Preserving Our Public Lands

Visiting with Park Rangers at the Belmont House, a National Historic Landmark

Memorial Day weekend was the unofficial beginning of Maine’s visitor season, and Americans nationwide started mapping their getaways. While Maine’s outdoor treasures draw thousands to our state, the next few months are big for destinations across the country — and there are few better places to savor the summertime than our national parks. Somebody once said that the parks were “America’s best idea”, and the second you set foot in one of them, you can see why.

Folks travel from across the globe to experience the breathtaking natural beauty of our national parks and public lands. In Maine, Acadia National Park is one of the most visited parks in the country and hosts nearly 4 million visitors every year. 

That’s the good news. But there’s a problem here. Americans are loving our parks to death, and the foot traffic and crowds speed up the wear and tear on our public lands. Parks across the nation are facing deferred maintenance backlogs — from crumbling roads to outdated restrooms — which derail the visitor experience and threaten the future viability of the natural environments.

In 2020, the bipartisan landmark Great American Outdoors Act included my bill called the Restore Our Parks Act, which established the National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund. This fund helped to reduce the maintenance backlog at public lands from Maine to Alaska, but now the fund is in need of reauthorization.

So, I teamed up with Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), my co-chair on the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, to introduce our new America the Beautiful Act. This legislation would reauthorize Legacy Restoration Fund and increase its funding so we can address critical maintenance projects and better protect these natural treasures. I'm proud to work alongside him to ensure our lands can be enjoyed for generations to come and demonstrate that stewardship is not a a partisan issue.

I also am a firm believer that public lands belong to the American people. These parks, forests and monuments are intended for recreation and conservation and should never be for sale. Yet, the current Administration has been pushing aggressively to transfer federally managed lands to states, cities and even corporations for private and commercial use.

So, during a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, I expressed my concerns about the potential of public land transfer without the direct approval of Congress. Not only would this seriously undermine essential land protections, it would also defy the separation of powers as outlined in the Constitution. I have always committed myself to protecting our nation's incredible lands and that is what I will continue to do for as long as necessary so our children and grandchildren can enjoy the great outdoors for years to come.

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Protecting All Maine Communities

Every year. Every month. Every week. That is how often we, as a country, have been dealing with mass shootings across the United States. And even here at home in Maine we are still grieving the insurmountable loss from the Lewiston tragedy. It is past time we say enough is enough.

That’s why I continue to work with my colleagues to introduce legislation that will protect our communities from the incredible danger presented by weapons with mass shooting functions.

The Gas-Operated Semiautomatic Firearm Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act addresses the lethal capacity weapons like the one used in Lewiston and most of the deadliest mass shootings across the country by limiting the functionality that allow for rapid reloading — and rapid killing — giving police and first responders a chance to neutralize a dangerous situation.

This critical piece of legislation would protect communities from gun violence while safeguarding law-abiding Americans’ constitutional right to own a firearm for legitimate self-defense, hunting, and sporting purposes by limiting the features of certain guns that allow for detachable high-capacity magazines. The legislation would also create a voluntary buyback program for individuals choosing to sell their weapons back.

While nothing can bring back the lives of our family and friends in Lewiston — or those lost in communities across the country — responsible actions moving forward can reduce the likelihood of such a nightmare happening again.

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Giving Back to Those Who Served

Veterans across Maine and our nation have made countless sacrifices to protect our freedoms and way of life here at home. So we have an obligation to ensure they can access their earned, well-deserved benefits. No veteran should ever be denied their benefits because of bureaucratic red tape or administrative mistakes. 

In 2020, Congress established a pilot program that expanded access to veteran disability claims exams. This program allowed certain licensed medical professionals to conduct disability exams across state lines — making it easier for veterans to get the care they need on their own terms.

My colleague Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), who is the Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), and I noticed that this program made a big difference for the men and women who served, especially those who live in rural communities in  states like Maine and Kansas. So, we introduced bipartisan legislation to permanently authorize this successful program, helping to alleviate any potential backlogs and ensuring veterans get the care they need to stay healthy. I mean, if a licensed physician in New Hampshire is available to conduct an exam weeks before a Maine veteran can get an appointment with a professional in-state, why shouldn’t we add some common sense and efficiency to the process?

I also worked with my colleague Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) to make the claims process more streamlined and fair. We had been hearing from veterans and veteran service organizations about their frustrations with the disability claims process that often involves an exam though the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). However, if a veteran misses an appointment because of scheduling errors or administrative mix ups, they're denied their benefits outright. 

So, we teamed up to introduce the Review Every Veteran's Claim Act to help reform the VA's claims process and ensure that veterans' claims are never denied solely because of a missed appointment. 

Additionally, many veterans rely on the support of family caregivers to live healthy, happy lives in the place of their choice. And currently, under a VA rule, these caregivers have access to a program that provides training and education services, financial assistance, health care coverage and more. However, this rule is set to expire at the end of September 2025 — cutting thousands of caregivers and their veterans off from life-changing benefits. 

I joined Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Patty Murray (D-WA) in writing to VA Secretary Doug Collins, calling on the VA to extend a pause in discharges for legacy caregivers enrolled in the caregivers' program so we can provide more certainty about the path forward. I will be sure to keep you updated. One of my biggest priorities as your U.S. Senator is to ensure those who served — and who support them — are well taken care of at home and this month's of legislative activity proved no different.