Press Releases

Today, Governor Janet Mills and U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden convened a conference call to discuss the State’s response to COVID-19 and the Congressional Delegation’s work in Congress to support the State’s efforts.

“It is critical that my Administration work hand-in-hand with our Congressional Delegation as we respond to COVID-19 in Maine,” said Governor Janet Mills. “Today we discussed a number of important issues, including how we can deliver small businesses, their employees, and the self-employed – the backbone of our economy – greater financial relief. I am grateful for the Congressional Delegation’s work in Washington, appreciate our constructive working relationship, and look forward to continuing to partner with them in the weeks ahead to support Maine people and our economy as we get through this pandemic.”

“All of us have the same goal, and that is to keep Mainers as safe and as healthy as possible,” said the Maine Delegation in a joint statement.  “We applaud the aggressive steps that Governor Janet Mills and the Maine CDC are taking to address the coronavirus in Maine and help protect families from this pandemic.  With our support, Congress recently passed an $8.3 billion coronavirus package, which provided $4.6 million to the Maine CDC.  We also share the strong commitment to helping Maine’s small businesses, non-profits, and farmers survive.  Earlier this week, the Maine Delegation worked successfully with the Governor to make Maine eligible for the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans program, which will provide important relief to small businesses in each of Maine’s 16 counties, and we are working on additional legislative solutions.  We had a very productive call this morning, and we will continue to work closely together to overcome this challenge.”

During the conference call, Governor Mills provided a situational update on the status of COVID-19 in Maine as well as the State’s ongoing efforts to respond to and mitigate its spread. The Congressional Delegation provided an update on their efforts in Congress to support the State and provide relief. They specifically focused on financial relief for Maine small businesses and Maine workers and the need for more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and testing supplies, which follows a letter from the Governor to Vice President Mike Pence this morning on the matter.

The Governor thanked the Congressional Delegation for their work to support the State and they pledged to continue to work together in the coming weeks and months. 

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