Augusta, Maine – Senate Republicans officially passed their dangerous reconciliation bill that will have devastating effects on Maine, only made possible by Susan Collins’ deciding vote to greenlight the same bill’s consideration in the first place.

Collins is the chair of the appropriations committee and “one of the most senior senators” in Washington who ran for reelection in 2020 on the promise that she would use her power and seniority to deliver for Maine. Instead, she used her power to enable a devastating bill that will have dire consequences for Mainers.

Here are some consequences of the Collins-enabled Republican bill:

• 51,000 Mainers will lose their health care coverage

• 31,000 Mainers – including children – could go hungry due to cuts to SNAP programs

• 40,000 Mainers will lose assistance to heat their homes

• Thousands of Maine fishermen will lose their MaineCare, thanks to Collins’ explicit support for Medicaid cut provisions

• Maine hospitals will shut down

• Utility costs will rise

• Thousands of Mainers will lose jobs

• $3.9 trillion will be added to the national debt, in order to pay for tax giveaways to billionaires

• And more.

Of note, as part of the Senate’s voting series, Collins also voted numerous times to support cuts to Medicaid and health care coverage. Collins voted against:

• An amendment to strike all Medicaid cuts from the bill,

• An amendment to remove red tape from Medicaid,

• And an amendment to stop the bill from eliminating ACA tax credits.

Statement from Maine Democratic Party spokesperson Tommy Garcia:
“Instead of using the power and seniority she likes to campaign on to protect Mainers from life-threatening cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other essential programs – Collins hung Mainers out to dry, leveraging her power to enable the passage of a bill that will devastate Maine. Make no mistake: Susan Collins made the deliberate choice to advance this bill, and she’ll be held accountable for it in 2026.”