Bemoaning the way the ground under middle-of-the-road politicians is “melting like late-winter snow in Maine,” U.S. Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday pleaded with those who don’t see compromise as a dirty word to become “just as fanatical as those on the far left and the far right.” Speaking at the No Labels Problem Solvers Conference […]
Congress
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine's congressional delegation sees hope in Trump's speech
Maine’s congressional delegation found some hope in the softer tone and unifying words offered by President Donald Trump in his Tuesday night speech to Congress. From compromise on immigration to a renewed focus on economic growth, lawmakers latched on to presidential comments that lined up with their political agendas. Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
President Donald Trump declares it's 'time to join forces' to fix US problems
President Donald Trump, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, for his address to a joint session of Congress. WASHINGTON (AP) — Heralding a “new chapter of American greatness,” President Donald Trump stood before Congress for the first time […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Opposing President Trump
The United States faces a test. We have always valued the system of three independent branches of government. We value the tradition of a free press and free speech enshrined in the First Amendment. For 241 years, the United States has survived many crises because the system has proved resilient and able to temper the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Medicare needs permission to negotiate with drug companies, Sen. Angus King says
Calling it “a travesty on the taxpayers,” U.S. Sen. Angus King is pressing to secure congressional approval to let Medicare negotiate lower prescription drug prices. The proposal would allow the government health care program for seniors to seek volume discounts from pharmaceutical companies that provide drugs for Medicare Part D’s 41 million participants. Since the passage […]
Posted inMaine
Maine’s congressional delegation opposes repeal of coal rule
When Congress voted this week to wipe out a new federal regulation making it harder to dump coal-mining debris into nearby streams, all of Maine’s congressional representatives opposed the move. U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, a Republican from Maine’s 2nd District, said the rule adopted during the last days of the Obama administration “should move forward […]
Posted inMaine
Sen. Susan Collins introduces Obamacare alternative
As the new Republican administration targets repeal of the Affordable Care Act, Maine’s senior senator took a major step Monday to offer a replacement plan. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins introduced The Patient Freedom Act of 2017 with her Republican colleague Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, modeled in part on a bill they pushed two years ago […]
Posted inLetters
Congress has failed the public
As a longtime proponent of complete overhaul of the national health care system, I feel that Congress (both Democrats and Republicans) has failed us. Sen. Susan Collins wants to extend the deadline to remove Obamacare and allow GOP leaders more time to develop alternatives. Sen. Angus King opposes the repeal, preferring to make it better […]
Posted inLetters
Boycotting the inauguration
I believe that any decision by a member of Congress to boycott the inauguration is a disgrace. One of the triumphs of the U.S. is a form of government was established that allows for the orderly, peaceful transfer of power on a regular basis. Part of the way the Constitution was written was to prevent […]