Press Releases

 WASHINGTON, DC— Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement regarding President Joe Biden’s first official State of the Union address:

“Tonight, we marked America’s continued awakening from the pandemic. Leading our nation through an unprecedented litany of crises, President Biden and our Democratic Congress have produced historic economic results. The results of the American Rescue Plan are beyond question. In 2021, America added a record number of new jobs. Unemployment claims are at decade lows. Schools are open. COVID-19 is abating. We have much to applaud, while acknowledging so much work remains to lower inflation, to continue to raise wages, and importantly to address climate change. I greatly appreciated that the President dedicated time in his address to renew his call for Congress to act on climate change, which is a crisis that states that like Maine are already facing. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report warned just this week, we must act now if we hope to secure a sustainable and habitable future. 

“President Biden’s State of the Union tonight was a powerful statement of America’s strength, poise, and resolve. I share President Biden’s urgency on the crisis in Ukraine and I share his unstinting support for our ally Ukraine. I support the President’s harsh sanctions against Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation. By the reception to President Biden’s words tonight, I believe the Congress is united to supporting Ukraine in every way we can to support Ukraine’s fight for survival. 

“To recognize Ukraine’s struggle, I am so honored that Yanina Nickless joined me virtually tonight for President Biden’s State of the Union address. Although guests weren’t permitted in the Capitol tonight, she is part of this national moment of American and global unity. President Biden seized this significant moment on the world stage to rally the world to stand up for Ukraine and democracy and for people like Yanina and her family in Ukraine. 

“It is my sincere hope that President Biden’s address tonight will further unite Members of Congress, the people of the United States, and the world as we fight for democracy and a safe, habitable world.”

Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Pingree invited a Ukraine native with Maine tiesas a virtual guest to President Biden’s State of the Union address. Yanina Nickless, a University of Southern Maine graduate who lives in Kennebunkport, is from the Kherson region of Ukraine, where her family is fighting for their lives and for democracy amid the unprovoked Russian invasion against her sovereign home country. 

Click here to watch a video message from Yanina. 

###