Tag: Susan Collins

Susan Collins says Trump will be ‘much more cautious’ after impeachment. The evidence suggests otherwise.

Washington Post logoAs President Trump’s impeachment trial winds down, the argument from some Senate Republicans is trending in a very specific direction: What he did was perhaps wrong, but it wasn’t impeachable. The message to Trump seems to be: Please don’t do it again.

They sound awfully certain that he won’t, though, despite plenty of reasons to be skeptical Trump will be chastened by this.

Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) became the latest Republican on Tuesday to suggest that even when Trump is acquitted, he will have learned his lesson. She ventured a prediction that Trump will be “much more cautious” about soliciting foreign assistance. Continue reading.

GOP senators challenge Trump on shutdown strategy

Several Senate Republicans on Wednesday challenged President Trump on his strategy for ending a 19-day shutdown during a closed-door meeting where they expressed specific concerns over the harm it is causing to federal workers and the economy.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who faces a tough reelection in a state Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won in 2016, said she asked Trump to consider a bipartisan compromise that would give certain immigrants, known as Dreamers, a path to citizenship in exchange for border security money.

“I suggested that we take a look at the package that we put together last February and brought to the floor as a possible compromise,” Collins said, recounting her conversation with Trump during a closed-door lunch meeting in the Capitol.

View the complete January 9 article by Alexander Bolton on The Hill website here.

Senator Collins: Kavanaugh Not Being Truthful ‘A Major Problem’

Senator Collins said that if Kavanaugh was not truthful at his hearings then that would be a “major problem.” She also previously said that a Supreme Court justice who would overturn Roe v. Wade would “not be acceptable.” Therefore, based on her own standards, Senator Collins should oppose Kavanaugh’s confirmation. See for yourself:

Senator Collins said that if Kavanaugh was not truthful at his hearing then that would be a “major problem.”

Senator Collins: “If in fact (Kavanaugh) was not truthful, then obviously that would be a major problem for me.”

Continue reading “Senator Collins: Kavanaugh Not Being Truthful ‘A Major Problem’”

Ben Sasse, Susan Collins Warn Trump About Firing Jeff Sessions

The following article by Niels Lesniewski was posted on the Roll Call website August 23, 2018:

Sen. Ben Sasse said he couldn’t envision voting for a new attorney general if Jeff Sessions is fired for doing his job. Credit: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call file photo

Republican senators grew increasingly vocal in their warnings to President Donald Trump if he fires Attorney General Jeff Sessions, including threats not to vote for a replacement.

Sen. Ben Sasse came to the floor Thursday afternoon to read into the Congressional Record the statement that Sessions, a former Alabama senator well-liked by his former colleagues, issued in response to criticism from Trump.

Sessions was highlighting the independence of the Justice Department, and Sasse, a Nebraska Republican, wanted it to be perfectly clear that he would have the attorney general’s back.

Republicans warn Trump against Manafort pardon

The following article by Alexander Bolton and Jordain Carney was posted on the Hill website August 22, 2018:

Senate Republicans are warning President Trump that it would be a serious mistake to pardon his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was convicted late Tuesday on an array of fraud charges.

“It would be an enormous mistake and misuse of his power to pardon,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a prominent moderate, told reporters.

Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn (Texas), the second-ranking Senate GOP leader, said that pardoning Manafort “would be a mistake.”

View the complete article here.

Collins: Pruitt is the wrong person to head the EPA on policy grounds alone

The following article by Rebecca Savransky was posted on the Hill website April 8, 2018:

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Sunday that she doesn’t believe Scott Pruitt is the right person to be leading the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“On policy grounds alone, I think Scott Pruitt is the wrong person to head the EPA,” Collins said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

She was pressed on whether she believes Pruitt should resign or be fired. Continue reading “Collins: Pruitt is the wrong person to head the EPA on policy grounds alone”

Health-care fights could complicate 2018 funding deal

The following article by Nathaniel Weixel was posted on the Hill website December 28, 2017:

© Greg Nash

A host of health-care issues could complicate a deal to fund the government in what will be a hectic January for Congress.

Lawmakers agreed to a short-term continuing resolution that funds the government through Jan. 19. When they return, they will face a number of dicey issues with two weeks to reach a new full-year funding deal.

Among the big issues are finding a path to long-term funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program and community health centers, a priority for Democrats. In the Senate, Republicans plan to take up two bills to help shore up ObamaCare insurance markets. But that will be a hard sell in the House, where conservatives oppose those measures. Continue reading “Health-care fights could complicate 2018 funding deal”

ObamaCare proves surprisingly resilient

The following article by Peter Sullivan was posted on the Hill website December 25, 2017:

ObamaCare is showing its resilience after a year where in which it took a beating but survived.

A surprisingly high number of people signed up under the law in the enrollment period that ended last week: 8.8 million, just short of the 9.2 million from last year.

And that was despite the Trump administration’s attacks on the health-care law, cutbacks on outreach and an enrollment period that was half as long as previous ones. Continue reading “ObamaCare proves surprisingly resilient”

Broken health-care pledge tests Collins-McConnell relationship

The following article by Alexander Bolton was posted on the Hill website December 21, 2017:

Credit: Melina Mara/The Washington Post

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) will be a crucial swing vote for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) next year, but it may be tougher to strike deals with her after McConnell failed to fulfill a pledge on health care.

The moderate senator told reporters this month that she had an “ironclad” commitment from McConnell and Vice President Pence to pass legislation by the end of the year to stabilize ObamaCare premiums. She wanted that assurance before committing her vote for tax reform.  Continue reading “Broken health-care pledge tests Collins-McConnell relationship”