U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) walks at the Senate Subway heading to a vote on the ninth day of a partial shutdown of the federal government at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S. October 9, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura
One thing Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has going for her is that her power and influence meant she could bring money back to her state. In the era of President Donald Trump, however, that has imploded.
Hayes Brown wrote for a Thursday column at MS NOW that the new fiscal year has begun for the federal government and that all funding that hasn't been used previously has expired.
"As the lead Republican appropriator in the Senate, Collins was crucial in making sure that the federal government wasn’t shut down during campaign season, while budget negotiators wait to see how the dust settles after the election," Brown explained.
Constitutionally, Congress has been the branch of government that regulates what funds can be spent on and how they can be spent, but Trump's administration doesn't agree with that.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought has spent his first two years in office refusing to follow the instructions outlined by the legislative branch. Instead, he's the decision-maker on which programs should get the funds. Thus far, Republicans haven't fought back either verbally or by taking the administration to court.
Last week, Vought informed Congress that $1 billion that they had approved will be eliminated.
“Most of the cuts are focused on Health and Human Services programs that serve refugees and unaccompanied minors accused of being in the country illegally,” Brown wrote, citing The Associated Press. There are also programs being cut at the Justice Department, the Department of Education and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In a way, Brown said, it doubles as a means of telling lawmakers that they should probably remove the spending.
Collins was furious, coming out against it immediately and warning that she'll “work with my colleagues to address these illegal actions.”
There's an important reason for that. Many of the ads that Collins intends to run in Maine tout her as the savior of the state at a time when the rest of the country is hurting.
The Washington Sun’s Al Weaver reported, “A sampling of her ads or campaign appearances and the message is clear: She’s responsible for securing money to rebuild a fire station or other local projects that generate jobs.”
The threat is that without her, the state would lose funding. But Trump just proved that even with her, the state is losing money.
This only adds to Collins problems involving a potentially illegal campaign donation.
"If Collins does win, she would need to work to convince her fellow Republicans that this power is one worth fighting tooth and nail to protect. Explicit penalties for administration staffers like Vought who defy Congress and withhold funds should be attached to every spending bill that comes from her committee. Unfortunately, that seems unlikely when so many of her colleagues are content to let the White House override their wishes with impunity," Brown closed.