Augusta, Maine – At a major Senate defense hearing Tuesday, Susan Collins was
“softer” on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth than even her Republican colleagues on
Donald Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense budget request.
While senators in both parties questioned Hegseth about Russia’s war in Ukraine,
NATO alliances, and Trump’s military campaign against Iran, Collins steered clear of
challenging the Trump administration on the national security issues that dominated
the hearing.
Read more:
Portland Press Herald: What Susan Collins did and didn’t ask Pete Hegseth
By Randy Billings
May 12, 2026
● At a Senate hearing Tuesday, Sen. Susan Collins said she was “alarmed,”
“puzzled” and “concerned” […]
● But unlike others at the meeting of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee
on defense, Collins largely steered clear of broader issues such as America’s
relationship with allies, Russia’s war with Ukraine and the status of the
military campaign against Iran. […]
● Collins prefaced her five minutes of questions by thanking Hegseth for
visiting BIW in February, where he told hundreds of hardhat-wearing workers
that “Bath built is best built” and that maxing out DDG destroyers sends a
message to the world. […]
● Collins’ line of questioning for Hegseth was softer than some others
on the defense subcommittee, including some fellow Republicans.
● Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who chairs the subcommittee, pressed Hegseth
on details of the spending plan and on the U.S. support for Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. McConnell noted that America
appears to be moving away from traditional alliances, while adversaries such
as Russia, Iran, China and North Korea are working together.
● And Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., used his time to advocate for increasing
pressure on China, which he said buys 90% of Iran’s oil. He advocated for
increasing tariffs on China until they stop buying Russian oil and gas, and
questioned whether Pakistan could be a reliable mediator with Iran amid
recent reports that it was harboring Iranian planes.
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