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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced Cultivating Community in Portland, Maine has been awarded two federal grants. One award of $100,000 from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was granted for a project to build refugee agriculture in Maine; the second award of $537,604 from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Outreach and Assistance for Social... Read More »

U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) and Representatives Chellie Pingree (ME-01) and Jared Golden (ME-02) today announced the award of $1.6 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Sea Grant program to the University of Maine. The grant will fund a research project on Highly Migratory Species in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mex... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s decision to slash refugee admissions by almost half in the next 12 months: "Past presidents have embraced America’s refugee program because they understood our standing as a beacon of hope and safety for millions of refugees across the globe. I’m heartbroken to see President Trump is... Read More »

Last night, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) spoke on the US House floor in support of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act (HR 1595), the first legislation approved by the House to permit federally-insured financial institutions to work with marijuana-related businesses in states where the sale of cannabis is legal. Pingree is an original cosponsor of HR 1595, which passed wi... Read More »

Yesterday, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree’s (D-Maine) bill, H.R. 3596, the Keep America’s Waterfronts Working Act, passed through the House Natural Resources Committee on a 22-13 bipartisan vote. The bill was one of ten bills marked up in committee. “More than 30,000 Mainers make their living from marine-related industries, which are an iconic part of our state’s character. However, working waterfr... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is awarding Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) with $800,000 in federal funding. The funding, which is a combination of grant and loan dollars, will fund a program to purchase equipment, provide working capital, and expand workforce training in Maine. “CEI invests in businesses and communiti... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today issued the following statement in support of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s establishment of formal impeachment inquiry: “President Trump has admitted that he asked a foreign government to help his political campaign. That is wrong. We, as Members of Congress, have a constitutional duty to hold the Executive branch accountable and uphold the law, especially wh... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced the award of $1,169,893 to five fire departments in the 1stCongressional District. The funding comes from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighter Grants (AFG) and is awarded directly to fire departments, EMS organization, and state fire training academies. “Firefighters who risk their lives every day need the best... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Congressman James Comer (R-Ky.) today sent a bipartisan letter signed by 25 members of Congress to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), urging the agency to quickly provide legal clarity and establish a regulatory pathway for food products containing hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD). “During these challenging times for the agricultural economy, far... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today chaired a House Interior Appropriations subcommittee hearing focused on marine debris and the impacts debris have on ecosystems and species in our oceans. Pingree currently serves as vice chair of the subcommittee, which is chaired by Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-Minn.). “According to the United Nations, every minute, the equivalent of a garbage tru... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) has awarded five projects in Maine’s 1st Congressional District with a total of $813,760.85 funding. The AFG program assists first-responder organizations in obtaining emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, emergency vehicles, and traini... Read More »

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ (IMLS) Museums for America (MFA) program will award three projects in Maine’s First Congressional District with a combined $704,458 in grants and combined matching amounts of $769,730. “In my lifetime, I’ve watched communities like Rockland transform into national arts and culture... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today spoke before the U.S. House of Representatives in support of H.R. 1941, the Coastal Marine Economies Protection Act. The bill seeks to counteract the Trump administration’s plan to drill for oil in most U.S. waters, including new leases in the North Atlantic region encompassing Maine. H.R. 1941 would place a permanent moratorium on oil and gas leasing... Read More »

In response to request for study made by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) in October 2017, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) today issued a report which confirmed food date labeling to be a significant source of consumer confusion and subsequently food waste. Pingree praised the report titled “Date Labels on Packaged Foods: USDA and FDA Cou... Read More »

In response to reports that the Trump administration is preparing to ban nearly all refugee admissions for FY2020, Congresswoman Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement: We are in the midst of the greatest global refugee crisis since World War II, and the Trump administration’s response represents a total retreat from America’s values. Since taking office in 2016, President Trump has ef... Read More »