What's Going on in Washington?

We are now three months into the year and the news from Washington is not slowing down. It seems like once you think you have a grasp of where things stand, a new set of initiatives or cuts are announced. As your Senator, it's my job to listen to Maine people and try to keep you updated as I represent your interests and ensure that the Congress upholds its constitutional duties.

Sharing my thoughts back home in Maine about the threats to Social Security

For starters, let’s talk about the threats that this White House is posing towards Social Security and Medicare. While the Continuing Resolution to fund the government won’t touch or change any benefits, the administration is making a lot of gestures that they are trying to work around Congress to change or cut things.

That’s simply unacceptable — and cruel to make Americans more worried than they already are about the cost of living. Folks all across Maine rely on Social Security payments for food, rent and medicine. But now — and I never thought I'd say this — Social Security is under attack. Last month, 7,000 employees at the Social Security Administration (SSA) were dismissed, and now the White House and DOGE are working to close dozens of SSA offices across the country putting over 70 million Americans who rely on these checks at risk of missing or losing a payment. It's disrespectful and dangerous to the thousands of Maine people who rely on their payments each and every day.

As your Senator, I promise to do everything I can to push back against these reckless decisions and protect the promise of Social Security.

You can listen to some of my thoughts on protecting Social Security here.

Joining Kaitlin Collins on CNN's The Source

Then there's this Signal security breach mess. Maine people know that national security is a 24 hours a day priority, and that we need to take great care in sharing information that protects American lives. Learning that a journalist was inadvertently added to a Signal message chain comprised of top national security officials outlining plans for a military strike is troubling, to say the least. A day after a story was published in The Atlantic sharing the details of the Signal chat, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) was scheduled to hold an open hearing. to discuss the state of worldwide threats.

During this hearing, I took the opportunity to directly ask the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard — who was part of the Signal group text — whether or not classified information was shared and why war plans were being shared on an unsecure texting app. Her answers felt inconsistent — or at the very least, incomplete.

Let's be clear about what this was: a serious breach of our national security. I joined Kaitlin Collins on CNN's The Source to talk more about this national security failure from the Administration. The bottom line here is it is dangerous, and possibly unlawful, for those in charge of our nation's safety to be so reckless with classified information. The American people deserve a thorough explanation as to how this breach happened.

Watch my interview with Kaitlin Collins here.

Sitting down with CBS' 60 Minutes

Just days after the three-year anniversary of Russia's illegal invasion into Ukraine, I joined 60 Minutes on CBS to discuss why now — more than ever — it is important we stand with Ukraine and not embolden the bloodthirsty dictator Vladimir Putin.

This war is not just about supporting Ukraine's people and stopping Putin's unprovoked attack — it is also in our country's national and economic interests. I firmly believe that if we turn our backs on Ukraine, it will be the greatest geopolitical mistake our nation will have made since World War II.

You can watch the full 60 Minutes segment here.

Sitting down with Katie Couric

A few days ago, I also had the chance to sit down with Katie Couric for an episode of her popular podcast to discuss everything from the reckless firings of federal employees to national security breaches to the elimination of critical federal funding that helps Maine thrive. As we continue to face an unprecedented chapter in our country's history, I believe it is our duty as members of Congress to protect the Constitution and uphold the system of checks and balances our founders so intelligently designed.

Listen to my conversation with Katie Couric here.

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Caring for Our Veterans

The brave men and women who answered the call to serve deserve our support both during active duty service and once they've hung up the uniform.

As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), one of my biggest priorities is working with my colleagues to look after our veterans. Unfortunately, veterans are at a much higher risk of suicide than those who haven't served — and firearms are the most common means used by veterans who die by suicide. One life lost is one too many and we have a solemn obligation to protect those who gave so much to protect us.

So, I teamed up with my colleague Tim Sheehy (R-MT) to introduce bipartisan legislation aiming to reduce the risk of veteran suicide. The Saving Our Veterans' Lives Act would provide free firearm lockboxes to any veteran who requests one, thus putting firearms one extra step away from a veteran in crisis.

We also need to make sure all our veterans have access to medical care — regardless of where the live. Your zip code should not be a barrier, so I introduced a bipartisan bill alongside my colleagues Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) to provide rural veterans free transportation to their health care appointments. Our Supporting Rural Veterans Healthcare Services Act would reauthorize a useful program called the Highly Rural Transportation Grant (HRTG), which provides 2.7 million veterans with access to transportation. It's a simple step that makes a big difference for veterans across Maine and our country.

I have also been sounding the alarm on the reckless firings and contract cancellations happening at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Earlier this month, I joined a group of my colleagues who serve on SVAC in writing a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins raising concerns about a leaked report that highlights plans to cut an additional 83,000 VA employees by the end of the year. If this happens, it would undo all the hirings that were done to support expanded VA care under the PACT Act, which ensures veterans exposed to toxic burn pits receive all their benefits. This is unacceptable and will hurt our veterans.

And on that note, I want to make sure our combat veterans are receiving their full benefits that they have rightly earned and deserve. To help fix a loophole leaving some disabled veterans behind, I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues as a cosponsor of the Major Richard Star Act. As it currently stands, only veterans with disability rating above 50 percent, and with more than 20 years of service, are eligible to receive the full amount of their Department of Defense (DoD) retirement and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability payments. Supporting our veterans and doing right by them is not a partisan issue and this bill reaffirms our promise to take care of them in return for their courageous service. They earned both these benefits through their duty; they deserve both. Period.

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Happenings Around Town

Taking calls from Maine people in the front office

I continue to take calls in my front office so I can hear directly from Maine people about their thoughts and concerns. As your elected representative in the Senate, please don't hesitate to ring my office if there's something my staff and I can assist you with.

Visiting with the Bowdoin Public Service Initiative cohort

This year's Bowdoin Public Service Initiative group is made up of some really bright students who have a clear passion to pursue a career in public service or government policy. It was inspiring to meet with these young leaders to discuss how Congress can work together in the government and serve the common good.

Meeting with the Norwegian Parliament Delegation

Alongside Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), my co-chair of the Arctic Caucus, and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), we met with the Norwegian Parliament delegation. During our meeting, we expressed our support for NATO and Ukraine and discussed pressing issues like critical minerals to meet our energy goals. The U.S. is an Arctic nation and it is important we continue to work with other members of the Arctic Council.

Walking with my colleagues Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) at the naval station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

At the end of the month, I joined the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and some of my other colleagues on a congressional delegation trip — or "CODEL" — to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. This trip provided us a firsthand look at how the Department of Defense (DoD) is supporting migrant relocation and allowed us to examine the costs and military readiness impacts of this mission.

March 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:

Fighting Food Insecurity. Over 250 Maine organizations rely on funding from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). After learning that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was slashing hundreds of millions of dollars from the program, I joined my colleagues in a writing a letter to the Agriculture Secretary demanding to know why these cuts were made and making clear this will hurt Maine people and farmers. Read more HERE.
Securing Critical Minerals. Critical minerals are essential to America’s national security and energy resiliency — powering everything from complex military technologies to personal goods like smartphones. I introduced the bipartisan Critical Minerals Security Act, to help us better understand and leverage the rare earth minerals supply chain, while also reducing our continued reliance on China and other bad actors for these minerals. Read more HERE.
Caring for Older Maine People. Volunteers who deliver healthy meals to elderly, disabled, frail, or at-risk individuals provide a crucial service to vulnerable citizens living independently in the comfort and safety of their own homes. To ensure these volunteers can keep up their good work, I joined Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to introduce a bipartisan bill to increase the tax deduction for gas and mileage that helps them deliver for those in need. Read more HERE.
Supporting Working Families. One of the biggest challenges facing Maine families is access to child care. The bipartisan Child Care Availability and Affordability Act would strengthen existing tax credits to lower child care costs and increase the supply of child care providers — creating a more reliable workforce in Maine. Read more HERE.
Modernizing Outdoor Safety. Maine’s Atlantic coastline is an incredible natural treasure and one that attracts outdoor enthusiasts from around the country. I introduced bipartisan legislation to make navigating Maine’s open waters easier and safer. The MAPOceans Act I introduced with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) would combine all the available information about ocean recreation and navigation into a user-friendly mobile application. Read more HERE.

Hearing Highlights

This month, in an open hearing of the Senate Selection Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), I pressed the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on whether not classified information was shared in a group text of national security officials. And, as we see sweeping cuts across the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), I asked Director Gabbard if dismantling federal resources to monitor election interference from foreign adversaries poses a risk to our cyberdefense capabilities.

In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), I challenged a Department of Defense nominee to say if Russia was responsible for starting the war in Ukraine. During our exchange, he refused to condemn Russia's illegal invasion or acknowledge the looming threat to national security if we withdraw our support of our democratic, Ukrainian partner.

In another SASC hearing, I discussed the importance of supporting our nation's shipbuilding capacity with officials from the U.S. Navy and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). I asked them to commit to supporting the shipbuilding workforce by investing in childcare, housing and professional development — both at Bath Iron Works (BIW), Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) and other shipyards across the country.

In The News

Portland Press Herald — Sen. King demands answers about latest round of Veterans Affairs cuts
WFVX — King cosponsors bill so combat injured veterans can get full military benefits
Maine Public — Angus King criticizes Trump administration's approach to Social Security as 'reckless'
WABI — Sen. King questions National Intelligence director about texted war plans
WPFO — Maine delegation criticizes executive order to dismantle Department of Education

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All the best!

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