Augusta, ME – Today in Talking Points Memo, an analysis of Collins’ tenure as Appropriations Chair finds that “despite her recent statements, she has, over the past year and a half — through the Trump administration’s countless illegal impoundments, funding freezes and pocket rescissions — done little to actually rein the executive branch in.” According to the report, Collins voted for OMB Director Russ Vought despite the fact that “Vought never kept secret his plans to undermine Congress, its power of the purse and related laws.”

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Talking Points Memo: Susan Collins Voted to Confirm Russ Vought. Is She Having Second Thoughts?

By Emine Yucel

October 6, 2026

• In recent weeks, as the Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought has floated novel ways to steamroll Congress, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has been making some noise. […]

• But in Feb. 2025, Collins did make the choice to vote to confirm Vought to be the OMB director after he had established himself as an advocate of expansive executive branch power — in part by pushing the false claim that the president has the constitutional authority to impound funds appropriated by Congress.

• And, despite her recent statements, she has, over the past year and a half — through the Trump administration’s countless illegal impoundments, funding freezes and pocket rescissions — done little to actually rein the executive branch in.

• Shortly after Collins shared her statement, her opponents in November’s election, Democrat Troy Jackson, took advantage of the moment, calling out Collins for being surprised at Trump and OMB’s not-so-secret plan to impound congressionally approved funds.

• “Susan Collins voted for Trump’s pick to lead the OMB. Now she’s surprised he’s doing exactly what he promised to do?” Jackson said in a social media post.

• “Expressing concern isn’t enough,” he added. “Mainers see through the bullshit.”

• TPM asked Collins’ office if the senator has had second thoughts about confirming Vought; the office referred the question to the Senate Appropriations Committee, which did not directly answer, referring TPM to Collins’ initial statement on the latest pocket rescissions.

• The reality is, Vought never kept secret his plans to undermine Congress, its power of the purse and related laws.

• Before he was even confirmed for the job, Vought was musing about his desire to cut funding to programs and departments Trump and MAGA world did not like.

• “We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected…,” Vought said in a 2023 video uncovered by ProPublica. “We want their funding to be shut down so that the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] can’t do all of the rules against our energy industry, because they have no bandwidth financially to do so.”

• Vought’s thoughts around this and plans for the future were not only articulated in private meetings. Just take a look at his Senate confirmation hearings.

• When asked during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in Jan. 2025, Vought made his position clear on impoundments.

• Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) asked Vought during the hearing if he believes the Impoundment Control Act (ICA) is constitutional, to which he responded: “No, I don’t believe it’s constitutional. The president ran on that view. That’s his view and I agree.”

• In the same hearing, committee’s Ranking Member Garry Peters (D-MI) also asked Vought about previous actions under the Trump administration to freeze congressionally appropriated funds, following it up with if he thought it was “within the law” for the White House to do that.

• Once again, consistent with his actions and previous comments, Vought argued he did not believe funds were “inappropriately” withheld. […]

• At the time, Collins decided that she would support Vought’s nomination and vote to confirm him.

• And after Vought’s confirmation, under his direction OMB and the Trump White House escalated their assault on Congress’ power of the purse.

• Since last year, the Trump administration was found to have repeatedly impounded federal funds approved by Congress, as documented in several decisions from the GAO. The Trump White House also found other ways to undo appropriators’ decisions, pushing congressional Republicans to authorize a rescissions package in 2025 and championing, now, two pockets rescissions packages, which the GAO also found to be outside of the law.

• “Susan Collins has utterly failed to use the power she campaigned on as appropriations chair to stand up the Trump administration — and she voted for Trump’s budget nominees even after they made it clear they planned to illegally slash funding for programs that Mainers relied on,” Misha Linnehan, spokesperson for the Maine Democratic Party, told TPM on Monday.