As communities all over Maine contend with budget shortfalls that could force them to cut important local services, Senator Susan Collins wants voters to forget how she fought against including federal support for struggling state and local governments in the last two rounds of coronavirus aid negotiations.
The truth is that state and local governments could have received more federal support weeks ago, but Senator Collins actively opposed negotiations to secure more funding for Maine’s communities and joined with her colleagues in the Republican caucus to block additional aid. Now, with Mitch McConnell indicating that he wants to minimize funding for any additional coronavirus aid efforts, it looks like Collins’ early obstruction could have permanently prevented Maine towns from receiving the robust federal support they deserve.
“This is yet another case of Senator Collins saying one thing and doing another,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “If she were serious about helping state and local governments get the support that they need, she wouldn’t have spent the last few months obstructing and undermining efforts to secure the funding our communities need.”
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