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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) released the following statement in response to Governor Mills’ announcement that the state will allow an influx of prospective asylum seekers who’ve come to Portland to apply for General Assistance (GA): “Governor Mills’ decision to expand general assistance funds statewide is pragmatic and a reflection of Maine’s values. She has shown tremendous leadership i... Read More »

Today in a Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research Subcommittee hearing of the House Committee on Agriculture, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) questioned United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Marketing and Regulatory Programs Undersecretary Greg Ibach on the National Organic Program and the delay in the origin of livestock rulemaking. “It’s completely unacceptable that you’re goi... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement rebuking President Trump’s racist statements about four elected members of Congress: “As I go back to Washington today, I'm taking Maine's values of inclusiveness with me. “In the face of President Trump’s racist statements and his Administration's assaults on immigrant communities, Mainers have responded by welcoming asylum ... Read More »

U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Jared Golden (ME-02), Chris Pappas (NH-01), and Annie Kuster (NH-02) have secured language in the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to support Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PSNY) workers who were hired between January 2016 and December 2016, but declared ineligible for the Navy’s Accelerated Promotion Program (APP), a federal career advanc... Read More »

An amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) offered by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Congressman Jason Crow (D-Colo.) to support survivors of military sexual trauma (MST) has been approved. The Pingree-Crow amendment requires the Department of Defense’s Sexual Assault Response coordinators and advocates to advise servicemembers who report sexual trauma of their elig... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Congressman Charlie Crist (D-Florida) have secured an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requiring the Secretary of Defense to account for sea level rise projections and future flood risk when creating climate resiliency guidelines at military facilities. Their amendment comes as a direct response to last month’s Government Accoun... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today joined her House colleagues in passing the Securing America’s Federal Elections (SAFE) Act, H.R. 2722. The SAFE Act provides funding to protect the United States’ election systems, requires the use of paper ballots, mandates post-election audits of vulnerabilities, and helps defend against foreign hacking and attacks. “The Mueller report and American i... Read More »

In a letter, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today formally requested that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Inspector General Phyllis Fong investigate the suppression of valuable climate research conducted by the Agriculture Research Service (ARS), a division of USDA. Yesterday, Politico reported that only two ARS studies related to climate change have been publicized s... Read More »

Following a request for study made by Congresswomen Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) in October 2017, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) today issued a report with recommendations on how the federal government can expand its efforts to reduce food waste. Pingree praised the GAO report titled “Food Loss and Waste: Building on Existing Federal Efforts Could Help to Achiev... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced the House Appropriations Committee has released an emergency supplemental spending package, which includes $60 million to support communities, like Portland, Maine, which have “experienced a significant influx of” asylum seekers. The legislation provides $4.5 billion in emergency spending to address the humanitarian crisis at the border, with... Read More »

In a hearing for the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, Congresswoman Pingree spoke in support of her bill, H.R. 1092, The Servicemember and Veterans’ Empowerment and Support Act. Pingree’s bill would improve resources and care for survivors of military sexual trauma (MST). “Women and men who have experienced military sexual trauma cont... Read More »

On World Refugee Day, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) spoke on the U.S. House Floor in recognition of Kifah Abdulla, a Mainer originally from Baghdad, Iraq, and a refugee. Abdulla is a published poet, performer, Arabic teacher, and activist who often speaks of the eight years he spent as a prisoner of war for his political dissent. To watch Pingree’s floor speech recognizing Mr. Abdulla an... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) today heralded the investment of $156,000 in USDA Rural Development funds being granted to Maine businesses. The Rural Energy for America (REAP) program assists with renewable energy development and supports Maine’s rural small businesses. 12 grants were awarded in Maine; 7 in the 1st Congressional District. “Small businesses are the cornerstone of our rural c... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) today sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) concerning food contamination by chemical substances in our food supply, and to ask the GAO to review the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) oversight of indirect food additives. “Packaging and other materials that food contacts contain spec... Read More »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s plan to relocate hundreds of USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) staff to the Kansas City area: “I am appalled with the Trump administration’s decision to force hundreds of Washington-based USDA research staffers to uproot their live... Read More »