There is no braver man than one who runs toward the danger to protect others. Morrill firefighter Andrew Cross was a hero who died far too young in the line of duty, confronting the blaze at the Robbins Lumber mill so that others could be safe. May he rest in peace. I am keeping Andrew, his family, his friends and all of our first responders in my thoughts today. And Izzy and I continue to pray for the recovery of the others injured in Friday’s fire. I’m also aware of what a loss this fire is to the region. I have met the Robbins family several times, and toured the mill in Searsmont. The damage to the facility is loss not only to their family business, but to the families of the dozens of people who work there. In the wake of this tragedy, my staff and I stand ready to support the community in whatever way we can.

I’m aware of the fire and explosion in Searsmont. As my team and I seek out more information, I am praying for the safety and well-being of first responders and everyone else on-site. I ask locals to follow law enforcement instructions, and to look to official channels and trusted sources for more information as it becomes available.

In case you missed it: I look forward to supporting the next clean war powers resolution that hits the floor. https://t.co/9NOG8WmOcI

Every Mainer knows that Bath-built is best-built. Now the Navy wants Congress's approval to offshore American shipbuilding jobs. I'll never support building our fleet with foreign labor on foreign soil. https://t.co/A9z7PM5xuB

My prayers are with the family, friends and colleagues of Maine Warden Joshua Tibbetts, who died today in a tragic plane crash. As we continue to commemorate Police Week in Maine and in DC, we will honor his sacrifice and his years of service to his community and his state. May he rest in peace

In recent weeks I've been talking with President Trump's administration about my effort to extend the moratorium on regulations that could cripple our state's iconic lobster industry. Today, we got word that he will support my bill. The need to protect this key Maine industry knows no party. I’m grateful for the President’s support for Maine’s lobstermen and hopeful that my colleagues in the House will join me in quickly passing this bill into law.

Today is International Workers Day and I’m celebrating by working to strengthen the collective bargaining process to ensure union workers don’t have to wait to get the fair contracts they deserve. Today, a loophole in federal labor law means that even after workers vote to form a union, the fight’s not over. Companies drag their feet on negotiations, hoping to break the union. On average, it takes 458 days to obtain a first contract. That’s far too long. The Faster Labor Contracts Act would establish clear deadlines for a first contract, and guarantee mediation and binding arbitration if the deadlines aren’t met. That will incentivize good-faith negotiation on a fair timeline. I’m a co-sponsor of this bill and I just signed @DonaldNorcross's Discharge Petition to start the process of forcing the Speaker to give us a vote on the floor. Solidarity Forever.

Veterans should be able to get the care they need right here at home. So I have fought for years to create Maine’s first in-patient substance use and mental health treatment for veterans at Togus. When the facility finally opened last weekend, it was a victory more than a decade in the making. I’m proud of everyone who has been part of this effort, including the veterans who advocated for themselves, the elected officials in Maine and DC who joined my push for state-based care, and the VA staff who will continue to provide critical care to our veterans and their families.

This is shameful. Workers at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard work every day to help keep our country safe — including during the government shutdown last year when they worked without pay for more than a month. Now, the thanks they get is to have their contract torn up by a presidential executive order. It’s wrong. We passed my bill, the Protect America’s Workforce Act, in the House to protect and restore federal workers’ union contracts. It’s long past time for the Senate to do its part and pass the bill too. https://t.co/JULZyeStTZ

This Tax Day, you might be getting a few more bucks in your refund. Meanwhile, the top 1% got $1 trillion, millions lost health care, hundreds of hospitals were imperiled, and the deficit grew by $4.7 trillion. That’s the legacy of the GOP’s last two tax bills: the rich getting richer and the nation poorer with an unsustainable and growing debt.