There is much to be said about the political divides and partisanship in Washington these days, but it is also worth mentioning the areas of agreement and common ground often overshadowed by headlines. When it comes to supporting American leadership in an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape, Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden are beacons of bipartisanship.
Their leadership on foreign affairs and trade has a positive impact on Maine’s economy. In 2021 alone, Maine exports grew to $3.1 billion, an increase of 35% compared to 2020 and exceeding pre-pandemic levels. $354 million of those exports in 2021 came from Maine’s agriculture industry, which means more Maine potatoes and blueberries are being consumed worldwide. All in all, Maine exports sustain and support over 170,000 jobs for hard working Mainers here at home.
U.S. leadership and investments overseas reap important social, political and diplomatic dividends as well, strengthening human rights, the rule of law, democracy, and freedom abroad.
My mother and grandmother are survivors of the Cambodian Genocide and experienced first hand the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror. Although we are not always politically aligned, Sen. Collins in particular has my deep gratitude for her cosponsorship of the bipartisan Cambodia Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2022 and her strong advocacy for the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan and around the world – important issues she will continue to push for as vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Our delegation’s support of human rights abroad is not only the right thing to do, it also improves our global standing and helps foster relationships that lead to a more peaceful, stable, equitable and just world.
When it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sens. Collins and King and Reps. Pingree and Golden continue their track record of bipartisanship on global issues. They have voted repeatedly in support of both military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Since declaring its independence in 1991, Ukraine embarked on a journey, not unlike our own “American experiment,” to craft and establish its own democracy and national identity – separate from its historical status as a satellite state of the Soviet Union or a province of the Russian Empire of old.
Russia’s war on Ukraine is not just a border dispute between two nations. It is a war of ideas, a longstanding struggle for freedom and democracy against oppression and autocracy. Maine’s delegation recognizes what is at stake and has supported Ukraine in its darkest hour. Collectively, they understand that as the most powerful and wealthy democracy in the world, America bears a great responsibility to champion democracy and the rule of law.
America’s reputation as a strong and reliable ally hinges on how we respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Chinese government’s saber-rattling in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region. While our reputation and moral standing have suffered from our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this is not the time to retreat from the world stage. We can still be a force for good if we have the political will and leadership to continue doing so.
Lastly, America’s leadership and investments abroad directly impact the lives of millions around the globe. According to the Brookings Institution, extreme poverty worldwide has fallen drastically from 36% in 1990 to 8% in 2019; maternal, infant and child mortality rates have been cut in half; smallpox has been eradicated; and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program has saved 17 million lives from HIV/AIDS. American foreign assistance has a price tag of about 1% of our national budget. That’s a lot of bang for our buck.
When I join my peers and colleagues for the Global Impact Forum in D.C. in June, I look forward to thanking Maine’s delegates in person for their leadership on these complex and important issues.
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