Politics

Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine’s 1st District has been named chair of the Interior subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. Her first hearing will examine the role of the federal Park Police in responding to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol earlier in the month.

Maine’s two U.S. senators say President Joe Biden’s nearly $2 trillion pandemic relief package will not make it through the Senate without some potentially significant changes.

President Joe Biden has issued an executive order intended to provide more aid to families experiencing food insecurity, or hunger, during the pandemic.

“Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken but simply unfinished.”
— Amanda Gorman, 22, inaugural poet.

There’s no cheering in the press box, but an exception can be made when contemplating Gorman’s optimistic view of the republic.

Two Maine officials — Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Attorney General Aaron Frey — are joining colleagues from other states in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a portion of the federal Voting Rights Act that bars any laws that make it harder for people to vote based on their race. 

On a voice vote, the Senate Armed Services Committee has recommended confirmation of retired Gen. Lloyd Austin as secretary of defense. Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King of Maine was among those who voted in support.

The Maine Capitol Police is being run by its second in command, prompting speculation that its embattled chief has been put on administrative leave after he promoted far-right falsehoods about masks and President Joe Biden’s election victory.

The chief of the Maine Capitol Police is apologizing for a series of social media posts that promote the same conspiracy theories that inspired Trump extremists to storm the U.S. Capitol last week.