MDP Chair Phil Bartlett calls on Collins to withdraw support for Republican tax bill:
Augusta, MAINE – In case you missed it, according to a tweet from a reporter with Talking Points Memo, Representative Mark Meadows – the head of the far right House Freedom Caucus – confirmed today that the upcoming government funding bill will not include the stabilization and reinsurance bills, representing a direct rebuke to Senator Collins who struck an agreement with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pass the bills in exchange for her vote in support of the Republican tax bill.
In justifying her vote to the people of Maine, Senator Collins said that she secured “ironclad” commitments from McConnell to pass the stabilization and reinsurance bills before the end of the year and would likely do so by including them in must-pass legislation like a government funding bill. However, conservatives in the House of Representatives, including Speaker Paul Ryan, immediately threw cold water on the agreement, jeopardizing the bills’ chances of passing.
Earlier this week, Senator Collins said she is still confident of their passage – but today’s confirmation by Representative Meadows that the bills will not be included in the must-pass funding bill call into question whether or not that will happen. Senator Collins also said yesterday that if the commitments are not kept, she will not support the bill.
Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett issued the following statement:
“It’s far past time that Senator Collins end her horse-trading for this unfair tax bill and simply stand up and say enough is enough. We call on her to uphold her promise to the people of Maine and rescind her support for this corporation-enriching, deficit-exploding Republican bill.”
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