US Whitehouse Ngin – Page 2141

May 12, 2022

King Again Votes to Secure Roe Protections, As SCOTUS Prepares to Rule on Abortion Case

Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) voted to advance the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation which would codify the longstanding precedent of Roe v. Wade into federal law and protect a woman’s right to make these vital healthcare decisions. The King-sponsored bill, which fell short of the threshold required to move forward, would have secured a healthcare provider’s right to provide abortion services if they choose and a patient’s right to receive those services; providers who choose not to provide this care based on religious beliefs will in no way be compelled to do so. This vote comes shortly after the release of a draft Supreme Court ruling indicating the high likelihood of the Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

“For nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade has protected the most basic, private healthcare rights of half the nation,” said Senator King. “This longstanding precedent has been reaffirmed time and time again, but the makeup of the current Court and the contents of the draft opinion published last week show that these rights are now facing their most serious threat in half a century. We cannot move backwards, which is why today I voted to secure the protections of Roe and defend the ability of millions of women to make decisions about their own health, safety, and lives.

“The Women’s Health Protection Act is not a radical change – in fact, it would have primarily maintained the status quo of the last 49 years of healthcare policy. I’ve closely examined this legislation and believe it preserves American women’s existing right to access critical, lifesaving care with the support of trained medical professionals, regardless of the Court’s upcoming ruling. The bill would not undermine existing protections for healthcare providers who decline to perform abortions based on personal beliefs, while ensuring that women are still able to make decisions regarding their own body. Without these protections, this healthcare service would become more difficult to access for millions, and the lives of low-income Americans who cannot afford to travel to a state where abortion is legal will be put at risk.

“Unfortunately, this effort fell short. I’m deeply frustrated that our commonsense bill to protect this essential right is not advancing, and truly worried that the upcoming Supreme Court ruling will likely fulfill the clear, decades-long goal of conservative leaders to impose their personal and religious views on women across America. But despite today’s setback, we will continue looking for ways to protect the rights and healthcare of women across our country – because we cannot, and will not, return to a world that prevents women from making their own decisions about their body.”

The Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) would safeguard the rights established by nearly fifty years of Supreme Court precedent following Roe v. Wade by protecting the right to an abortion prior to fetal viability. If Roe is overturned, WHPA would still protect access to abortion. WHPA would also address the growing number of state laws that undermine women’s healthcare rights by imposing medically unnecessary restrictions designed to block or impede access to this care.

WHPA does not place any requirements on doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals to provide abortion care, nor does it allow lawsuits against individuals who refuse to provide abortion care. WHPA says that doctors, nurses, and hospitals may provide abortion care if they so choose; not that they must do so.

May 12, 2022

King’s Acadia Affordable Housing Bill Gets Support from National Parks Service

Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Chairman of the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, today led a Subcommittee hearing with a top National Park Service (NPS) official to review critical legislation designed to support America’s National Parks and the communities that rely on them – including his bill to expand affordable housing on Bar Harbor. During the hearing, King received strong support for his proposals from Michael Caldwell – Associate Director of Park Planning, Facilities, and Lands at the NPS – and highlighted why his bipartisan legislation to expand housing near Acadia National Park is vital to Maine communities.

“In 1986, the Acadia Boundary Act was passed. That was a piece of legislation that fixed Acadia National Park’s boundaries as well as adding and subtracting various pieces of land. At that time, the piece of land in question in this bill was to be transferred to Bar Harbor for the purposes of a trash transfer station, but it turns out this wasn’t the place for that station, and legislation was so specific it couldn’t be transferred for any other purpose,” said Senator King. “This bill now replaces this use with an affordable workforce use and allows the Parks Service to hang on to 15 acres for its own housing needs…

“Co-Chair Daines and I have talked a number of times about the importance of the people that work in our National Parks. And as you know, housing is an issue because often parks are situated in the middle of high-value real estate and so housing is a problem,’ continued Senator King. “The bill that you so graciously offered your support to conveys land from 40-acres from Acadia to the town of Bar Harbor. And that in itself, the fact that the land will have no cost, will be a major support for the development of housing on that site.”

“Thank you, Senator King. Certainly, we know of your interests in housing at Acadia and also the barter system. [NPS] Director Sams has consistently communicated to the field, to all employees in the National Parks Service, that employees are his number one priority and housing is very much an important part of that. Without some of the housing we have in our units, those units just could not operate,” replied Mr. Caldwell. “So we’re attacking this issue on a number of fronts across the National Parks System, including new FY23 Budget requests for both the construction on NPS land and leasing and local communities of additional housing, exploring the potential for public-private partnerships to solve some of the housing needs that not only the National Parks Services have but also our gateway communities.”

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Continuing his questioning, National Parks Subcommittee Chairman King received support from Mr. Caldwell for his bill with Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) to reduce crowding on public lands and support partnerships with gateway communities. Significant portions of this bill were included in the Outdoor Recreation Act that was passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week.

“I’d like to mention a bill introduced by Co-Chair Daines – the Gateway Community and Recreation Enhancement Act. I was honored to work with him on this bill, which will help provide support to our gateway communities that are so vital to the success of our national parks across the country,” said Senator King. “The bill will also help provide additional vital data to visitors that will help improve their experience, telling them when an attraction is especially busy, when might be a better time of the day to visit, or suggesting a nearby alternative attraction that isn’t as busy at that time. Last week, the full Energy and Natural Resources Committee included a number of provisions from this Gateway Communities Bill in a larger, Outdoor Recreation Act. And I want to thank Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso for that inclusion.”

“I think informing the public is important. In the bill we talked about and passed last week, there are provisions for technology for alerting people to where parks are crowded, but the other is other regional assets that may not be national parks,” continued Senator King. “For example, in Moab you’re near the Reef, certainly near Arches and other National Parks, but there’s Deadhorse Point State Park, which is an astonishing place and it would be nice if there was an app that would talk about public resources within the region. I hope that’s something that the department will look at.”

“I think we certainly support the spirit of making sure we’re communicating and connecting visitors to those places where they go,” replied Mr. Caldwell. “This nation is blessed with some incredible state parks and I think certainly our visitors appreciate when we make those connections.”

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During the hearing, Chairman King also highlighted the importance of legislation by Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) to preserve biodiversity and combat invasive species.

“Another bill we will consider is sponsored by my colleague from Maine, Sen. Collins, and it would encourage the use of native plant species within the Parks Service,” said Senator King. “Using native plants will help preserve biodiversity and increase the benefits that local flora provides to our wildlife, human health, and the environment. It will also help prevent the future spread of invasive species.”

A member of the Energy and Natural Resources and Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Senator King is among the Senate’s loudest voices advocating for public lands and encouraging outdoor recreation. In the April episode of his “Inside Maine” podcast and radio show, King highlighted the importance of National Parks and outdoor recreation with National Parks Subcommittee Ranking Member Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.); Senator King was also recently awarded the inaugural National Park Foundation (NPF) “Hero” Award. Senator King helped lead the passage the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) into law; the legislation includes the Restore Our Parks Act – a bill led by King – and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Permanent Funding Act. The historic legislative package continues Senator King’s career-long focus on conservation efforts, dating back to his work prior to running for elected office through his years as Governor and his service in the Senate. Over the course of his time in the Blaine House, Governor King was responsible for conserving more land across Maine than all Governors before him combined.

May 12, 2022

King, Portman Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Public-Private Partnerships that Fund National Parks Improvements, Maintenance

Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), chair of the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), today introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to grow the public-private partnerships that support our National Parks. The National Park Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2022 would reauthorize federal funding for the Congressionally-chartered National Park Foundation through fiscal year 2030 and increase the authorization level from $5 million to $15 million. The National Park Foundation uses its funding to match private donations that help finance crucial deferred maintenance, Service Corps, historic preservation, and other signature projects and programs of the National Park Service at national parks in Maine and around the country. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is a cosponsor, and companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.).

“America’s National Parks are among the world’s greatest treasures, providing memorable experiences to millions from around the globe. For more than 50 years, the Congressionally-chartered National Park Foundation (NPF) has played a vital role in protecting these lands for current and future Americans,” said National Parks Subcommittee Chairman King. “From expanding camping access at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument to restoring wetlands in Smoky Mountains National Park, the NPF has successfully worked to preserve and expand access to America’s parks. Our bipartisan funding expansion and reauthorization for the NPF will strengthen this essential federal conservation partner, enabling them to continue supporting our national parks and the communities across the country that rely on them.”

“The National Park Foundation is an incredibly important partner to our national parks, bringing together federal and private funding to help preserve these natural and cultural treasures for our future generations to enjoy,” said Senator Portman. “Increasing funding for the National Park Foundation, as this legislation would do, will help us strengthen relationships with private partners and support efforts to restore our national parks.”

“We proudly support the National Park Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2022 and commend Sens. Portman and King, and Reps. Westerman and Grijalva for introducing this vital legislation,” said National Park Foundation President and CEO Will Shafroth. “Since receiving federal funds for the first time in 2018, the National Park Foundation has leveraged the federal funding through the power of private philanthropy to match and more than double this critically important federal investment, adding to the tens of millions of private, philanthropic dollars the National Park Foundation and a growing community of park partners invest in America’s national parks each year.”

The National Park Foundation was created in 1967 as the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service (NPS). Its mission is to generate private support and build strategic partnerships to protect and enhance America’s national parks for present and future generations. The National Park Foundation has, to date, received a total of $23 million in federal appropriations. Each year, the Foundation works to, at a minimum, double the impact of the federal dollars — meaning an annual appropriation of $15 million would have an impact of at least $30 million in national parks around the country.

May 12, 2022

On Ukraine, “A Significant Issue That We Missed” – King Urges Intelligence Community to Better Assess Will to Fight

Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

Watch Senator King’s questioning here, and download broadcast quality video here

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, today pressed members of the U.S. Intelligence Community to improve assessments of “will to fight” after intelligence reports misjudged the resolve of forces in Afghanistan and Ukraine, overestimating in the first case and underestimating in the latter. In a hearing of the Armed Services Committee, Senator King began by recognizing the tremendous efforts of the intelligence community leading up to Russia’s unprovoked invasion before highlighting America’s recent failure to accurately assess the strength of competing forces and asking Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to reconsider how they evaluate the will to fight of both our allies and adversaries. Director Haines committed to taking a look at the issue.

“We all believe the Intelligence Community did a really excellent job of predicting the invasion, alerting the world as to what was going on, what the disposition of Russian troops were, the involvement of Belarus – all of that. What we missed, was the will to fight of the Ukrainians and the leadership of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and we also missed that in Afghanistan,” said Senator King. “I realize will to fight is a lot harder to assess than the number of tanks or volume of ammunition or something, but I hope the Intelligence Community is doing some soul searching about how to better get a handle on that question. We had testimony on this committee and the Intelligence Committee that Kyiv was going to fall within three days or four days and the war would last two weeks – and that turned out to be grossly wrong. Are you looking at this question of how to evaluate will to fight and domestic leadership?”

“Yes Senator, you heard from General Berrier obviously a number of things the DIA is doing. For the Intelligence Community at large we have a process at the National Intelligence Council taking a look at these issues,” replied Director Haines. “It is, I would say, a combination of will to fight and capacity in effect. The two of them are issues that are, as you indicated, quite challenging to provide effective analysis on, and we’re looking at different methodologies for doing so.”

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Continuing his questioning, King pressed Lieutenant General Scott Berrier – Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) – how the DIA’s predictions for the war in Ukraine and Afghanistan missed the mark by such significant margins, why they failed to consider the will to fight of both forces, and if they will update their assessments for future conflicts. Calling the DIA’s view of Ukraine’s response capabilities “grossly wrong,” King also noted how better predictions could have allowed the U.S. to better support Ukraine ahead of the war.

“General Berrier this is your lane, assessing military capability. A big part, as you testified earlier, the Ukraine War is going the way it is, is that the Ukrainians are fighting for their land and the Russians don’t have the same will to fight. I hope this is something you’re focused on because again, I think that we failed on this question in Afghanistan,” said Senator King. “In Afghanistan we had testimony over and over that the government would last six months or a year beyond the departure of U.S. troops; it lasted minus two weeks. Is this something that you’re focused upon?”

“Senator I am focused on it, and I really appreciate this dialogue because I think there’s an important nuance that we have to discuss. One is the will to fight and the other is the capacity to fight. So in closed briefings, we talked about this capacity to fight, and given the correlation of forces that the Russians had and what the Ukrainians had, it was the thought of senior analysts that it wasn’t going to go very well for a variety of factors,” said Lieutenant General Berrier. “But there was never an Intelligence Community assessment that said that the Ukrainians lacked the will to fight. Those assessments talked about their capacity to fight.”

“But there wasn’t an assessment that they did, either. The assessment was Ukraine would be overrun in a matter of weeks. That was grossly wrong,” replied Senator King.

“Well we assessed their capacity to face the size of the Russian forces that were massed on their border was going to be very difficult for them,” continued Lieutenant General Berrier.

“All I’m saying is the Intelligence Community needs to be able to do a better job on this issue,” Senator King concluded. “…I’m just trying to make the point that there was a significant issue that we missed that had a major influence on how this has unfolded. And had we had a better handle on the prediction, we could have done more to assist the Ukrainians earlier.”

May 12, 2022