When Susan Collins first ran for Senate in 1996, she made a commitment to Mainers that she would oppose efforts to cut Social Security, calling it “the cornerstone of our retirement system” and noting that it makes “the difference between an adequate standard of living and poverty” for many Maine people.
But after 24 years in Washington, Senator Collins has changed--she broke her promise, voting twice for GOP legislation that threatened Social Security.
In 2011, Senator Collins supported a plan that would have necessitated “deep cuts” to Social Security and was opposed by both AARP and The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. Then in 2017, she backed the GOP tax giveaway to billionaires and corporations, despite warnings from advocates for seniors that the bill would likely lead to “dramatic cuts” to programs serving older Americans. The bill she voted for added nearly $2 trillion to the national deficit, leading Collins’ Washington Republican allies to push for Social Security cuts to address the debt problem they created.
“After 24 years, Susan Collins now puts special interests and partisan politics ahead of the needs of everyday Mainers. Hundreds of thousands of Maine’s seniors rely on Social Security, and Senator Collins betrayed their trust and voted to slash their benefits,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “Maine has a proud tradition of leaders who honor their commitments, but Senator Collins can’t be trusted anymore--she votes to toe the party line and prop up corporate interests, even when it directly hurts Maine’s seniors.”
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