Mike Michaud

I had a great time attending the Sanford Veterans' Day Observance on Tuesday. I was honored to talk with so many veterans and their families!

Generation after generation, brave men and women have answered the call to serve our nation. Veterans Day is an opportunity to honor that service, and it’s a chance for us to reflect on what we can do for veterans and their families to thank them for their incredible sacrifices.

Veterans continue serving long after they return home. They are integral parts of our communities – they’re our firefighters and police officers; our medics and teachers; our friends and neighbors. Thank you to every single veteran who has sacrificed so much for us. As we move forward, I’m confident that we all can continue supporting our veterans not just on the day they return home from service – but each and every day after that.

Commentary: Veterans Day a time to recommit to supporting those who served, Mike Michaud says -... The Maine Democratic representative cites VA reform and boosting employment opportunities as two key steps.

I met so many great people yesterday while joining the Fairpoint picket lines in Portland. These hardworking men and women have negotiated in good faith and made concessions already – they deserve the same in response. I’m very proud to stand with them for .

I was proud to join Chellie Pingree and striking FairPoint workers on the picket line in Portland this morning! It is because of the skill and dedication of these workers that FairPoint is able to provide the backbone of our state’s telecommunications infrastructure. These men and women have already made concessions in good faith, and they deserve the appropriate benefits and compensation for their work.

It was great to join the employees of C&L Aerospace today to help celebrate the opening of their new paint hangar! I'm proud that we were able to leverage federal funding through the Economic Development Administration to help with this expansion. This is a great example of how the public and private sectors can collaborate to create jobs and strengthen our communities!

Increasing the federal minimum wage to $10.10 would not only give a raise to 110,000 workers in Maine, but it would also reduce the number of food stamp recipients in the U.S. by 3.8 million and save the government $4.6 billion every year. It's time to !

We are facing many challenges in our mill communities, but today in Ashland we had several things to be proud of: J.D. Irving opened a new, state-of-the-art sawmill – creating 60 new jobs with an estimated 125 more over the next two years. And community leaders also celebrated the re-opening of the ReEnergy facility and the launch of an Ecoshel cedar shingle production facility. To me, this is a powerful reminder that we are still innovating and succeeding in industries where we have a long and proud tradition – and industries I know we will continue to excel in.

Amid Challenging Times, Michaud Highlights Recent Economic Successes in Aroostook County |... WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud is highlighting a series of economic success stories in Aroostook County as examples of formulas for protecting and strengthening Maine’s industrial communities. This morning, J.D. Irving opened a new sawmill in Nashville Plantation, which boasts state-of-t…

Last night, I returned home to East Millinocket for the first time since the news broke earlier this week that Great Northern was filing bankruptcy. As I drove by the mill, my heart just broke. I worked at that mill for more than 29 years. The Katahdin region is my home – it’s where I grew up and where I will retire. The families impacted by the decline of the mills are my friends, neighbors and former co-workers. During my trip home and over the last couple of days, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with other people in my community about the bankruptcy, what it means for the future, and what we can do at the federal level to help.

The decline in manufacturing in our state is not new. One of the reasons I ran for Congress was to advocate for fairer trade policies that strengthen American and Maine manufacturers. Maine’s millworkers are the finest in the world, hands down. But they are being hurt by trade policies that give foreign countries an unfair advantage. In Congress, I have worked to call out these unfair subsidies and I have spurred action when other countries break the rules at the expense of our workers.

We’ve made some progress, but changing international trade policy is a long process – and my community can’t afford to wait. When the original announcement to shut down the mill came, we put together a response team to help with lifelines like training and employment services. We helped secure Trade Adjustment Assistance. I will continue to do everything I can to secure federal support for the region. I say this not because I’m an elected official – I say it because we’re talking about my home town, and an institution that employed generations of my own family. We have a tough road ahead of us, but I know that if we all continue having each other’s backs, we can only emerge from this challenge stronger.

to the 112th Congress, when Mike continued his aggressive advocacy to get the Department of Defense to follow the Berry Amendment – which calls for preference to be given to American-made goods in procurement decisions. Mike even gave New Balance shoes to First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama, to drive home the point that the New England-based shoe manufacturer could produce Berry-compliant footwear. Learn more!

http://michaud.house.gov/look-mike-michaud%E2%80%99s-achievements-112th-congress-2011-2012

to the 112th Congress, when Mike continued his advocacy for Maine manufacturing with two “Make it in Maine” tours and a report on the overall state of the industry in Maine. Mike also co-sponsored the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2012, which was designed to bring government, business, and labor stakeholders together to formulate comprehensive national strategies to attract manufacturing businesses back to the U.S., help domestic manufacturers compete overseas, and encourage them to expand and create U.S. jobs.

to the 112th Congress, when Mike continued to fight for veterans and their families. The 112th Congress is when Project ARCH officially began in Caribou, after Mike worked to bring the program to Maine. But Mike continued working to improve access to healthcare for veterans beyond ARCH – and during the 112th, a CBOC opened in Lewiston. During this Congress, Mike’s state veterans home legislation also became law. Learn more!

http://michaud.house.gov/look-mike-michaud%E2%80%99s-achievements-112th-congress-2011-2012

to the 112th Congress, when Mike continued his relentless advocacy for fairer trade practices that strengthened and protected American manufacturing. Mike’s efforts included calling for the creation of a new trade enforcement office (which President Obama created the next month – the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center); taking China to task for unfair market practices that hurt U.S. workers; and co-sponsoring legislation making it easier for the U.S. to crack down on illegal trade practices.