In January 2013, Angus King was sworn in as Maine’s first Independent United States Senator, filling the same seat once held by storied Maine leaders Edmund Muskie, George Mitchell, and Olympia Snowe.
A strong believer in the need for greater bipartisan dialogue and relationship building, Senator King is proud to join the long line of thoughtful, independent leaders from the State of Maine, and he works hard every day to bring Republicans and Democrats together to find common-sense solutions for Maine and America. He is a proven consensus-builder who “calls ‘em like he sees ‘em”, putting civility and respect ahead of political ideology.
Getting Mainers back to work, creating new jobs, and maintaining a competitive workforce are some of the greatest challenges facing our state. The key to American economic success has always been – and continues to be – our never-ending innovative spirit. For generations, small businesses and local industries have served as the lifeblood of Maine’s economy, and I am committed to making sure we are ready to confront the challenges and embrace the opportunities of the twenty-first century by promoting innovation in Maine’s traditional industries, like forestry, farming, and fishing; advancing initiatives that make it easier for Maine people to rejoin or remain in the workforce; and supporting efforts to allow workers to acquire the skills and training they need to succeed in the changing economy.
We are at a moment in history when the fight against terrorism, cyber-attacks, regional conflicts, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction continue to challenge our nation at every turn. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I am acutely aware of the need to provide our government with adequate resources to understand and respond to the evolving nature of these diverse security threats.
Maine plays a vital role in guaranteeing the continued fortitude of our nation’s defenses, and those who contribute to this noble effort have my enduring support and deepest gratitude. From the courageous men and women who serve in our armed forces to the civilian employees working tirelessly to ensure the strength of our military industrial base – including those at Bath Iron Works, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and beyond – I am fiercely committed to fighting on behalf of all Mainers who have dedicated their lives to the defense of our country.
I am particularly concerned about the growing danger presented by cyber-attacks, breaches, and intrusions. Foreign governments and criminals are using digital tools and the internet to steal sensitive information and technologies, which hurts U.S. workers and puts our security at risk. We also face growing computer-based threats to key information systems that connect to our transportation infrastructure, electric grid, water systems, and financial networks.
As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I am also focused on investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, any potential connection between the Trump presidential campaign and the Russian government, and importantly, Russia’s attempts to infiltrate our state election systems. The committee’s investigation is broad in scope and each day comes with new revelations, but we should not lose sight of the fact that the Russians appear to have carried out a deliberate and sophisticated attack on our democracy. This is not a Republican issue, or a Democrat issue, it is an American issue and we must work together to address it.
As a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I’m hard at work to create a brighter energy future for America while also protecting our environment for generations to come. I believe that our national energy policy must promote the responsible use of domestic resources in a way that promises their continued existence. Crafting such a policy requires us to recognize that there is no silver bullet, and in the near term, a “Made-in-America” strategy will require a combination of improved efficiency and smarter use of existing fuel resources alongside increased investment in renewables and the next generation of energy technologies.
I believe we need to increase our focus on domestic energy production so that we can continue to create jobs and keep our energy dollars at home. While Maine has had limited direct benefits from the traditional fossil fuel based economy, our state is well positioned to contribute to and benefit from the growing clean energy economy with our ample hydropower, wind, and biomass resources. Maine is also proud to have the first-in-the-nation tidal power turbine and soon the first floating offshore wind turbines.
An important part of building Maine’s energy future involves new technologies, like solar, wind power and battery storage, that can limit our dependence on fossil fuels, reduce the environmental footprint of our energy system, and make our energy grid more resilient and reliable.
One of the greatest threats of our time is climate change, and as a policymaker I believe we have a duty to confront this monumental problem. That is why I consistently support policies that promote clean energy to help reduce carbon output, and I take every opportunity I can to discuss the realities of climate change science with skeptics.
I believe we have an obligation to leave our children and grandchildren a healthy and thriving planet. In addition to clean energy initiatives, I am an ardent supporter of key federal environmental programs, like the EPA’s Brownfields Program, and I have fought for sufficient funding for these programs so that they can continue to keep our country and our state clean and safe for future generations.
I am committed to protecting the integrity of Maine’s environment and that of the nation – and to providing access to it. Outdoor recreation is not only an important part of our cultural history, but it is also a pillar of our state economy. Every year people from across the country come to visit and enjoy all that Maine’s mountains, rivers, lakes, and coastal waterways have to offer, and I am committed to ensuring that this cherished tradition continues.
Budgets are about priorities. They list what we care about, and in dollar amounts, they quantify how much we care. As an annual framework for federal spending and revenue levels, the budget helps chart a path toward fiscal responsibility and the overall health of our economy. Like so many Americans, I am amazed that Congress – more often than not – chooses to run the country on short-term, haphazard budgets. Our businesses and communities cannot afford such unsustainable practices.
As a member of the Senate Budget Committee, I have been committed to working with my colleagues - from both sides of the aisle - to find solutions that chart a serious and credible path to broad-based economic growth. I have prioritized taking an evenhanded approach to budgeting, reversing sequestration cuts and their harmful effects, and establishing a smarter, more functional budget process. Responsibly confronting our long-term fiscal challenges will require a balanced approach that allows for responsible, targeted cuts to domestic discretionary spending programs; increases in new revenue; and reforms that slow the growth in programs like Medicare and Medicaid – without compromising the quality in care.
The twenty-first century has brought about profound changes to the ways in which we do business both at home and abroad. As information, goods, and people flow seamlessly across borders at previously unimaginable speeds, we must rethink how to best equip our students for success in this new, global job market. To that end, I have been a champion of congressional efforts to finally reauthorize and reform the badly-outdated No Child Left Behind law to ensure that Washington can be a partner, not a barrier, to innovation in the classroom. I have also worked to address the soaring cost of higher education, providing student loan borrowers with substantive debt relief and reasonable options to finance their education.
In a rural state, connecting people to commerce can be especially difficult, so the strength of our economy and communities relies on the maintenance of our ports, roads, railways, airports, and rivers. These resources – and others such as broadband, sewers, and utility lines – play a key role in supporting our businesses and facilitating the high standard of living that we in Maine enjoy. As we adjust to the real challenges of global climate change, we will need not just to maintain but to improve our infrastructure in order to protect Maine from seawater incursion on our coasts and islands, increased wear on our transportation networks, and defense against extreme weather events. Our state—and our country— incur a debt when we postpone investments in our transportation and infrastructure systems. Preserving and improving our state’s infrastructure and transportation systems is an essential component of any long term path to economic prosperity, and I am committed to supporting projects that keep Maine moving forward.
Increasing access to high-speed broadband, both fixed and wireless, is also key to ensuring our ability to compete in today’s global economy, and it is critical that we continue to invest in next generation broadband networks to advance innovation in education, health care, agriculture, and opportunities for entrepreneurs in Maine, regardless of where one lives. I have outlined a roadmap to help meet the broadband challenges faced in Maine and across the country, including steps to better connect rural communities and close the digital divide.
The courageous men and women who serve in our armed forces have made countless personal sacrifices in the protection of the freedoms we enjoy today. I am proud that Maine is home to one of the highest percentages of veterans per capita in country. We have an obligation to ensure that these brave patriots have access to timely, quality care. In 2014, I strongly supported efforts to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs and better serve those who served us. We must not only fulfill our promise to care for those who have “borne the battle” and their families, but as a new generation of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen transition to civilian life, we must also secure their continued access to the employment, health, housing, and education services that they deserve.
Social Security and Medicare are two of the most successful and popular programs in our country’s history. Together they help to keep millions of Americans healthy and prevent them from falling into poverty. I am committed to finding sensible, long-term solutions to ensure that these essential programs remain viable and available for generations to come. Supporting improved health outcomes for America’s seniors also involves helping them “age with options” – tearing down barriers they might face to aging safely in their homes and communities and helping to reduce the incidence of falls within the home. From introducing bills to increase access to federal home modification resources to supporting legislation that would make it more affordable for family caregivers to support aging loved ones, I am working hard to advance priorities that better support Maine’s vibrant senior population.
Free Trade is only Fair Trade when applied to societies of equal political, economic, and social status. Unfortunately for Maine, our country’s free trade agreements have too often allowed new participants into our markets that are not held to the same standards and rules as Maine businesses. Over the last several decades, our trade policies have produced reverse incentives for U.S. businesses to off-shore jobs, contributing to the hollowing out of the American economy and sharp, harmful declines in U.S. manufacturing.
Traditional industries across Maine have felt acutely the negative effects of unfair free trade agreements as well as expanded international trade with increasingly competitive exporters like China. I believe that efforts to help diversify and modernize Maine’s trade-sensitive industries will continue to fall short of their full potential until we get serious about building a trade agenda that carefully and responsibly assesses how best to improve existing trade agreements and how to craft new ones; more consistently prioritizes the enforcement of our existing trade agreements; and better supports domestic industry and American exporters. To learn more about my trade priorities, please click here.
Agriculture has a huge historic and cultural significance to the State of Maine. From our first settlers to the current generation of young agricultural entrepreneurs, Maine would not be what it is today without its generations of agricultural producers. Building upon the successes of this rich tradition, Maine is experiencing an exciting agricultural renaissance that is creating real opportunities for rural economic development.
Today more than 8,000 farms are working over 1.45 million acres of land and providing over $1 billion in economic activity. We are the nation’s largest producer of wild blueberries and brown eggs, and we have earned global recognition for producing the highest quality milk, cheeses, potatoes, apples, produce, maple syrup, and livestock.
To ensure the future strength and vitality of our agriculture industry, our farmers need assurances that they will not be subject to unnecessary and inappropriate regulatory burdens. Farmers also need access to broadband if they are to be able to operate their businesses efficiently and effectively – from selling products online to accessing critical information. Passing a reasonable and well balanced Farm Bill that takes into consideration the needs of each region of the country is essential, and I am working hard to ensure that all Maine farmers – from small and mid-sized operations to large commodity producers – are at the table to create sound agricultural policy.
Accompanying the abundance of produce grown in and on Maine soil is the bounty harvested from the waters of the Gulf of Maine. From our heritage in cod and other groundfish, to the iconic and booming lobster fishery and the nascent aquaculture industry, we have much to be proud of while we seek new opportunities and sustain current success. I believe we need to continue to facilitate cutting-edge science to better understand, anticipate, and adapt to changes to the marine ecosystem, help the seafood industry find and grow new markets, and continue to innovate new ways to ensure that future generations of people in Maine can thrive and make their livelihoods on the water.
Since its inception, our nation has had a long history of fighting for liberties and expanding opportunities and protections to all members of society. Ensuring all Americans, regardless of their race, gender, or sexual orientation, equal opportunities for success and happiness only serves to strengthen the very core of our country. I support equal rights and remedying existing inequities so that we can remain a model of inclusiveness and fairness. The Supreme Court decision ending discrimination against same-sex couples was fair and right, and I will continue to support equality for all Americans.
I believe in sensible, scale-appropriate regulations that protect the things we value – like the environment, public health, and safety – without hampering innovation or imposing excessive burdens on individuals and businesses. I helped launch the Senate Regulations Caucus to address regulatory reform at the federal level. With many legislative efforts currently underway to address over-regulation, the goal of the Senate Regulations Caucus is to unify and lead these efforts to advance meaningful, bipartisan regulatory reform in Congress.
Business owners and entrepreneurs in Maine regularly tell me that the single greatest obstacle to economic growth continues to be overly-burdensome regulations, but as thousands of new rules are proposed every year, Congress isn’t taking any serious steps to address the mountain of regulations that already exist. Because of this, reforming our regulatory processes and reducing overlapping or duplicative regulations is one of my top priorities.
Working families in Maine need affordable healthcare coverage. On average, one in five dollars every Mainer makes is spent on healthcare, which is too much. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed to address this issue by aiming to provide affordable healthcare coverage for all, increasing opportunities to find better ways to pay for healthcare, and assisting employers in providing healthcare for their employees.
The ACA, along with the Medicare and Medicaid programs, are essential to delivering care in rural Maine. Healthcare and hospitals are significant job creators in our state’s economy, with hospitals being one of the four largest employers in fifteen Maine counties. Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid or the elimination of the ACA could leave tens of thousands of Mainers either dependent upon charity care or unable to access care that is in their community. Rural hospitals have clearly indicated that without a base of covered patients, they risk reducing services and staff, or even closing.
Make no mistake – I believe that healthcare is still far too expensive for far too many people and that there is a dire need to address this concern. However, the partisan bills put forward in the House and Senate in 2017 known as the American Health Care Act, Better Care Reconciliation Act, and Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act would have only served to make healthcare even more expensive for the people who need it most. That is why I am working with my colleagues to set aside these partisan efforts and move forward with bipartisan improvements to lower costs and expand coverage to even more people.
Improving the public health of Mainers is another high priority for me. We all share the goal of long and healthy life, from birth through childhood to adulthood. Our investments in infants and early childhood—through programs like the Mothers, Infants, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program – help start children off on the path to a long and healthy life. We also have to continue our attention to diseases like Lyme, West Nile, and Zika, working to manage the pests that spread these diseases.
The future of healthcare reform in the U.S. must focus on improved access to services and a reduction of costs. The soaring costs of healthcare in this country are not only a heavy burden on American families; they are also the primary drivers of our federal debt and deficit.