Majority News Releases
Sen. Collins Urges State Department to Restore Gavi Funding
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Chair of the Appropriations Committee, and Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), with committee members Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the State Department to restore U.S. contributions to Gavi. Gavi is a public-private health partnership that has helped vaccinate more than one billion children in the world’s po… Continue Reading
05.01.26
Sen. Collins Presses VA Secretary on Rural Healthcare for Maine’s Veterans
Q&A on Maine’s Togus VA Medical Center Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video of their exchange. Q&A on VA Healthcare Workforce Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video of their exchange. Q&A on Rural Transportation Grant Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video of their exchange. Washington, D.C. - At a hearing to review the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriatio… Continue Reading
04.30.26
Sen. Collins Urges Forest Service Chief to Deploy Spruce Budworm Funding
Q&A on Spruce Budworm in Maine Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video of their exchange. Washington, D.C. - At a hearing to review the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request for the United States Forest Service, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee, asked Chief Tom Schultz to commit to the quick release of funding to prevent the spread of spruce budworm in Maine during a critical window for spraying. Sen. Collins secured $14 million in 2024 supplementa… Continue Reading
04.28.26
Senator Collins Questions Sec. McMahon on Funding for Rural Schools, TRIO
Q&A on Proposed Consolidation of Education Grants Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video of this exchange. Q&A on TRIO Programs Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video of this exchange. Washington, D.C. - At a hearing to review the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request for the Department of Education, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee, pressed Secretary Linda McMahon on how the Department of Education’s proposed consolidation of K-12 prog… Continue Reading
04.22.26
Senator Collins Questions Secretary Rollins on Forever Chemicals, Rural Development Programs
Comments on the New USDA Office of Seafood Click HERE to watch and HERE to download Q&A on PFAS Click HERE to watch and HERE to download Q&A on Rural Development Programs Click HERE to watch and HERE to download Q&A on Specialty Crops Click HERE to watch and HERE to download Washington, D.C. - At a hearing to review the Department of Agriculture’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee, thanked Secretary Broo… Continue Reading
04.22.26
Senator Collins Pushes Secretary Lutnick to Work with Maine Lobster Industry
Q&A on Working with the Lobster Industry Click HERE to watch and HERE to download Q&A on Risk Reduction Technologies for Ropeless Gear Click HERE to watch and HERE to download Q&A on Proposed Elimination of Economic Development Administration Click HERE to watch and HERE to download Washington, D.C. - At a hearing to review the Department of Commerce’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee, pressed Secretary H… Continue Reading
04.22.26
Senator Collins Questions Secretary Bessent on Maine Taxpayer Assistance Centers
Q&A on Tax Assistance Centers in Maine Click HERE to watch and HERE to download. Q&A on Illegal Marijuana Grow Houses Click HERE to watch and HERE to download. Washington, D.C. - At a hearing to review the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request for the Department of Treasury, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee, emphasized to Secretary Scott Bessent that seniors in rural Maine depend on Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) and opposed the closure of two o… Continue Reading
04.21.26
Senator Collins Presses Secretary Kennedy on Funding for Women’s Health, Biomedical Research
Q&A on the Declining Number of NIH Women’s Health Studies Click HERE to watch and HERE to download. Q&A on Indirect Research Costs Click HERE to watch and HERE to download. Washington, D.C. - At a hearing to review the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee, questioned Secretary of HHS Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the declining number of women’s health research projects … Continue Reading
04.03.26
Chair Collins’ Statement on President’s FY2027 Budget Request
Washington, D.C. - Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on the President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2027: “The President’s Budget Request is just that, a request. To compensate for years of underfunding, the Administration proposes to increase defense funding significantly and recognizes the annual appropriations process as the best way to provide additional funds. The request for just one DDG-51, the workhorse of th… Continue Reading
03.27.26
Chair Collins Announces Senator Husted to Join Appropriations Committee
Washington, D.C. - Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that Senator Jon Husted (R-OH) will join the Committee after Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) was confirmed as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Senator Husted will serve on the following Appropriations subcommittees: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Financial Services and General Government; Interior, Environment, and Rela… Continue Reading
03.27.26
Senator Collins Statement on Passage of DHS Funding Package
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on the Senate vote to pass the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding package: “Passage of this package brings us closer to ending the reckless and harmful shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security that Democrats triggered when they walked away from the bipartisan funding bill for the Department. That original bill contained new safeguards and o… Continue Reading
03.18.26
Senators Collins and Murray Release FY2027 Appropriations Guidance
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Patty Murray, Chair and Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released guidance for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 programmatic, language, and Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests. General guidance for Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations requests is available HERE. Programmatic/Language Requests: Senators may submit (1) general funding requests for national and regional programs and/or (2) bill and report language reque… Continue Reading
03.17.26
Senator Collins Statement on DHS Negotiations
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown: “The Democrats’ decision to shut down the Department of Homeland Security has caused chaos at our airports, delayed assistance to communities affected by disasters, and forced thousands of frontline employees to work without any guarantee of when they will be paid. The United States is less safe because … Continue Reading
03.12.26
Senator Collins Delivers Floor Remarks on DHS Shutdown
Click HERE to watch and HERE to download Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor today to urge Democrats to come to the table to work to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A full transcript of Senator Collins’ remarks are as follows: “Mr. President, I rise to urge my colleagues to end the reckless Democratic shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. “This shutdown has cause… Continue Reading
03.03.26
ICYMI: Washington Post Ed Board Underscores Risks of DHS Shutdown
Washington, D.C. - The Washington Post Editorial Board yesterday stressed the risks of the lapse in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding in the wake of Iran strikes and a potential terror attack in Texas. Citing U.S. Senate Appropriations Chair Sen. Susan Collins’ (R-Maine) data on the implications of the shutdown for agencies, the editorial board writes: “As America’s conflict with Iran continues, the Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement about the heightened … Continue Reading
03.03.26
Chair Collins, Sen. Britt Release Fact Sheet on DHS Funding Lapse
Washington, D.C. -- Amid conflict with Iran, Democrats’ shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has entered its third week and forced many front-line workers to report to work without any guarantee of when they will be paid. U.S. Senate Appropriations Chair Sen. Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Chair of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security, detail a cross-section of implications for agencies affected by the funding lapse. Transportation Security Administrations… Continue Reading
02.03.26
Congress Approves FY 2026 National Security, Department of State Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP) Appropriations Act by a vote of 217 to 214. The legislation, which passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 71 to 29, provides security assistance to key allies, counters international drug trafficking activities, and supports life-saving global health programs. It now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The bill provides… Continue Reading
02.03.26
Congress Approves FY 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. -Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Act by a vote of 217 to 214. The legislation, which passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 71 to 29, provides resources to revitalize America’s infrastructure, improve aviation safety, and address housing availability and affordability challenges. It now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The bill … Continue Reading
02.03.26
Congress Approves FY 2026 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. -Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act by a vote of 217 to 214. The legislation, which passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 71 to 29, provides support to strengthen America’s workforce and fund important health and education programs. It now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The bill provides $194.9 billion in discretionary funding. “… Continue Reading
02.03.26
Congress Approves FY 2026 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. -Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations Act by a vote of 217 to 214. The legislation, which passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 71 to 29, provides targeted investments in federal buildings and courts, restrains IRS enforcement while bolstering taxpayer services, and funds law enforcement, financial crime detection, court security, and disaster response. It now heads to the Presiden… Continue Reading