President Trump’s decision to unilaterally break the Iran nuclear deal is unjustified, reckless and will make our country less safe.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JSPOA) was working. United Nations inspectors have certified that Iran has been abiding by its obligations to stop nuclear weapons development activities and increase transparency of its facilities. Just two weeks ago, Secretary of Defense Mattis testified before Congress that the JCPOA’s inspection regime... "was actually pretty robust."
President Trump is putting his personal whims above our national security interests. As a candidate, Donald Trump promised to break President Obama’s signature national security accomplishment, and he has spent his presidency contriving a rationale to do so, regardless of facts. Former Secretary Tillerson and former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster reportedly counseled the President to stay in JCPOA, but both were fired.
None of us wants a nuclear Iran. We should build off the JCPOA to address Iran’s missiles and support for terror, not rip up a functioning agreement. President Trump offers no alternative other than tough-guy rhetoric. This misguided decision risks putting Iran back on the nuclear weapons development track.
The President’s decision to pull out of a functioning multilateral security agreement signals that the United States is not a reliable partner that stands by its word. This decision also distances us from allies like France and Germany. Why would Kim Jong Un trust President Trump on a North Korean nuclear deal now?
Today I joined U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Congressman David Young (R-IA), and stakeholders for a roundtable discussion on the issue of food waste.
I applaud Secretary Perdue for exploring what USDA can do to help reduce the massive amount of food that goes to waste in the United States. As food waste is a costly problem for farmers, businesses, and consumers, I think it’s an issue we can all get behind. While I’ve introduced legislation to reform... policies and programs to reduce food waste, I think there are opportunities for USDA to start tackling this issue immediately, including more closely coordinating with other agencies like FDA and EPA that also have a stake in this issue.
Last week, I joined Congressman Young to launch the bipartisan House Food Waste Caucus, which will look at ways to promote food waste reduction across the food supply chain; provide educational opportunities to congressional members and staff; support efforts to reduce food waste at federal agencies including USDA and EPA; and collaborate with diverse stakeholders to highlight food waste success stories.
In the last two Congresses, I've introduced comprehensive legislation to address food waste across the supply chain. For more information on HR 3444, the Food Recovery Act, go to: https://pingree.house.gov/foodwaste
I'm seeking a two-year paid Wounded Warrior Fellow for my Portland, Maine district office. Interested veterans should go to https://www.usajobs.gov/ and search “Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program” for more information and how to apply.
The Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program was established by the House of Representatives to provide employment opportunities for wounded or disabled veterans within member offices and with the goal of training a new generation of veteran leaders for government service.
I will oppose the GOP Farm Bill in its current draft. Losing a job, becoming ill and caring for children or an aging parent shouldn’t be reasons for being denied SNAP assistance. Please read and share my letter to the editor of the Portland Press Herald.
Next week, President Trump plans to make a speech about Rx drug costs. He’s made big promises on this topic before – like when he said America is “the largest buyer of drugs in the world, and yet we don't bid properly. And were going to start bidding and were going to save billions of dollars over a period of time.” Beyond the rhetoric, though, his administration has made no meaningful progress on bringing down drug costs despite the fact that millions of Americans are strugg...
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt's loyalty to the fossil fuel industry has real consequences for Maine. Today Mainers woke up to a second day of air quality warnings. Thank you Natural Resources Council of Maine for calling on him to go! I have too.
Here's what I told him last week
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As I told Scott Pruitt directly last week, I can’t, for the life of me, imagine why an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adminstrator would be in Morocco promoting energy sales. Now we know a lobbyist set up the taxpayer-funded trip then won a $40k-a-month contract. Pruitt must go! I’m part of a bipartisan group of 140 Representatives and 39 Senators who’ve signed on to a resolution calling for him to resign and I’ve written to President Trump outlining why Pruitt must be fired. Read the full story via the Portland Press Herald: https://www.pressherald.com/…/lobbyist-helped-arrange-scot…/
May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. As you venture outdoors, remember this helpful checklist to prevent tick-borne illness. This wonderful design was created by Jonas Pinzon Osorio, a student at my alma mater College of the Atlantic, and shared by Acadia National Park. Great work, Jonas!
Excited to announce that today Rep. David Young (R-Iowa) and I launched the bipartisan Food Waste Caucus in Congress! Learn more about this important policy issue and our new caucus via this link: https://pingree.house.gov/…/reps-pingree-young-launch-bipar…
The LePage Administration’s continued attempts to veto Maine voters is cruel and costly. By delaying Medicaid Expansion yet again, Governor LePage is leaving tens of thousands of Mainers without health care coverage and keeping millions of federal dollars out of our state. I urge the governor to listen to the voters and implement Medicaid Expansion so that 80,000 people will finally gain access to care.
It’s #SmallBusinessWeek! I’m honored to serve as co-chair of the bipartisan Small Business Caucus with Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Colorado). Small business is the backbone of Maine’s economy and starting North Haven Yarn was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Soon after the birth of my first child, Hannah, I was running a small farm with three dairy cows, chickens, vegetables, and sheep. We started having the wool from our sheep spun into yarn at a mill in Maine. Th...ere were a lot of great knitters in our community and they were always asking me if I could display the sweaters or socks they’d made with our yarn at our farm stand. Before I knew it, our stand was full of vibrant creations and it struck me that we should open a retail store. That’s how North Haven Yarn was born!
Eventually we sold our products to about 1,000 other stores around the country and expanded our line to five knitting pattern books, knitting kits and our team expanded to ten full time workers and many more knitters. Since this was before we had Facebook or online sales, we launched a catalog and sent out 100,000 a year to tell the story of our farm, our island community, and the products we were selling. When I sold the business in 1993, we’d gone from a farm stand in our shed to a half a million dollar business.
What’s your small business start up story? Share it with me below!
ICYMI, as calls mount for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to resign for questionable spending and mismanagement, I had the chance to hold him accountable for his record on climate change and weakening environmental standards. On these and other issues, he just doesn't have our best interests at heart.
HAPPENING NOW: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Pruitt is facing questions from the House Appropriations Committee. Watch Live via C-SPAN ⬇️⬇️⬇️
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt faces numerous federal inquiries into his lavish spending and improper industry ties. Let's be clear: he must be fired. In fact, he should've never been "hired" to oversee the EPA. At 2pm TODAY, I'll question him as a member of the House Appropriations committee. WATCH via this link: youtu.be/anOhiBdIOTk
The Bangor Daily News thinks it’s time for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to go. I couldn’t agree more. This editorial raises a number of concerns about his time at the EPA, several of which I’ll be asking him about at our appropriations hearing tomorrow at 2pm.
Pruitt faces nearly a dozen federal inquiries into his lavish spending and improper industry ties. I've joined a bipartisan group of 140 representatives and 39 senators who’ve c...alled on him to resign. Read our resolution here: https://www.congress.gov/…/115th-congr…/house-resolution/834
I've also sent a letter with 60+ House members to President Trump demanding that Pruitt be fired for his gross misuse of taxpayer money, improper connections to industry, and his record of working against the EPA's mission
Read our letter here: https://pingree.house.gov/…/To%20POTUS%20regarding%20resign…
Our entire state is deeply saddened by Somerset County Sheriffs Deputy Cpl. Eugene Cole’s death in the line of duty. Thinking of his family today and hoping law enforcement officers are safe & successful in apprehending his killer.
