After Senator Susan Collins allowed Mitch McConnell to send the Senate home for 10 days without passing any additional funding for struggling state and local governments, the US Senate is now back in session. When Senators returned to DC this week they got to work right away, but instead of using their time to secure support for states and municipalities, Collins and her allies in the Republican caucus have spent their time confirming one Trump nominee after another.
Since the Senate returned on Monday, Collins has voted to confirm three Trump nominees, while doing nothing to get state and local governments the support they need.
Collins spent the last two rounds of coronavirus aid negotiations actively opposing efforts to include funding for state and local governments in the relief packages. And now, as local governments across Maine contend with massive shortfalls, Collins and the Republican Senate caucus have decided that it’s more important to do Trump’s bidding than to fight for struggling states and municipalities.
“Our communities need support now, but Senator Collins and her Republican colleagues are clearly more interested in continuing to pack the federal courts with right wing judges then they are in helping states and municipalities contend with the coronavirus crisis,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “Collins has made it clear that she’ll fall in line with McConnell and Trump’s priorities even when that means leaving communities in Maine out in the cold.”
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