Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program is now open for applications from Maine farms. USDA is dispersing a total of $16 billion in direct payments to farmers across our country, $9.5 billion which was authorized in the CARES Act and $6.5 billion from the Commodity Credit Corporation. “While all farms are struggling to stay… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today issued the following statement in recognition of Memorial Day: “Every day, members of the American military bravely step forward to leave their homes behind and march towards the unknown. Many do not come home. Memorial Day is a time to remember the brave servicemembers who lost their lives in defense of our freedoms. “I also want to… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a vice chair of the Congressional LGBTQ Caucus, today led a bipartisan letter with Congressman Chris Stewart (R-Utah) and 42 members requesting that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to utilize its funding and resources from the CARES Act to support the more than six million LGBTQ youth in… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree issued the following statement on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program eligibility details: “Although all farmers in this country are dealing with the economic fallout of COVID-19, small and local growers who sell primarily to restaurants and direct-to-consumer markets are particularly… Read more »

Senator Susan Collins and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree today wrote to Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Commissioner Patrick Keliher, advocating for swift allocation of the more than $20 million Maine received through the CARES Act for fishing industry relief. The lawmakers encouraged DMR to quickly develop a plan for how the funding would be allocated in the state.… Read more »

Today, Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME), and Congressman Roger Marshall (R-KS) announced the introduction of H.R. 6774, the Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Demonstration Pilot Act of 2020, a new bill that would establish a Medicare pilot program to address the critical link between diet, chronic… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) tonight released the following statement after passage of The Heroes Act by the US House: “The coronavirus pandemic has upended our lives in ways we could never have imagined before today. More than 84,000 Americans have lost their lives due to COVID-19 and more than 36 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the past two months. A… Read more »

With large processing plants shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the nation facing a meat supply shortage, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) wrote to House Speaker Pelosi urging passage of her bipartisan PRIME Act legislation, which would remove hurdles for small livestock farmers to sell directly to consumers. The USDA currently offers states flexibility in… Read more »

Today Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) said The Heroes Act, a comprehensive COVID-19 recovery package up for a vote in the U.S. House tomorrow, would extend unemployment benefits until January 2021 for the 36 million Americans who’ve lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Pingree said the bill would deliver a second round of stimulus payments, up to $1,200 for a single filer… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) said today that The Heroes Act, a comprehensive new COVID-19 recovery package up for a vote in the U.S. House this week, fixes shortcomings of the Small Business Administration (SBA)’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which Maine’s small businesses and nonprofits have requested. “Maine’s small businesses have been clamoring for changes to the… Read more »