00:00First of all, I'd contest the premise of your question, as you could see from the response here today, which
00:09was enormously favorable. I don't accept the premise of your question.
00:16There's no doubt that the high prices have caused a lot of people in Maine to struggle, and that's why
00:26I've worked so hard to get the heating assistance money released early, because they need it right now.
00:35The president says that he thinks he's coming to Maine. What's your message to him about that? Has he spoken
00:40to you about it?
00:41I know he has intent. I don't. I know you're trying to make me walk in.
00:50You gotta walk or walk in. I know you don't like me, but don't make me walk in shit, okay?
01:01I have no expectation that the president's going to be coming. There are other states where he's concentrating his efforts.
01:12Has he communicated with you about it?
01:13I have no discussion with the president about it.
01:17We're not doing this right here. We're going to keep going.
01:19So I do have some important new news today, and that is, as many of you know, given the high
01:28price of heating oil,
01:30and the fact that this is the time of year that leaders are filling their tanks, I have been in
01:40touch constantly with the administration,
01:44with Secretary Kennedy, who administers the low-income home heating assistance program,
01:51and also with Russ Boat at OMB, and I'm pleased to announce that they are going to expedite the release
02:01of more than $38 million
02:04for the state of Maine for heating assistance.
02:08This program is one that Jack Reed of Rhode Island and I have led for years.
02:15We were able to increase the funding for it in the Appropriations Bill, but it was really important that we
02:23get the money out now.
02:26Now is the time that people are filling their oil tanks, and it's been very difficult given the record-high
02:35prices.
02:36So I was delighted that I was successful in expediting the funding.
02:44That is about 90% of the amount that is allocated for this state of Maine.
02:52It also includes separate amounts for our tribal communities.
02:58So that's a bit of really good news, and I expect that it's going to be released today, later today.
03:08Now withstanding that, what is your message to people who just really want to change right now?
03:13They're not happy with the direction the country is going in, and they're going to use this election to vote
03:19for a new direction.
03:20What is your message to them, and how do you get them back on your side?
03:22Well, first of all, I'd contest the premise of your question, as you could see from the response here today,
03:31which was enormously favorable.
03:39There are always a few exceptions, but as you saw from the vast majority of people, so I don't accept
03:47the premise of your question.
03:49There's no doubt that the high prices have caused a lot of people in Maine to struggle, and that's why
04:00I've worked so hard to get the heating assistance money released early, because they need it right now.
04:09And I was happy that the administration cooperated on that.
04:14I am continuing also to work on the Canadian care issue.
04:21Maine and Canada's economies are very intertwined, as are many of our families, including my own.
04:29And that is another priority.
04:34So people know that I'm the most bipartisan member of the Senate.
04:39They know that my question when I cast a vote is always, what is the impact on the people of
04:47Maine?
04:48And I am the CQ study that looked at 90% of the votes found that I had voted against
04:59my party more than any other senator on either side of the aisle.
05:05So I support the president when I think he's right.
05:09I don't when I think he's wrong.
05:11That's the exact same approach that I've taken with all five presidents that I've worked.
05:18Which one should we pass?
05:19Carl, you've got our last question.
05:21Senator, on Congress generally, it's like people like you who want to go there to legislate, it's kind of a
05:30vanishing breed.
05:30It's becoming more people they want to scout off, et cetera.
05:34Why do you still want to be a senator, given that clarity?
05:37For just the reason that you said, I feel that I make a big difference.
05:43I'm a workhorse, not a show horse.
05:46Unfortunately, in the public arena now, largely due, in my view, to the rise of social media and ideological podcasts,
05:58there are some members who play to that audience.
06:03I'm much more interested in getting legislation passed.
06:08And I've always felt that experience and knowledge, working across the aisle, bipartisanship,
06:17searching for common ground, and seniority allow you to get bills through.
06:23One of the people who stopped me today was a retired school teacher who'd spend half of her career in
06:30the public sector
06:31and half in the private sector.
06:33When she went to retire, she found that she did not get her full Social Security benefits.
06:39I co-authored the law, the Social Security Fairness Act, which I think was one of the very last bills
06:47that Joe Biden signed into law
06:50that restored full earned Social Security benefits to retired teachers and other school employees, to firefighters, to police officers.
07:03That's the kind of work that makes me feel really good, because as with this woman,
07:09I know that I've made her retirement years much more comfortable than they otherwise would have been.
07:16But also, we've corrected a real unfairness.
