Michaud Urges Obama to Prioritize LIHEAP in Budget

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Mike Michaud joined a bipartisan group of his House colleagues in sending a letter to President Obama urging him to prioritize the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in his Fiscal Year 2014 budget proposal.

Michaud Reacts to Connecticut School Shooting

IG Releases Report on Maine VA System

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Mike Michaud, Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, reacted to the release of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) report issued last night on the VA Maine Healthcare System. The report is a “Combined Assessment Program” (CAP) review, which, among other things, examines how well VA facilities accomplish their missions of providing veterans convenient access to high quality medical services.

Michaud’s Waterville Office Closes Today

WASHINGTON, DC – Due to congressional redistricting, Congressman Mike Michaud’s office in Waterville was closed today. Last year, the Maine Legislature passed a redistricting plan that moved Winslow and Waterville into the First Congressional District and the towns of Mount Vernon, Gardiner, West Gardiner, Unity, Sidney, Belgrade, Rome, Vienna, Albion, Monmouth, and Randolph into the Second Congressional District.

New Research Sheds Light on Gulf War Illness

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Mike Michaud (ME-02), Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, reacted to the release of new studies today that examine chemical exposure and Gulf War Illness.

Michaud Praises DOE’s Offshore Wind Energy Investments

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Mike Michaud praised the decision by the Department of Energy (DOE) to invest up to $4 million in the offshore wind initiative at the University of Maine, potentially qualifying Maine for millions more in future funding. Michaud led efforts in the House to support the funding, sending a letter signed by his colleagues. He also called Dr. David Danielson, the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy within DOE, in August to press Maine’s case. More information on the project at the University of Maine can be found below in the letter Michaud sent in July.

Michaud Advocates for U.S. Tomato Growers

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Mike Michaud has joined his colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce supporting the concerns that domestic tomato growers have with an outdated 1996 trade agreement with Mexico that prevents them from challenging the dumping of foreign tomatoes on the U.S. market. Backyard Farms, a tomato grower in Madison, Maine, supports this change and is working with a coalition of other producers to urge Commerce to end the agreement and allow U.S. producers to use our trade laws to challenge Mexico’s underpriced tomatoes.

Michaud Statement on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

BANGOR, ME – Congressman Mike Michaud, Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on today’s observance of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Michaud will participate in a remembrance ceremony with the Veterans of Foreign Wars at the Kenduskeag Plaza in Bangor at noon today.

Michaud Comments on New VA TBI Rule

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Mike Michaud, Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, commented on the announcement by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that it will propose a new rule that will make it easier for veterans with illnesses related to Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) to qualify for benefits. More specifically, the VA stated that “if a veteran who has a service-connected TBI also has one of five illnesses, then the illness will be considered service connected as secondary to the TBI.”

Michaud Praises USDA Plan to Purchase Wild Maine Blueberries

BANGOR, ME – Today, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it intends to buy up to $16 million worth of wild blueberries for federal food programs, a move that was requested by the Maine Wild Blueberry Commission. Congressman Mike Michaud weighed in with USDA and urged them to make a timely decision on the request.