Augusta, Maine – Throughout August, reporting has continued to highlight how Mainers are paying the price of Susan Collins’ failures.
Collins’ “key” “pivotal vote” to advance the GOP budget bill and her refusal to use the power and seniority she campaigns on to stand up to her party or stop harmful legislation has led to guts to Maine health care services, increased the risks of child hunger, cancelled grants that would lower energy costs and create jobs, and more. Collins continues to Cost Maine.
Here is just a sample of the consequences of Collins' failures:
Maine Morning Star: Report warns hospitals in Aroostook, Ellsworth face imminent risk of closure due to Medicaid cuts
“Medical Center in Presque Isle and Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth — are at immediate risk of shutting down due to reductions in Medicaid funding included in congressional Republicans’ tax law signed by President Donald Trump on July 4. That will mean significant job cuts, longer wait times, and an overall increase in health care costs, including for people not on Medicaid, according to the report.”
Maine Beacon: Health care providers call out Collins for supporting Medicaid cuts that will slash rural hospitals, jobs and services
“Advocates say that Sen. Susan Collins’ vote to advance the bill [...] represent a failure to stand up for Mainers.”
Portland Press Herald: SNAP cuts could impact Maine’s free lunch for students in the long term
“Maine remains committed to offering free school meals for all students, but that program could get harder to fund under short- and long-term cuts to federal nutrition benefits.”
“The Republican-backed bill [...] includes a $186 billion cut to federal spending on SNAP, a program that provides monthly food benefits to more than 170,000 Mainers.”
“Without Medicaid, the much smaller provider in Maine says it will have to stop serving hundreds of primary care patients by the end of October. The organization says abortions are a relatively small percentage of its overall services, which include cervical cancer screenings, contraception and primary care to low-income residents in one of the poorest and most rural states in the Northeast.”
Portland Press Herald: Maine clinics ask federal judge to restore Medicaid funding cut by Trump administration
“Maine Family Planning, a statewide network of 18 clinics, stands to lose about $1.9 million and says it may have to stop providing primary care without the federal funding.”
NBC Boston: Maine clinics hope to get blocked Medicaid funds restored as they sue Trump administration over cuts
“President Donald Trump's policy and tax bill, known as the ‘big beautiful bill,’ blocked Medicaid money from reaching Maine Family Planning, which offers health care services in one of the poorest and most rural states in the Northeast.”
Portland Press Herald: Trump administration moves forward with clawing back $62 million in low-income solar grants for Maine
“The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to take back more than $60 million in already-promised funding for low-income solar grants in Maine, part of a program commonly referred to as ‘Solar for All.’”
“Maine’s program was estimated to help thousands of households save anywhere from $380 to $1,400 annually, the office said. It also included funding to train more than 700 Maine residents in electrical work, construction and other building trades.”
Maine Beacon: Collins caved, and public broadcasting is paying the price
“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is shutting down after more than five decades, and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins had the chance to stop it”
American Journal News: Collins votes against restoring Maine’s NIH research grants
“Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) voted against reinstating medical research grants in Maine.”
“The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) froze $1.5 billion in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants on Jan. 28, including $323,000 to study rural health care in Maine and $1.5 million for the Mount Desert Island Biological Lab in Bar Harbor.”
Maine Beacon: Collins’ record shows pattern of weakening social security
“Collins voted to advance Trump’s tax plan that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described as a “backdoor for privatizing Social Security,” and she has a long history of voting for measures that undermine Social Security’s solvency.”
See more: Maine Democratic Party Launches “Collins Cost Us” August Recess Campaign; NEW: Maine Democrats Release Digital News Ad Highlighting How “Collins Cost Us”; ICYMI: Maine Democratic Party Event Highlights How “Collins Cost Us”; ICYMI: Maine Dems Gather in Portland, Highlight How “Collins Cost Us”
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