Today, nearly 22 million Americans hold the distinguished title of Veteran, and more than 127,000 of those individuals live in our great State of Maine. As the daughter of a World War II Purple Heart recipient, Senator Collins learned first-hand of the sacrifice that these heroes and their families make to advance the cause of freedom. Fighting on behalf of our nation’s Veterans, Senator Collins has worked to support the needs of Veterans nationwide by protecting access to rural health care, holding the Department of Veterans Affairs accountable in the wake of scandal, and expediting the process for disabled veterans to get the services they need.
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) joined a bipartisan group of 37 Senators in introducing a resolution to honor the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.
The resolution states:
COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, FRANCE – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, took part in the official, bipartisan Senate delegation to Normandy, France, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion by Allied forces during World War II. On that day, the Allied Forces launched the largest land, air, and sea invasion in history, marking the beginning of the end of World War II.
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced bipartisan legislation to make health care more affordable for America’s veterans. The Veterans Preventive Health Coverage Fairness Act would stop forcing our nation’s veterans to pay out-of-pocket costs for essential preventive health medications and prescription drugs and add preventive medications and services to the list of no-fee treatments that VA covers.
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) joined a bipartisan group in introducing the National Law Enforcement Museum Commemorative Coin Act, legislation that would authorize the Treasury Department to mint coins in honor of the opening of the National Law Enforcement Museum. The museum is dedicated to highlighting and honoring past, present, and future law enforcement officers.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) today introduced bipartisan legislation to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 23rd Special Headquarters Troops and the 3133rd Signal Service Company, U.S. Army units that served in World War II and were known as the “Ghost Army.” These units were instrumental to Allied successes at the Battle of the Bulge and the final battles in Italy’s Po Valley. Senator Angus King (I-ME) and eight other Senators are cosponsoring the bill.
Augusta, ME—U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) hosted U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie in Maine today to visit a veteran-owned small business, participate in the groundbreaking for a new veterans residential care facility, and tour an organization that provides housing for homeless veterans. Throughout the day, Senator Collins and Secretary Wilkie met with dozens of Maine veterans and discussed ways to improve veterans services and ensure they are receiving the high-quality health care that they deserve.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) joined Senators Doug Jones (D-AL), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Mike Crapo (R-ID) in introducing the Military Widow’s Tax Elimination Act of 2019, a bipartisan bill to end the so-called “Widow’s Tax.” The legislation would repeal the unfair law that prevents as many as 65,000 surviving military spouses nationwide from receiving their full Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) survivor benefits.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) have joined a bipartisan group of their colleagues to introduce legislation that would secure health care benefits for “Atomic Veterans” – military personnel exposed to harmful radiation when cleaning nuclear testing sites during the late 1970s.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) joined Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in introducing the VA Provider Accountability Act, legislation that would bring much needed accountability to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced the Wounded Veterans Recreation Act, a bipartisan bill that would make all veterans with service-connected disabilities eligible for a free, lifetime entry to United States national parks and other federal lands.
Washington, D.C. - The Senate unanimously passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King designating Saturday, December 15, 2018, as “Wreaths Across America Day.” On December 15, a convoy of volunteers is scheduled to arrive at Arlington National Cemetery to lay Maine-made balsam wreaths at the headstones of American veterans interred there.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in calling for a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Inspector General investigation into allegations that the VA would not reimburse veterans for misused or underpaid benefits.
In their bipartisan letter to the VA’s Inspector General, the lawmakers ask about how the technical errors occurred, how quickly any reimbursements will be made, and how the VA plans to make sure all benefits will continue to be paid out without interruption.
Marjorie Pennington, a 2017 Elizabeth Dole Fellow and military caregiver from Kenduskeag, Maine, presented Senator Collins with the award
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined with Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in a letter urging Secretary of the Army Mark Esper to consider the USS Thresher Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Project to establish a monument honoring the 129 men who perished aboard the USS Thresher, a submarine that sank off the coast of New England on April 10, 1963.
Veterans Day is a solemn anniversary, a day set aside not to celebrate victory in a great battle, but to honor the sacrifices that brought peace. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 was not marked by the roar of cannon. Rather, it was the moment the guns of the First World War were silenced by courage, devotion to duty, and a commitment to freedom.
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senator Susan Collins applauded the findings of a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) study that revealed that the number of veterans experiencing homelessness in 2018 decreased by 5.4 percent since last year. HUD also reported a nearly 10 percent decline among female veterans experiencing homelessness.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representative Chellie Pingree announced that the University of Southern Maine’s Veterans Upward Bound program has been awarded $275,155 from the U.S. Department of Education.
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