is huge setback, I remain committed to fighting for them every single day.

On Sunday night before we started voting on the bill, I shared my concerns with my Senate colleagues in a speech on the floor — you can watch it here.

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Monitoring the Events in the Middle East


Traveling in the Middle East region last month on a bipartisan fact-finding trip

The President took a profoundly important — and potentially dangerous — step when he ordered the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities and thus risking U.S. involvement in another debilitating war in the Middle East. Over the next several weeks we will be in a better position to determine the results of this attack, both in terms of Iran’s response and the actual impact of the strikes on Iran’s nuclear capacity.

Beyond the risks entailed by the president’s decision, however, are questions surrounding the manner in which the decision was made — entirely unilaterally without consultation with our allies (except Israel), or Congress. Our Constitution explicitly places the responsibility to “declare war” on Congress for a very good reason, to avoid the danger inherent in placing that awesome power in the hands of one person.

Clearly, the president must have the power to act in national self-defense or when faced with an imminent threat to our national interest, but respect for the Constitution and the common-sense policy it embodies should require some level of consultation with Congress if at all possible.

In this case, there was a process available on virtually a moment’s notice, albeit short of full Congressional action on a declaration of war or authorization of the use of military force. This process, well established in urgent circumstances, is to notify congressional leadership and the leadership of the national security committees.

In this way, the president would have the opportunity to present to the peoples’ representatives the intelligence basis for the decision, the pros and cons of the proposed action, and the means to be employed. Although not a veto, this process would ensure that the appropriate questions would be raised and the president would hear points of view not necessarily aligned with his own close advisors.

The results of these strikes may turn out to be successful — the end of Iran’s nuclear program and its aggression in the region — but the risks are no less real — that Iran may have nuclear facilities we don’t know about and conclude that they have no choice but to race to a bomb. But with either result, the question remains whether this decision was made in such a way as to protect our country while at the same time minimizing the risk of a war no one wants.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Select Senate Intelligence Committee (SSCI), I will continue to closely monitor the situation in the Middle East. 

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Advocating for Maine's Foresters

Maine’s rich tradition of logging and forestry spans back to the founding of our state, with countless men and women over the generations contributing to the continued success of the industry. Across Maine, their work is critical in helping to plant the seeds for our future and showcases the hardworking spirit of Maine people. That’s why, down in Washington, it is a privilege to work every single day on behalf of our hardworking loggers and foresters.

So earlier this year, Congressman Jared Golden and I introduced the Future Logging Careers Act, which would develop the next generation of Maine’s forest products workforce. By allowing young Mainers to safely train in their family’s logging business, we are paving the path for the future success of Maine’s forest products industry.

In fact, for centuries, logging has been synonymous with the success of Maine — creating good jobs, supporting hard-working families and boosting local rural economies. As we prepare for the next generation of Maine loggers, we should proactively provide opportunities for young people to explore this exciting field in a safe and supervised way. The bipartisan Future Logging Careers Act would give promising young loggers the option to jumpstart their career, get valuable hands-on experience, and begin critical training by logging with their parents or grandparents. I’m proud to join my colleagues in working to expand good job opportunities and further build upon our state’s rich forest heritage.

Similarly, my colleagues and I decided to introduce the Jobs in the Woods Act; this legislation would support developmental programs designed to better equip and train young people looking to become involved with the forest products industry. More specifically, this bill would create development programs to train Maine people for careers with the U.S. Forest Service and timber industries. Nationally, the forest products industry employs roughly 925,000 people directly and supports nearly 2 million jobs indirectly. In Maine, the industry supports nearly 14,000 jobs across the state. Now, that’s a lot of good paying jobs.

As the logging industry continues to evolve, we must ensure our forestry workforce has the proper training and skills to help responsibly manage our forests while strengthening our local economies. The bipartisan Jobs in the Woods Act is commonsense legislation that will invest in new and innovative workforce programs — helping Maine people get quality, good-paying jobs and securing the future of our state’s iconic timber industry. 

It’s because of all of you in Maine, working hard every day, that we can bring these new workforce programs to the “Pine Tree State” so we can live up to our name while preserving and protecting Maine’s greatest natural resource.

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Happenings Around Town

Joining Maine's veteran community at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention

If you think about it, there are very few jobs that when you sign up you're putting your life on the line. Our veterans here gave their very best during their years of service and many continue to still serve in their communities today. It was an honor to attend the 104th Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Department of Maine annual convention in Poland Spring and hear from with the brave men and women who fought to defend our freedoms both at home and abroad.

At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing

One of the most important duties I have as a senator is serving on committees to conduct oversight and gather important information. This work is essential to the legislative process and allows myself and the other 99 senators to deep dive into different issues so we can make recommendations on how to proceed with legislation. Currently, I have the privilege of serving on the Armed Services Committee, the Veterans' Affairs Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Intelligence Committee. 

Behind the scenes as I speak live on air with CNN from the Senate rotunda

Right before the Senate received its first full classified briefing on the military strikes in Iran that demolished nuclear facilities, I joined CNN to discuss the importance of this briefing and what I hoped to take away from it. The mission of the intelligence community is to seek the truth and tell the truth. As a member of the Intelligence Committee, I am committed to learning as much about this strike as possible and am interested to see just how effective it ends up being in the long run. 

June Policy Updates

As a reminder, you can read more on my regularly updated press release page at king.senate.gov. Here are some other priorities I’ve been working on:

  • Demanding Answers on Potential Discrimination at the VA. The administration recently decided to update hospital guidelines in a way that could invite discrimination against veteran patients and staff who want to work at the VA and serve veterans and their families. So I wrote a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins requesting an explanation of why certain VA Medical Center bylaws may be changing. Read more HERE.

  • Combatting Threats from China. China poses one of the greatest threats to American national security and our economy. The first step in combatting threats is by understanding the clear facts. My colleagues and I introduced a bipartisan bill that would require the Department of Justice to prepare annual reports about Chinese intelligence so we can a fact-based, up-to-date strategy to contain and confront China. Read more HERE.

  • Strengthening Maine's Coastal Workforce. In an effort to expand financial assistance to Maine's fishing operations, I joined forces with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on legislation, comprised of more than a dozen provisions, that would support efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change and strengthen federal conservation research projects. Read more HERE.

  • Investigating Cancelled VA Contracts. For months, I have been calling on the VA to release the complete and updated list of contracts cancelled or proposed for cancellation. These cancelled contracts have the potential to cause harm to veterans' access to their earned benefits. So, alongside Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) of the Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), we called on the VA Inspector General to initiate an investigation into the cancellation of the contracts so we can begin to right this wrong. Read more HERE.

  • Delaying Removal of Navigational Buoys. The launch of the Coastal Buoy Modernization Initiative by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) proposes to remove 351 navigational buoys in New England — 145 which are in Maine. However, there is concern about how this removal might impact the safety of mariners. So, a group of my colleagues and I wrote a letter to the USCG asking them to delay the removal of the buoys and extend the public comment period so more information can be gathered before a final decision is made. Read more HERE.

Hearing Highlights

This month, in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), I spoke with two Army officials about the importance of addressing brain injuries in servicemembers and veterans caused by repeated exposure to weapon blasts. In Maine, we know all too well the tragedies that can come from untreated brain injuries. I was pleased to receive confirmation from both officials that life-saving initiatives are being put into action so better understand the impact of these blasts. 

In another Armed Services hearing, I questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the incomplete defense budget proposal he submitted. In an unprecedented move, the Department of Defense submitted part of its budget to the committee for review and the other piece will be included in the reconciliation budget bill I talked about earlier in this newsletter. To prevent a partisan decision-making process, it is important the entire budget is presented to the committee and is not split up in order to pull one over on the taxpayers. 

As we continue to see the impact of budgets being cut across the government, I welcomed the opportunity to speak with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to discuss the harmful, $1.2 billion cuts to National Parks. This drastic decrease in budget will have devastating consequences for parks across the country — not just the operations, but to the visitor experience. It's hard for me to understand how gutting "America's Best Idea" isn't America's worst idea.

In The News

Thanks for subscribing to my monthly newsletter! I would love to hear your ideas for how we can make Maine and our country a better place. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, comments or concerns by visiting: https://www.king.senate.gov/contact — we look forward to hearing from you.


All the best!