Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) welcomed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s announcement that 35,000 additional H-2B visas will be released but expressed frustration that the number is still is not enough to meet the needs of Maine’s seasonal businesses and that it contains new measures that could limit Maine employers’ access to needed workers. Pingree said as a… Read more »
U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today led a bicameral, bipartisan group of their colleagues, including Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Representative Jared Golden (D-Maine), in a letter to Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf urging the administration to immediately increase the statutory cap of H-2B visas… Read more »
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today voted to pass H.R. 5038, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, of which she is a cosponsor. The bipartisan bill is immigration reform legislation designed to support farm businesses who rely on H-2A visas to fill positions in a tight labor market and allow long-time agricultural workers in the U.S. to… Read more »
U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Don Beyer (D-VA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ), Norma J. Torres (D-CA), Bill Foster (D-IL) today led a group of 107 Members of Congress in demanding that the White House fire Senior Advisor to the President Stephen Miller.
Their letter quoted from emails Miller wrote,… Read more »
Yesterday, Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sent a letter to the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) with Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH1), Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH2), Peter Welch (D-VT At-Large) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME1), calling on the agency to provide information on the use of temporary highway checkpoints in… 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… Read more »
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.… 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… 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… Read more »
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement regarding the recent influx of asylum-seekers to Portland:
"Most of the migrants who have arrived in Portland these past few days have had long, harrowing journeys from conflict-torn countries. These families choose to leave their homes for a reason and are seeking refuge here for the opportunity of… Read more »
