url,title,date,year,month,party,chamber,state,member_name,bioguide_id,domain,scraper,source,date_source,text,has_text,collected_at,updated_at
https://web.archive.org/web/20131211035024/http://www.collins.senate.gov:80/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=4a7c0eab-2f45-4dee-a487-0732fef75b25,"Senators Collins, King Announce Maine Nominees to U.S. Military Service Academies",2013-12-06,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,ME,Susan Collins,C001035,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced their nominees to the United States Military Academies. To be considered for an appointment to a service academy, applicants must be nominated by an authorized nominating source, which includes members of Congress.  Admission to the United States Coast Guard Academy, also a federal service academy, does not require a congressional nomination.
""We are proud to have the honor to nominate such an impressive group of Maine students to our nation's distinguished service academies,"" said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. ""The young people we have nominated have earned this honor through a commitment to strong scholarship, leadership, and character.""
The following students from Maine have received nominations as candidates to the military academies from Senators Collins and King (note some students received a nomination to more than one academy):
                       
United States Naval Academy- Annapolis
Name                                      Home Town               High School
Laura Broderick                      Kennebunkport            Kennebunk High School
Emily Cox                              Topsham                     Mount Ararat High School
Tyler Davidson                       South Berwick              Marshwood High School
Angus Ferrell                          Falmouth                     Falmouth High School
Jacob Fogel                           Portland                       Portland High School
Grace Harrison                       Lincolnville                  Camden Hills Regional High School
John Harrison                         Bar Harbor                  Marine Academy of Science & Technology
Wyatt Hart                            Lebanon                      Noble High School
Molly McAleer                        Orono                          Kents Hill School
Christian O'Connor                 York                            York High School
James O'Neil                           Orono                          Orono High School
Matthew Piazza                      York                            Northern Lights Academy
Edward Pond                          Topsham                      American School in Japan
Grace Rabinowitz                   Brunswick                   Brunswick High School
Robert Runnells                      Saco                            Thornton Academy
Dustin Sirabella                       Exeter                          Dexter Regional High School
Elliott Speirs                           Gorham                       Gorham High School 
Brian Taylor                            Falmouth                     Falmouth High School
MacKenzie Travers                 Lewiston                     Lewiston High School
Matthew Webber                    York                            Saint Thomas Aquinas High School
           
 
Unites States Military Academy - West Point
Name                                      Home Town               High School
Andrew Benger                      Cumberland Center     Greely High School
John Bennett III                     Chelsea                        Cony High School
Emily Cox                               Topsham                      Mount Ararat High School
Hailey Davis                           Liberty                                    Mount View High School
Angus Ferrell                          Falmouth                     Falmouth High School           
Sawyer Harkins                       Bethel                          Gould Academy
Grace Harrison                        Lincolnville                 Camden Hills Regional High School
Conall Molloy                         Orono                          Orono High School
James O'Neil                           Orono                          Orono High School
Robert Runnells                      Saco                            Thornton Academy
Jacob Smith                             Sidney                         Messalonskee High School
Johel Stephenson                    Fairfield                      Stephenson Academy
Matthew Webber                    York                            Saint Thomas Aquinas High School
Corey Zinck                            Wells                           Valley Forge Military Academy
           
United States Air Force Academy - Colorado Springs
Name                                      Home Town               High School
Wesley Crawford                    Yarmouth                    Yarmouth High School
Hailey Davis                           Liberty                                    Mount View High School
Michael Dempski                    Oakland                      Saint Dominic Academy
Ethan Handley                        Dedham                      John Bapst Memorial High School
Angus Ferrell                          Falmouth                     Falmouth High School
Liam Mahoney                       Yarmouth                    Yarmouth High School
Molly McAleer                        Orono                          Kents Hill School
Patrick O'Hanlon                    Falmouth                     Cheverus High School
James O'Neil                         Orono                          Orono High School
Matthew Piazza                      York                            Northern Lights Academy
Edward Pond                         Topsham                      American School in Japan
Robert Runnells                      Saco                            Thornton Academy
Dustin Sirabella                      Exeter                          Dexter Regional High School
Elliott Speirs                           Gorham                       Gorham High School
Jordan Susi                            South Portland              South Portland High School
MacKenzie Travers                 Lewiston                     Lewiston High School
           
United States Merchant Marine Academy- Kings Point
Name                                      Home Town               High School
John Bennett III                     Chelsea                       Cony High School
Wesley Crawford                    Yarmouth                     Yarmouth High School
Sawyer Harkins                       Bethel                         Gould Academy
Grace Harrison                        Lincolnville                   Camden Hills Regional High School 
John Harrison                          Bar Harbor                  Marine Academy of Science & Technology  
Liam Mahoney                        Yarmouth                    Yarmouth High School
Molly McAleer                        Orono                          Kents Hill School
Dustin Sirabella                     Exeter                          Dexter Regional High School
Christopher Tomascak            Portland                      Portland High School
Meredith Willard                    South Portland              Cheverus High School
Russell Wilson                        Hartland                      Wilson Catholic Academy",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://web.archive.org/web/20131211041035/http://www.collins.senate.gov:80/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=59705dc0-a789-436f-be18-1a8e4185c88b,"Collins, King Announce Nearly $74 Million Contract Modification for Bath Iron Works",2013-12-05,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,ME,Susan Collins,C001035,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins, a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and Angus King, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today announced that the U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works (BIW) a contract modification worth $73,913,646. This is a continuation of BIW's longstanding planning yard contracts to support the DDG-51 class destroyers and FFG-7 class frigates. The modified contract calls for BIW to provide expert design, planning, and material support services for planned and emergent availabilities for both ship classes.
""We are pleased that the Navy chose to modify BIW's contract, which will allow the highly-skilled workforce at the Bath shipyard to continue to make important improvements to the ships responsible for the future of our national security,"" said Senators Collins and King.
The work will be performed in Bath, Maine, and is expected to be completed by December 2016.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://web.archive.org/web/20131211040322/http://www.collins.senate.gov:80/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=f506c78b-932f-427d-b41e-338cfacda0fd,"Senators Collins, King Among Bipartisan Coalition Calling for Changes to FDA Proposed Rules",2013-11-26,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,ME,Susan Collins,C001035,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC- In a letter sent today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) requested that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issue a second draft of regulations for public comment before issuing final Food Safety Modernization rules. In the letter, led by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), and signed by a bipartisan group of members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the coalition expressed concerns about the impact of proposed rules on farmers and businesses that an additional comment period could help alleviate.
""Despite your agency's efforts to engage with stakeholders during the rulemaking process, we remain concerned about the ambiguity surrounding many aspects of these proposed rules,"" the letter said.
The lawmakers continued, ""We believe the rules as currently proposed would result in a multitude of unintended consequences that would be severely detrimental to national, regional and local agriculture. By seeking additional input through second proposed rules for public comment before final rules, we believe that producers' concerns can be addressed and unintended consequences can be greatly mitigated.""
The FDA recently issued two proposed rules implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), a 2011 law that overhauled food safety laws to increase the safety of our food supply. The rules address preventive controls for human food and standards for the growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce for human consumption. As proposed, the 1,200-page rules have left food producers and processors across the country concerned about a number of issues surrounding facility compliance, environmental standards, among others.
The full text of the letter is below:
 
November 22, 2013
 The Honorable Margaret Hamburg, M.D.  Commissioner  U.S. Food and Drug Administration  10903 New Hampshire Avenue  Silver Spring, MD 20993     Dear Commissioner Hamburg: 
We appreciate the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) efforts to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the agency's willingness to seek input and guidance from producers and processors, which is of great value to our constituents. We are confident that the rulemaking process for the proposed Produce Safety Rule and the Preventive Controls Rule (Docket Nos. FDA-2011-N-0920 and FDA-2011-N-0921) will bolster the overall process of the law's implementation.
Despite your agency's efforts to engage with stakeholders during the rulemaking process, we remain concerned about the ambiguity surrounding many aspects of these proposed rules. In order to improve the law's implementation, we are writing to request that the FDA propose and submit second proposed rules for public comment before issuing the final rules.
After hearing many reservations from our farmers and businesses, we are concerned that the rules as currently proposed, and the heavy cost of complying with them, will force some producers and processors to shutter their operations. Food producers and processors in our states are concerned with a number of issues, including:
• The testing frequency required for certain agricultural waters;
• Restrictions placed on the usage of biological soil amendments;
• Compliance issues at mixed-use facilities;
• New requirements that conflict with existing conservation and environmental standards and practices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture;
• The limiting definitions used in the rule for ""farm,"" ""small business"" and ""very small business""; and
• The lack of consideration of the complexity of various farm ownership entities.
We believe the rules as currently proposed would result in a multitude of unintended consequences that would be severely detrimental to national, regional and local agriculture. By seeking additional input through second proposed rules for public comment before final rules, we believe that producers' concerns can be addressed and unintended consequences can be greatly mitigated.
We appreciate your consideration of this request and look forward to your response.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://web.archive.org/web/20131211040807/http://www.collins.senate.gov:80/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=a76e6629-57da-4236-8013-75c6712ddc1b,Senator Collins Expresses Concerns About Iranian Nuclear Agreement,2013-11-25,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,ME,Susan Collins,C001035,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Susan Collins issued the following statement today regarding the nuclear agreement with Iran:
""While I believe that an effective, verifiable diplomatic solution would be the best possible outcome for halting the Iranian pursuit of a nuclear weapon, I have several concerns about the plan as I continue to analyze it.
""The plan does not require the Iranians to suspend enrichment as required by existing U.N. Security Council resolutions. It also apparently does not require the dismantling of centrifuges and does not deal with delivery systems.
""Iran is also not required to roll back the construction of its heavy water reactor in Arak or convert this facility into a light water reactor that would be less useful for the production of the material needed for a nuclear weapon.
""Given Iran's past failures to keep its commitments, I am also deeply concerned that Iran did not agree to all of the intrusive inspections that the well-respected International Atomic Energy Agency maintains are necessary to ensure that Iran is abiding by the agreement and not performing nuclear-related work at undeclared locations.
""In the next weeks, the Senate will closely examine whether the Administration's plan to ease sanctions worth billions of dollars to the Iranians in exchange for this agreement is the right policy. At this point, I have many concerns about whether or not this plan is in America's best interests.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://web.archive.org/web/20131211040802/http://www.collins.senate.gov:80/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=7631ed38-450e-4db5-89d0-aaaa397bc556,"E-Newsletter: November 21, 2013",2013-11-22,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,ME,Susan Collins,C001035,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Alzheimer's Disease: An Urgent National Priority
 
Citing the devastating emotional and economic toll that Alzheimer's disease takes on more than five million Americans and their families, Senator Collins, along with Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, introduced a bipartisan Senate Resolution declaring that the goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's by 2025 is an ""urgent national priority."" 
Consider the following:
More than five million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, more than double the number in 1980.
Based on current projections, as many as 16 million Americans over the age of 65 will have Alzheimer's disease by 2050.
Alzheimer's costs the United States more than $200 billion a year--including $142 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid alone--yet only about $500 million is allocated to Alzheimer's research funding annually to improve treatment and find a cure.
If nothing is done to slow or stop the disease, the Alzheimer's Association estimates that Alzheimer's will cost the United States an astonishing $20 trillion over the next 40 years. 
 
The resolution, which was introduced during Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, recognizes that dramatic increases in research funding are necessary to meet the 2025 goal and urges Congress to double the amount of funding the United States spends on Alzheimer's research in 2015, as well as develop a plan to meet the target of $2 billion a year as recommended by the experts of the federal Alzheimer's Advisory Council. 
 
 
 Watch Senator Collins' speech from the Senate floor:
       
 (Click the play button above to view the video)
 
The resolution has been endorsed by the Alzheimer's Association and USAgainstAlzheimer's, two leading national advocacy groups.
(Click the letters above to read them)
 
 
 
 
The Alzheimer's Association, Maine Chapter also applauded Senator Collins' efforts:
""The Alzheimer's Association, Maine Chapter is so appreciative of Senator Collins for her leadership on this issue. We estimate that more than 37,000 Maine families are living with this devastating disease and that, as the baby boomer generation in Maine continues to age, thousands more families will face it in the coming years,"" said Executive Director Laurie Trenholm. ""Senator Collins recognizes that this is a critical issue for the people of Maine and this country. We strongly support her resolution to increase funding for research as it represents a commitment to our vision of a world without Alzheimer's disease. There are countless volunteer advocates here in Maine who are working alongside the Senator towards this vision and we are so proud that Maine is leading this fight.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://web.archive.org/web/20150906012721/http://www.collins.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=c658f130-5cc4-4818-b335-b38d55d0aa77,Senator Collins Announces $6 Million Infrastructure Investment Grant for Port of Eastport,2013-09-03,2013,2013-09,Republican,House,ME,Susan Collins,C001035,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"BANGOR, Maine -- U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Ranking Member of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, said today that Anthony Foxx, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), called to tell her that, next week, the Department will announce that the Port of Eastport will receive $6 million in the latest round of National Infrastructure Investments program grant funding, also known as the TIGER program.
""This announcement is great news for a Labor Day weekend because it will mean more jobs and economic opportunity for Mainers,"" Senator Collins said. ""Improving our nation's transportation infrastructure is vital to the safe and efficient movement of freight and people, and it is critical to our economy. The Port of Eastport is significant infrastructure for economic development and job creation in Washington County and the State of Maine. These funds will help build and maintain infrastructure to support our commercial fishing industry while also supporting operations of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, and Customs and Border Control.""
This funding will support the replacement of the Eastport's current breakwater, which was built to protect the port from wave action. The current breakwater is failing and has led to significant damage to this important port of entry. The new barrier will use composite materials to strengthen its protection. Eastport is an important commercial port of entry and serves as the safe harbor for the vessels of the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Eastport.
""The Eastport Port Authority is extremely pleased to learn that our TIGER application for the Breakwater Rehabilitation has been awarded funding,"" said Chris Gardner, Executive Director, Eastport Port Authority. ""We cannot thank Senator Collins enough for the direct personal attention that she provided to this project from day one through the final days of consideration. We know that without her support, this application would have faced extremely long odds in a very competitive environment. This award, coupled with the continued support of the Maine Department of Transportation, will allow us to see the completion of this invaluable project on behalf of not only the people of Eastport, but the entire region.""
""When we start to think about transportation projects, there is one key element that has to be identified before a concept or a design takes place, and that is funding,"" said MaineDOT Commissioner David Bernhardt. ""Senator Susan Collins has been a partner and a leader in securing federal funds that are so critical to projects such as this. Her tireless efforts and constant conversation with the people of Maine about all things transportation is well recognized and greatly appreciated,"" Bernhardt concluded.
According to the U.S. DOT, it received some 600 applications totaling $9 billion. The Department had only $474 million to allocate in this round of TIGER funding.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://web.archive.org/web/20131215195331/http://www.collins.senate.gov:80/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=a1d3b96a-1b73-4bf9-b734-77c00c8f7345,Senator Collins' Reaction to Supreme Court Ruling,2013-06-26,2013,2013-06,Republican,House,ME,Susan Collins,C001035,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senator Susan Collins today released this statement following the Supreme Court's ruling that Section III of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional.
""DOMA was signed into law by President Clinton in 1996, before I was elected to Congress. Since that time, in 2004 and 2006, I twice voted against amendments to the United States Constitution that would have banned same-sex marriages by pre-empting state laws. I did so because states have traditionally handled family law.  I agree with the Court's decision that the Federal government should not discriminate against couples married in states that choose to legalize same-sex marriages.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z