My Thoughts on the Military Operation in the Middle East

This past weekend, the President announced “major combat operations” against Iran with the stated goal of overthrowing the regime currently in power. While I certainly agree with the President’s statements about Iran’s destructive behavior and the harm it has done in the region (including to Americans, going back to the bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon and including IED’s in Iraq), the operation — and its immediate aftermath— left me with several questions.

The first is why hasn’t he made the case to the American people (and to their representatives in Congress) for such a major commitment of American forces, which could include troops on the ground? He had that opportunity as recently as the State of the Union address last week, but did not take it.

Secondly, why now? All reports were that negotiations with regard to Iran’s nuclear program were proceeding positively this week with the possibility of a long sought-after diplomatic solution, and there is no indication that new malign actions by the regime were imminent.

The third question is what, if any, is the plan for an endgame now that the goal has moved from elimination of Iran’s nuclear capacity to regime change? As we have learned, toppling a despotic regime is only a first step; the hard question is what comes next and what will it take to ensure that the next regime is not worse than that which went before.

And finally, what is the legal and Constitutional authority for this extraordinary action? The Constitution explicitly places the power (and the responsibility) for taking our country into war in the peoples’ representatives in Congress for a reason—the commitment to war is much too important to rest in the hands of one person. That principle is as valid today as it was at the founding of our country.

I continue to hope for the best, especially for our troops who may be placed in harm’s way, but fear that this precipitous action may have unnecessarily put them at risk without sufficient consideration of the significant possibility of a prolonged and destructive conflict.

In the meantime, I hope and pray for the safety and security of all Americans and our allies caught in the crossfire overseas. If you, or anyone you know, is in need of assistance, please contact my offices in Maine or Washington.

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Helping Hands for Maine's Small Businesses

Maine’s seasonal economy brings in billions of dollars each year, and is a major engine of financial activity. But it needs careful attention to stay in gear. If a business can’t find a short order cook or a hotel room cleaner, that can mean the difference between the business being able to open or not – and when the business owner can’t find locals available for the jobs, they then look into the H-2B foreign worker program.

After reaching out to the Trump Administration with my South Dakota Republican friend Senator Mike Rounds, I was able to secure as many as 64,716 additional H-2B visas for small businesses in Maine and across the country that rely on foreign workers to support their business needs.

In a joint announcement from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the Secretaries confirmed the release of more H-2B visas for fiscal year 2026. The announcement came on the heels of my November 2025 letter with Senator Rounds urging for the release of the maximum allowable number to support seasonal businesses, in addition to the statutory annual cap of 66,000 visas. 

These additional H-2B visas will fill workforce needs for American small businesses that are unable to hire enough American workers to fill the temporary, seasonal positions. 

Bipartisan research shows employing these workers boosts wages across the board. Employers are required by law to make a concerted effort to hire American workers to fill open positions; when the local workforce is insufficient, the H-2B visa program is seen as a necessary tool to support local economies. 

With Maine continuing to experience a shortage of seasonal and temporary employees, these nonimmigrant visas provide a lifeline for the local economies and ensure small businesses can meet the demand for their products and services. 

I am always glad to help Maine small businesses with their workforce needs and look forward to an incredible summer season meeting with the business owners and employees who are proud to contribute to Maine’s economic success story.

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Visiting our Friends and Servicemembers in Greenland

Over the last few weeks, there have been escalating threats from the White House against the sovereignty of our NATO ally, Greenland. Greenland is a strategic ally – there's no question – and under the leadership of the Denmark government, Greenland has always proven to be a steadfast friend. 

So at the invitation of officials in Greenland, several of my colleagues and I traveled to Greenland to reaffirm our bipartisan commitment and support for their interest in managing their own affairs in tandem with the Kingdom of Denmark.

Our national security is dependent on maintaining friendly relationships with our allies – not the acquisition, annexation, or invasion of their territory. That’s why I spent several days meeting with the Greenland Prime Minister, Members of Parliament, and other officials to make sure the people knew that many members of Congress know and appreciate their friendship and partnership over the generations.

As a matter of fact, the United States has had a national security presence on the island for 75 years – and they have always been open to us working with them to secure our shared interests. So there is no need for the United States to threaten a military takeover of the sovereign territory; American troops are already there, and the Greenlanders would work with us if we wanted to increase our operations. If President Trump, or any President, wanted to expand our operations, all it would take is a phone call … not threats.

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Working to Protect History and Safety Within our National Parks

People travel from across the globe to experience the natural beauty of America’s public lands so we need to work together, across the aisle, to protect this natural wonders from political influence.

That's why this month, I urged the Department of Interior to protect historical accuracy within the “monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties” under the National Park Service (NPS) jurisdiction after the Trump Administration threatened to delete references to key moments in American history on signs and in materials located at NPS sites.

More specifically, in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, I requested information pertaining to Executive Order 14253 “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” and Secretarial Order 3431, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” which together directs the Department to remove or alter properties that present American history in a negative light.

Without a doubt, there are episodes throughout American history which we are not and should not ever be proud of. However, the Department bears a responsibility as a steward of historical places and resources, to ensure that every visitor to any unit of our National Park System has access to a complete, unbiased, and historically accurate accounting of our nation’s history.

We have a grand history with many crowning achievements, but we have also had dark periods, as well—slavery, Jim Crow and the treatment of our Native Americans certainly among them. If we don’t recognize and acknowledge our mistakes, the danger of repeating them—or some variation thereof—is greatly magnified.

Separately, I have been working with my friend, Senator Barrasso (R-WY), to improve national park safety. I am happy to share that our bipartisan bill has passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously and now heads to the floor for a vote. Our Making National Parks Safer Act would equip National Park Service (NPS) 911 call centers with Next Generation 911 (NG911) technology, strengthening emergency response capabilities, supporting dispatch center operations, and enabling responders to receive text messages, images, and videos in addition to phone calls. 

My hope is that this legislation will give visitors a little more peace of mind when they’re relaxing and looking at our gorgeous natural treasures in Acadia or any other national park across the country.

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Ensuring Veterans Can Access their Earned Benefits

Our veterans served this country with grit and class, and now it is our turn to return the favor and provide commonsense access to the benefits they have rightly earned and deserve.

So, together with Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), we introduced legislation aiming to protect job training benefits for disabled veterans. The Ensuring Benefits for Disabled Veterans Act would address an unfair rule in federal law that creates unnecessary delays when veterans with service-connected disabilities attempt to access earned education and employment benefits. The bill is also being introduced on a bipartisan basis in the House of Representatives, to build momentum and awareness around remedying this challenge facing America’s veterans.

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) administers the Veteran Readiness and Employment program (VR&E), which helps qualifying veterans with service-connected disabilities with job training, starting their own businesses, independent living services, education, employment accommodations, and resume development. The types of services offered are unique to fit the goals and needs of each veteran. 

Under current law, veterans who use GI Bill education benefits before accessing the VR&E program can be prevented from accessing their VR&E benefits for years due to VA rules. Veterans who use VR&E first are not subject to the same penalty, creating an unfair disparity that disproportionately affects veterans with disabilities. This legislation ensures that veterans who would like to access the VR&E program are not penalized based on the order in which they use their earned education benefits.

The Ensuring Benefits for Disabled Veterans Act will help veterans access their benefits more efficiently – ensuring all veterans with disabilities can pursue their education without becoming tangled in red tape. This simple fix will make it easier for veterans to access benefits they have earned, making sure they can learn the skills they need to transition to the next phase in their life, beyond the military.

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The Importance of Checks and Balances

This month's Supreme Court ruling striking down the Trump White House’s tariff policies is a civics lesson for both the President and the Congress. The lesson boils down to three core truths of our American experiment in self-government:

• The United States is a constitutional republic, and in Article 1, Section 8, Clauses 2 and 3 of our Constitution it clearly state that:
  •  The Congress shall have Power . . .  to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excuses... and regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
• The Supreme Court maintains the Constitutional guardrails preventing overreach from the other two branches of the federal government. This is the core definition of checks and balances.
• Congress has a clear role to play in terms of shaping American life, safety, and economic policy as it seeks to look after the citizens it represents.

The 6-3 ruling is an example of the Supreme Court reasserting its key role in our government. 

To that end, I cosponsored legislation that would return tariff revenue to Maine's small businesses and urge corporations to pass on any refunds they receive to consumers. More specifically, the bill requires the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to pay refunds of all tariffs that were unlawfully imposed by the President and paid by importers—even if the importation has already been finalized and closed (“liquidated”) by CBP. It also sets a deadline of 180 days after enactment for CBP to process all refunds.

Additionally, the legislation requires CBP to pay interest on the refunded amount and directs CBP to prioritize small businesses when paying refunds and to coordinate with the Small Business Administration to provide key information on the refund process to small businesses.

There are several other provisions in the legislation to ensure that Congress maintains its key oversight responsibility in an effort to protect the interests of Maine's small businesses that have dealt with the burden of these tariffs.

I can only hope that my colleagues in Congress follow the judiciary’s lead to reassert its own role and responsibilities as the Constitution outlines to prevent another overreach like the one we just witnessed.