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Food and Agriculture

Pingree Applauds New School Meal Standards to Strengthen Child Nutrition and Support Local Food Purchasing in Maine

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a member of the House Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, applauded new action by the Biden-Harris Administration to promote the health of America’s children through school meals. Notably, the new standards allow schools to require fresh foods to be locally grown, raised, or caught when…

Pingree Touts More Than $657,000 in Grants to Support Renewable Energy in Maine’s 1st District

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced 10 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants worth a total of $657,298 for businesses in Maine’s First Congressional District. The infusion of rural development funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed by Congressional Democrats and signed by President Biden. “The…

Pingree, Durbin Send Letter to VA Requesting Details on Produce Prescription Programs

| Posted in Press Releases
produce prescription Durbin CP

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today sent a letter to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough requesting information about the implementation of “produce prescription” initiatives at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). In 2022, President Biden called on VHA to begin the implementation of “produce…

Pingree Leads Bipartisan Opposition to USDA Reclassification of Potatoes

| Posted in Press Releases
potatoes

Amid concerning reports that potatoes could be reclassified as grains in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, and Congressman Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) are leading a bipartisan effort to express opposition to efforts to declassify potatoes as vegetables. In a letter to U.S. Department of…

Pingree Leads 35 Bipartisan Members of Congress in Push for Seafood-Focused Priorities in Next Farm Bill

| Posted in Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today led 35 bipartisan members of Congress in a letter to Agriculture Committee leaders of the House and Senate urging the establishment of a new Office of Seafood Policy and Program Integration at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); support for seafood procurement from small and midsize seafood…

Rep. Pingree Touts 16 USDA Grants, 2 Loans Worth Over $30 million for Midcoast Maine Businesses

| Posted in Press Releases

Today Maine’s First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree announced 16 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants and loans worth a total of $2.1 million for businesses in midcoast Maine. The infusion of rural development funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed by Congressional Democrats and signed by President…

VIDEO: Pingree Raises Concerns Over Maine’s Meat Processing Backlog with USDA Secretary Vilsack

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Vilsack Portland 9

In a House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee hearing today with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) shed light on challenges Maine farmers are facing amid meat processing backlogs. Pingree, a longtime farmer and member of both the House Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee, asked…

$100,000 USDA Grant Awarded to Support Maine’s Organic Market, Pingree Announces

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a longtime organic farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, today announced federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to strengthen and expand the organic market in Maine. Crystal Spring Community Farm in Brunswick was awarded $100,000 through the USDA…

Pingree Announces Nearly $250,000 to Expand Local Meat Processing in Maine

| Posted in Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Maine First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a longtime farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, today announced a $249,615 federal grant to expand meat processing operations in Kennebunk. The grant will help Short Creek Meats LLC expand the capacity of its ready-to-eat packaging line and…

Good Shepherd Food Bank President to be Pingree’s 2024 State of Union Guest

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CP and SOTU Guest Heather Paquette

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a senior House Appropriator and member of the House Agriculture Committee, today announced Heather Paquette, president of Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, as her 2024 State of the Union Guest tomorrow night. With President Joe Biden expected to highlight his efforts to curb “shrinkflation” greed among big corporations and stave off harmful…

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