Last night in an interview with WABI, Senator Susan Collins claimed credit for funding for state and local governments in the phase 3 coronavirus aid package, saying “we’ve already provided $150 billion in funding.”
The truth is that Senator Collins opposed efforts to secure that aid and fought to push through an inadequate bill that lacked aid for states and municipalities, relief for our hospitals, and protections for workers. It was Senate Democrats who pushed for state aid in negotiations, while Collins decried their efforts on the Senate floor.
Moreover, when Senate Democrats pushed to include additional funding for states in the most recent coronavirus relief package passed this week, Collins and her allies in the Republican caucus shot it down. Now, Mitch McConnell is suggesting that states like Maine should go into bankruptcy rather than Congress providing additional federal support.
This isn’t the first time that Collins has tried to claim credit for negotiations she opposed. Earlier this week, Collins attempted to take credit for additional funding for Maine’s hospitals after saying that Senate Democrats’ efforts to secure that funding were “disgraceful.”
“Over the past month, Senator Collins has repeatedly obstructed and undermined efforts to secure desperately needed federal aid for state and local governments,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “The urgent need for federal support is clear, and failing to secure it could wreck Maine’s economic recovery and put essential services at risk. Mainers deserve a Senator who fights for our state and our communities 100% of the time, instead of undermining them in Washington.”
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