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Food and Agriculture

House Agriculture Leaders Pingree, Craig, Bishop: Illegal USDA Funding Freeze Hurts Farmers and Rural America

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Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) joined House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-Minn.) and House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee Ranking Member Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.) in demanding answers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over the Trump Administration’s illegal federal funding freeze—which is already causing significant harm to…

Pingree: Make America Healthy Again? Let’s See If They’re Serious

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In an op-ed published in The Hill today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) lays out a practical, bipartisan path to working with the Trump Administration on its “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda. Pingree, a longtime farmer and advocate for sustainable agriculture, local food systems, and nutrition access, says she is ready to work across the aisle to make…

Pingree Helps Secure Federal Support to Advance Fox Islands’ Green Energy Goals; Announces $5.2 Million for Rural Clean Energy Projects in Maine’s 1st District

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced millions of dollars in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for clean energy initiatives across Maine, including $8.7 million to help Maine’s Fox Islands advance their ambitious clean energy goals and more than $5.2 million in Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funding to support local…

Pingree Announces $1 Million to Strengthen Local and Regional Food Supply Chain Infrastructure in Maine

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Today, Maine First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree announced $1 million in federal funding to build greater food resilience in Maine’s food system while supporting local suppliers and purveyors. Awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI), the funding will support five supply chain infrastructure projects across…

Pingree Announces $1.2 Million to Support Renewable Energy, Help Maine Businesses Lower Costs, and Save Consumers Money

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Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced more than $1.2 million in federal grants for businesses in Maine’s First District through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The grants were made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which was passed by Congressional Democrats and signed into law by President…

Pingree Announces $40.5 Million to Boost Conservation, Climate Resilience Efforts in Maine

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Maine First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree announced more than $40.5 million for conservation projects in Maine. Nearly $25 Million will support a project, spearheaded by the Nature Conservancy, to provide much-needed upgrades to road-stream crossings, allowing native wildlife—including Atlantic salmon, brook trout, mussels, and turtles— to migrate more…

During Fashion Week, Pingree Leads Push to Revitalize US Sustainable Fibers Industry

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sustainable fibers

As New York Fashion Week gets underway, Congressional Slow Fashion Caucus founder and chair Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) is calling attention to the critical need to promote sustainable textile production in the United States. In a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, Pingree and her colleagues underscored the…

Pingree, Appropriators Press For Answers on Tribal and Senior Food Distribution Shortages

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House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Ranking Member Chellie Pingree joined leaders on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in pressing for answers from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack regarding failures under its Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), which have inflicted a dire food shortage crisis on…

ICYMI: Pingree Derides House Republicans’ Agriculture Funding Bill Which Hurts Maine Farmers, Threatens Food Access

| Posted in Press Releases

On Wednesday night, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a longtime farmer and member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, spoke out against House Republicans’ Agriculture Appropriations bill for the 2025 fiscal year. In remarks before the full House Appropriations Committee, Pingree said the bill puts critical nutrition programs at risk, hurts…

Pingree Welcomes $7.4 Million Investment to Help Fight Child Hunger and Grow Local Food Access in Maine

| Posted in Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced $7.4 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to combat child hunger in Maine. Distributed through the nonprofit Full Plates Full Potential, seven organizations in Maine were awarded School Food System Innovation Grants to help schools overcome the barriers to purchasing Maine-based foods for their school meal programs…

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