WATCH Coverage of the Protest on WLBZ

Mainer Shawn Yardley: “[Collins] told us that her seniority would protect us, that chairing Appropriations would give her the power to defend Maine's interests. [...] but the cuts and the cruelty keep coming.”

Bangor, Maine – On Saturday, 200 Mainers gathered in Bangor to protest Senator Susan Collins' failure to stand up for them and call on her to use her power and seniority in Congress to block the Republicans’ toxic budget reconciliation bill. The bill is poised to strip Medicaid coverage from 34,000 Mainers, add $3.8 trillion to the debt, and put 31,000 Mainers at risk of losing some or all of their SNAP benefits — all to pay for a tax giveaway to billionaires and the wealthiest Americans.

The protest featured personal stories from Mainers whose lives and communities have been impacted by Senator Collins’ failure to stop Republicans in Washington from enacting DOGE cuts that have already affected Maine seafood processors, farmers, and PFAS contamination testing.

What Mainers Are Seeing:

  • WLBZ: “Almost 200 people calling out Senator Susan Collins for reportedly not sticking up for Mainers that elected her. That was the scene at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor yesterday. Members of the Maine Democratic party organized the event. Attendees and speakers shared personal stories about how they feel Senator Collins' work [...] in Washington has impacted their lives and communities.”

  • Maine Democratic Party Chair Charlie Dingman: “It is a call to action. I think that it's an opportunity for us to take energy that arises from all the concerns we have about what's happening in Washington and how that's affecting us in Maine, and figure out how we're going to translate that into change.”

More from the Event:

  • Mainer Shawn Yardley: “In 2020, [Collins] told us that her seniority would protect us, that chairing Appropriations would give her the power to defend Maine's interests. Her party now controls the White House and both chambers of Congress, but the cuts and the cruelty keep coming.”

  • Mainer Shawn Yardley: “Instead of fighting, she writes letters, she expresses concern, she casts procedural votes, and then she falls in line.”

  • Mainer Shawn Yardley: “Senator Collins is not here today, and that's fitting because she hasn't been there for us in Washington, either -- not when it came time to stop the worst cuts and abuses that this administration has inflicted on Maine. We deserve better.”

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