Susan M. Collins
Senator for Maine · Republican · United States
“Mr. President, located on U.S. Route 1 near the 45th parallel and nestled among the forests and rivers of eastern Maine sits the town of East Machias, now celebrating its bicentennial year.”
Senate15 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, on 9/11, hundreds of firefighters and EMS providers made the ultimate sacrifice while carrying out their duty. Their courage became a defining symbol of American heroism, reminding us that the measure of service is found not in words, but in selfless action.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“Amid smoke, debris, and uncertainty, they searched for survivors, recovered the fallen, comforted grieving families, and helped a wounded nation begin the long process of healing. Many have since faced life-threatening illnesses and chronic health conditions resulting from their service.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“The resolution allows the administration immediate access to the full funding amounts for FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund and for the Forest Service and Department of the Interior's wildfire suppression efforts. We have only to look at the news to know just how critical those efforts and programs are.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, later tonight, my colleagues will be asked to pass the continuing resolution before us to prevent a government shutdown. As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft this stopgap funding measure.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Senate passage of this continuing resolution would be a major step toward averting a damaging shutdown that could harm vital programs and throw the lives of Federal workers into disarray.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
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“Mr. President, located on U.S. Route 1 near the 45th parallel and nestled among the forests and rivers of eastern Maine sits the town of East Machias, now celebrating its bicentennial year. Taking its name from the swift-flowing river the Passamaquoddy called ``bad little falls,'' East Machias is known for its beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife, Colonial history, and warm, small-town community. East Machias was originally part of the town of Machias that was established as a British Colony.”
Senate15 September 2026Source ↗
“Amid smoke, debris, and uncertainty, they searched for survivors, recovered the fallen, comforted grieving families, and helped a wounded nation begin the long process of healing. Many have since faced life-threatening illnesses and chronic health conditions resulting from their service. Their sacrifices did not end when the recovery efforts concluded, and our Nation's obligation to care for them remains as enduring as their commitment to us.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, on 9/11, hundreds of firefighters and EMS providers made the ultimate sacrifice while carrying out their duty. Their courage became a defining symbol of American heroism, reminding us that the measure of service is found not in words, but in selfless action. The courage displayed by these first responders inspired millions and reminded us that hope is strongest when we stand together. In those moments of profound uncertainty, neighbors helped neighbors, communities rallied together, and Americans from every walk of life stood united in compassion and resilience. We also honor the thousands of first responders who labored tirelessly in the days, weeks, and months that followed.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to pass the continuing resolution in order to prevent a government shutdown. I yield back all time. Vote on H.R. 6500, As Amended”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Senate passage of this continuing resolution would be a major step toward averting a damaging shutdown that could harm vital programs and throw the lives of Federal workers into disarray. We saw what happened in the shutdowns that occurred during the last cycle that were both unwarranted and unfair to so many of our Federal employees, particularly those who are forced to work without knowing when they would be paid. We cannot allow that to happen again. I very much appreciate the overwhelming bipartisan vote earlier today of 91 to 6, with 1 person voting ``present,'' to move forward with this legislation. I urge another ``aye'' vote tonight so that we can keep our government open and working for the American people.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“There have been nearly 500,000 comments on this proposed rule, the vast majority of them against the changes that are proposed. I don't think that in the time I have been privileged to serve in the Senate, I have ever seen a proposed rule generate that many negative comments. This CR also gives Congress the time that it needs to continue our work on bipartisan appropriations bills. Last cycle, we were successful in getting 11 out of the 12 bills passed and signed into law. I hope we can do that this time as well, and the additional time the continuing resolution will give us should help bring that about. It is so important that Congress not abrogate its power of the purse--our constitutional responsibility.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“The resolution allows the administration immediate access to the full funding amounts for FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund and for the Forest Service and Department of the Interior's wildfire suppression efforts. We have only to look at the news to know just how critical those efforts and programs are. This bipartisan agreement also prevents the Office of Management and Budget from implementing a proposed rule regarding Federal financial assistance--from taking effect for the coming months. I advocated for significant changes to the proposed rule in a July 6 letter to the Agency, citing its potential to politicize the grant-making process and harm small, rural communities; our university, college, and nonprofit laboratories; our hospitals; our families; and biomedical research in general.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, later tonight, my colleagues will be asked to pass the continuing resolution before us to prevent a government shutdown. As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft this stopgap funding measure. The continuing resolution that we produced is bipartisan and is supported by the administration. After three unnecessary lapses in funding during the fiscal year 2026 cycle, putting the possibility of yet another harmful shutdown off the table should be a priority for each and every one of us. This continuing resolution is straightforward. It continues current government funding levels until December 11, with limited anomalies aimed at avoiding disruptions in crucial government activities and programs.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I am very pleased that we could pass these two very important bills this afternoon. I would be remiss if I did not mention that the University of Maine has an excellent lab that specializes in testing ticks for pathogens, and it has worked very closely with our game wardens, with foresters, with the others who are routinely in the woods of Maine and are exposed to tick bites. It actually has developed a little tick kit where you can send the tick into the lab, and it will be tested for pathogens. So I would be remiss if I did not salute the University of Maine for its excellent work on tick-borne illnesses. This legislation is going to make a big difference in helping to advance their work, as well as the research at the MaineHealth research institute. I yield the floor.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 154, S. 2398.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“For example, a clinical trial for a Lyme disease vaccine is underway right now at the MaineHealth Institute for Research. It has always struck me, as I run, that every year my beloved Labrador retriever can get a vaccine for tick diseases and yet we cannot--we humans cannot-- and I am hoping this clinical trial will be successful, and it will make a real difference. Reauthorizing the Kay Hagan Tick Act would allow crucial projects, such as that research and others across the United States and public education campaigns--which are so important in teaching people what to do if they have a tick bite--that will all be allowed to continue. I want to thank Senator Smith for partnering with me on this reauthorization, and I would note that we have 21 bipartisan cosponsors. I urge all of my colleagues to support this lifesaving legislation. Mr.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Tick-borne diseases are a major public health concern, and the incidents have exploded over the past 20 years. Each year, the State of Maine has hit a new record high in the number of cases of Lyme disease. Last year, Maine reported 4,257 cases. Undoubtedly, that understates the number of cases because many are not reported. But that amount alone is more than double the number of cases reported in my home State just 6 years ago. Current projections show that 2026 will yet again be a record-setting year. This is a record that we do not want to set. The Lewiston Sun Journal reported just last week that every community in Maine's Franklin County faces a high risk of tick encounters for this season. Nevertheless, I am encouraged that we are making progress, and we have made progress in the 6 years since this law was first enacted.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I will soon ask that the Senate pass S. 2398, the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act. The Tick Act was approved by the Senate HELP Committee more than a year ago with strong bipartisan support. I am proud to have authorized the original Tick Act in 2019 with my colleague Senator Tina Smith. Our bipartisan legislation strengthens Federal efforts to confront the alarming public health threat posed by Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“This legislation strikes the right balance. It strengthens CMS's ability to prevent fraud before taxpayer dollars are lost, while ensuring that honest providers have the resources necessary to continue delivering high-quality care. It advances both program integrity and payment integrity, protects Medicare beneficiaries, safeguards taxpayer dollars, and helps preserve access to the home health services that allow millions of Americans to receive care safely and independently in their own homes. I want to note that these program integrity provisions align with those outlined in the Protecting Seniors and Stopping Fraudsters Act, introduced by Rep. Van Duyne in May. I look forward to working with her to move our bills forward as quickly as possible. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation. ______”
Senate5 August 2026Source ↗
“The concentration of Medicare home health spending in Los Angeles County is its own issue. This can be seen by the lopsided spending generated there. Even though only 2 percent of the Nation's Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries live in Los Angeles County, that 2 percent generates 9 percent of all Medicare fee-for-service home health expenditures in the entire Nation--roughly 4\1/2\ times the expected share. CMS is fully aware of the fraud problem in Los Angeles County and has responded aggressively. I commend the Agency for doing so. My legislation builds on those efforts by strengthening CMS's ability to stop fraudulent providers before they enter the Medicare Program, ending the ``pay and chase'' model.”
Senate5 August 2026Source ↗
“Despite the rapid aging of our population, the number of traditional Medicare beneficiaries receiving home health services has declined in recent years, from approximately 3.3 million beneficiaries in 2019 to 2.7 million just 5 years later. At the same time, nearly everywhere in our country, the number of Medicare-certified home health agencies has also been dropping. According to the most recent report of MedPAC, which is the independent agency analyzing and advising Congress on Medicare, excluding California, more than 500 home health agencies closed between 2019 and 2024, a decline of 5 percent. The picture is dramatically different in California, however, where the number of Medicare home health agencies has doubled over the same time period. Nearly all of that growth has occurred in Los Angeles County.”
Senate5 August 2026Source ↗
“I have long been a strong supporter of home healthcare. In a home visit I made in one of my first years as a Senator, I saw firsthand the extraordinary difference that skilled nurses, therapists, and other home health professionals make in the lives of patients and their families. Every day, these dedicated caregivers enable millions of our Nation's most frail and vulnerable individuals to remain in the comfort, security, and privacy of their home, which is where they most want to be. Home healthcare not only improves patients' quality of life but also helps avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and nursing home admissions, producing substantial savings for Medicare, Medicaid, and families alike. For these reasons, we should be strengthening, not weakening, the Medicare home health program. Yet recent trends present a troubling paradox.”
Senate5 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protection Act. This legislation would strengthen the Medicare home health program by advancing two complementary goals: protecting the home health program from fraud and strengthening access to these important services for the Americans who need them.”
Senate5 August 2026Source ↗
“This legislation strikes the right balance. It strengthens CMS's ability to prevent fraud before taxpayer dollars are lost, while ensuring that honest providers have the resources necessary to continue delivering high-quality care. It advances both program integrity and payment integrity, protects Medicare beneficiaries, safeguards taxpayer dollars, and helps preserve access to the home health services that allow millions of Americans to receive care safely and independently in their own homes. I want to note that these program integrity provisions align with those outlined in the Protecting Seniors and Stopping Fraudsters Act, introduced by Rep. Van Duyne in May. I look forward to working with her to move our bills forward as quickly as possible. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation. ______ By Mr.”
Senate5 August 2026Source ↗
“Even though only 2 percent of the Nation's Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries live in Los Angeles County, that 2 percent generates 9 percent of all Medicare fee-for-service home health expenditures in the entire Nation--roughly 4\1/2\ times the expected share. CMS is fully aware of the fraud problem in Los Angeles County and has responded aggressively. I commend the Agency for doing so. My legislation builds on those efforts by strengthening CMS's ability to stop fraudulent providers before they enter the Medicare Program, ending the ``pay and chase'' model.”
Senate5 August 2026Source ↗
“Home healthcare not only improves patients' quality of life but also helps avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and nursing home admissions, producing substantial savings for Medicare, Medicaid, and families alike. For these reasons, we should be strengthening, not weakening, the Medicare home health program. Yet recent trends present a troubling paradox. Despite the rapid aging of our population, the number of traditional Medicare beneficiaries receiving home health services has declined in recent years, from approximately 3.3 million beneficiaries in 2019 to 2.7 million just 5 years later. At the same time, nearly everywhere in our country, the number of Medicare-certified home health agencies has also been dropping.”
Senate5 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protection Act. This legislation would strengthen the Medicare home health program by advancing two complementary goals: protecting the home health program from fraud and strengthening access to these important services for the Americans who need them. I have long been a strong supporter of home healthcare. In a home visit I made in one of my first years as a Senator, I saw firsthand the extraordinary difference that skilled nurses, therapists, and other home health professionals make in the lives of patients and their families. Every day, these dedicated caregivers enable millions of our Nation's most frail and vulnerable individuals to remain in the comfort, security, and privacy of their home, which is where they most want to be.”
Senate5 August 2026Source ↗
“Believe me, on those long military trips, you get to know your colleagues very well. Lindsey's unsurpassed sense of humor, his self-deprecating wit, and his storytelling ability made serving with him delightful, and I always learned so much when I traveled with him as well. I keep thinking that John McCain and Joe Lieberman--both treasured friends and colleagues of mine--were there waiting to greet what they called the third amigo when Lindsey Graham entered the heavenly gates, and I tried to take some comfort in knowing that the three of them are now reunited. Yesterday, we celebrated the life of this extraordinary Senator. Lindsey's life on Earth ended far too soon, but his legacy will endure forever. I suggest the absence of a quorum.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise this afternoon to pay tribute to an outstanding U.S. Senator and a dear friend, Senator Lindsey Graham. When my husband first woke me with the news that Lindsey had died the night before, I couldn't believe it. I said to him: That can't possibly be true. I thought it was some tasteless internet hoax or a false report. Not Lindsey. Not our Lindsey. But sadly, it was true, although I still find it so hard to accept. I can only imagine how difficult this unexpected loss must be for his beloved sister Darline and the other members of his family. Often when we think of a Senator, we ask: Did he or she make a difference? Did he or she have an impact on events here at home or abroad? Was the person a consequential Senator? With Lindsey, the answer clearly was the resounding yes.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the revised memberships on the 12 subcommittees of the Committee on Appropriations for the 119th Congress be printed in the Record. The new assignments reflect the service on the committee of Senator Darline Graham, who was selected to fill the vacancy created by the passing of former Senator Lindsey Graham, as well as other revisions related to the change in committee membership.”
Senate22 July 2026Source ↗
“Crystal Bog, also known as the 1000 Acre Bog, encompasses an extensive area of wetlands found south of Fish Stream. This area represents one of Maine's best examples of a Domed Bog Ecosystem and is classified as a National Natural Landmark. It also supports some of the State's most diverse fens, plants, and animals, including circumneutral fen, Clayton's copper butterfly, and swamp-fly honeysuckle. Crystal's 125th anniversary is more than just a celebration. It is recognition of a people who have thrived in the face of adversity. While every town has its unique challenges, I am sure that Crystal's best days lie ahead. I congratulate the town of Crystal, ME, on this wonderful achievement, and I look forward to witnessing its bright future. ____________________”
Senate14 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, on March 21, 1901, a town in Aroostook County was incorporated and named after the region's pristine clear waters. Today, it is a great joy to join the people of Crystal, ME, in celebrating the 125th anniversary of a town that epitomizes rural life in the northern parts of our country and people who have shown the power of resiliency. Crystal's founding was just one piece of an already illustrious history. First established by William Young of Searsmont in 1839 as Township No.”
Senate14 July 2026Source ↗
“I urge my colleagues to support our efforts so that we can allow much needed religious workers to continue their ministry and their service in communities all across America. ____________________”
Senate8 April 2025Source ↗
“They are of many different faiths, and they have developed important ties to their communities. As we have highlighted in a letter that we sent to the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, these employees provide basic necessities to those in need. They care for and minister to the sick and dying in hospitals. They work with adolescents and young adults to help them. They counsel those who have suffered severe trauma and hardship. They serve as educators and mentors, and they are critical as faith leaders. Surely, this is one area where we should be able to come together as Republicans and Democrats and do something worthwhile, something that will have a real-world impact in communities across this country. The broad support for this effort is shown by the many organizations of different faiths that have endorsed our legislation.”
Senate8 April 2025Source ↗
“It does not change any requirement or bars to obtaining an employment-based visa. It does not allow entry for any person who is not already permitted under the law to enter the United States. Religious workers would continue to face the same vetting and other requirements that are applicable to other noncitizens who are seeking to work in our country. Let me also emphasize that there is no doubt that our country has faced an illegal immigration crisis, but that is not what we are talking about here. We are talking about people who have lawfully entered the United States under a religious worker visa, and we simply provide a tailored, carefully crafted solution for those who are lawfully present in our country and serving our churches, our parishes, our synagogues--our religious organizations.”
Senate8 April 2025Source ↗
“Of the 50 Catholic parishes in Maine, 35--more than half--benefit from the ministry of international priests. Recently, three rural Maine communities--St. Agatha, Bucksport, and Greenville--were left without any priests at all for months. These priests were unable to work because their R-1 visas expired before their EB-4 applications could be fully processed. If this issue is not addressed, religious organizations in Maine and across the Nation will continue to lose pastors, priests, rabbis, and other religious workers who lead and support their congregations and communities. As I explained, this bill solves this problem by granting the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority simply to extend the temporary R-1 status past the 5 years until the religious worker receives a decision on the permanent EB-4 visa application.”
Senate8 April 2025Source ↗
“Although the backlog did decrease as Embassies and consulates reopened post-COVID, other issues have arisen. Due to a change in the statutory interpretation made by the State Department in 2023, many religious workers who are in the United States on temporary R-1 visas are unable to receive decisions on permanent EB- 4 visa applications within the maximum 5-year duration of an R-1 visa. In other words, their R-1 visa expires before they get a decision on their EB-4 permanent visa. The result is that they have to leave our country and the communities, parishes, mosques, synagogues, and churches they are serving for at least 1 year before they can return. In Maine, local communities have experienced this problem firsthand and would be greatly helped by our legislation.”
Senate8 April 2025Source ↗
“The issue religious employees have faced with our visa system have evolved over time, but the result is the same: Religious organizations are harmed, communities are hurt, and religious workers are unable to pursue their missions. In 2021, the severe backlog in the processing of religious workers' visa petitions was worsened by the COVID pandemic. It forced many religious employees who were already in the United States to leave the communities that they were serving so well and for which they were so essential or cease working altogether, such as a Catholic priest being unable to perform mass for fear of violating immigration law. There were also additional workers outside of the United States awaiting entry, unable to serve in our religious communities.”
Senate8 April 2025Source ↗
“Unfortunately, when he went back home, there was a change in his visa status, and he was unable to return. Our legislation would grant the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to extend the temporary R-1 status for a religious worker past 5 years until he or she receives a decision on the permanent EB-4 visa application. In doing so, the bill would provide a solution to the significant problems that religious organizations and workers are experiencing with our current system. Our bill would help religious workers of all faith traditions continue their work providing services, such as acting as a chaplain at a hospital, conducting worship services, and serving as religious educators.”
Senate8 April 2025Source ↗
“Mr. President, I am pleased to join today with my friend and colleague from Virginia Senator Kaine to introduce the Religious Workforce Protection Act. Our bill would allow foreign-born religious workers in the United States to continue to perform essential work in their communities all across the Nation, including the State of Maine. I would also like to thank our friend and colleague Senator Jim Risch, who joins us in introducing this important bill. Like my colleague from Virginia, I, too, learned about this problem from my local parish in Maine. In the summertime, I tend to attend Catholic mass in either Lincoln or Howland, ME. Both parishes are served by the same priest. The priest, until last year, came from India--Father Tony. We all loved him.”
Senate8 April 2025Source ↗
“Therefore, I will support this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to do so likewise.”
Senate2 April 2025Source ↗
“Let me conclude my remarks by reaffirming my support for ensuring that the Department of Homeland Security has every tool at its disposal to stem the flow of fentanyl into our Nation, but, unlike Mexico and China, Canada is not complicit in this crisis. And we should continue working with our Canadian allies to secure the northern border, not unfairly penalize them. Our consumers, our manufacturers, our lobstermen, our blueberry growers, our potato farmers will pay the price. Mr. President, the price hikes that will happen for Maine families every time they go to the grocery store, they fill their gas tank, they fill their heating oil tank, if these tariffs go into effect, will be so harmful. And as price hikes always do, they will hurt those the most who can afford them the least.”
Senate2 April 2025Source ↗
“We don't want to discourage these Canadian tourists, who are so vital to Maine's economy, from vacationing in Maine because they are so angry at what has happened. Maine families benefit from more than $900 billion in goods and services that are exchanged between our two countries every year. It is crucial that we remain a dependent and vibrant global trading partner, particularly with Canada. Now, I want to distinguish that I think there is a strong case to be made for tariffs on Mexico, on our adversary China, but I don't see the case for Canada. There are areas where Canada does need to do better, and the dairy industry is one, and I hope we will see that resolved.”
Senate2 April 2025Source ↗
“At a time when the Maine aquaculture industry is growing, these tariffs on Canada would jeopardize current jobs and also block future ones. Close relationships between and among families on both sides of the border are very common in the State of Maine. It is typical of communities, ranging from Calais in the east, Fort Kent in the north, and Jackman in the west. You see it all across the northern, eastern, and western parts of our State because our communities are so integrated. It is not surprising to me that I had a conversation with members of the tourism industry in Maine just this morning who told me that they are seeing cancelations by Canadian tourists who had come for years to vacation in Maine. Old Orchard Beach, for example, is known for the number of Canadian tourists.”
Senate2 April 2025Source ↗
“I share the President's goal of getting more of that manufacturing done in the State of Maine, done in the United States, but the fact is that if we impose these tariffs on Canadian processing, it is going to be our Maine lobstermen who will bear the cost; it is going to be consumers who bear the cost. I would like to make mention of another industry that would be affected as well, and that is the aquaculture industry. In Washington County in far eastern Maine, Cooke Aquaculture is one of the largest employers, with more than 200 direct jobs throughout the State. While they have a processing plant in Machias, ME, the first step of their salmon processing occurs in Canada before reentering the United States for finishing.”
Senate2 April 2025Source ↗
“There is not another big employer in that area that could possibly compensate for the loss of those 510 direct jobs, and that doesn't include the indirect jobs--the truckdrivers, the loggers, the restaurant owners who would be harmed by the closure or reduction in the operation of this vitally important mill. The tariff would not only devastate Twin Rivers but also harm hundreds of Maine families. Another example of our integration with Canada is in energy. Ninety- five percent of the heating oil that is used by most Mainers to heat their homes comes from refineries in Canada. Irving Oil, a Canadian-based company, has 150 gas stations in Maine and supplies two-thirds of the State's gas, diesel, and heating oil. This includes 100 percent of the jet fuel that is used by the Air National Guard base in Bangor.”
Senate2 April 2025Source ↗
“Twin Rivers produces lightweight specialty paper for packaging materials, for our Nation's newspapers and our retailers' catalogs, for food and environmentally safe papers used in restaurants, and for a wide variety of other paper goods that are used all over the country. The raw pulp for this paper mill in Maine is piped across the St. John River from Edmundston, New Brunswick, to Madawaska, ME. There literally is a pipeline through which the pulp travels between these two sister mills. A tariff placed on this pulp would jeopardize the financial well-being of this vital paper mill, which employs more than 500 people in rural northern Maine.”
Senate2 April 2025Source ↗
“I do not, however, agree with his invoking the powers of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs on Canadian goods and products. The fact is, the vast majority of fentanyl in America comes from the southern border. In fiscal year 2024, less than 1 percent of fentanyl seizures occurred at our northern border. And our Canadian neighbors are working collaboratively and cooperatively with our government to stop that trafficking. One of the best examples of the intertwined relationship between Maine's economy and Canada can be seen at the Twin Rivers Paper mill in Madawaska, ME, way in the north on the Canadian border.”
Senate2 April 2025Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise today in support of the resolution introduced by my colleague from Virginia, Senator Kaine, to overturn the emergency declaration for the northern border that is being used to impose tariffs on goods imported from Canada. The Maine economy is integrated with Canada, our most important trading partner. From home heating oil, gasoline, jet fuel, and other refined petroleum products, to Maine's paper mills, forest products businesses, agricultural producers, and lobstermen, the tariffs on Canada would be detrimental to many Maine families and our local economies. Of course I share the President's goal of stemming the tide of dangerous fentanyl that flows into the United States. I commend him for taking far stronger actions to halt this dangerous and deadly flow than did the previous administration.”
Senate2 April 2025Source ↗
“As a result, unless this bill is passed, DC would have to operate under its fiscal year 2024 budget for the remainder of 2025, potentially requiring $1.1 billion in local spending cuts. Reducing DC's local funding expenditures will not result in a dollar of Federal savings. Since October 1 of 2024, the District has been operating under and spending at its approved level for the fiscal year 2025 budget. According to the CBO, this bill does not have any budgetary cost to the Federal Government. There are no Federal dollars involved. The issue here is just allowing the DC Government to proceed to spend its own tax revenues. Accordingly, I urge all of my colleagues to support this measure to correct a true inequity.”
Senate14 March 2025Source ↗
“Within the Department of Homeland Security, the continuing resolution includes targeted increases to support ICE operations, to avoid furloughs of TSA airport screeners, and to fund much needed pay raises for members of our Coast Guard. It also includes increased funding for the FAA so that more air traffic controllers can be hired to make our Nation's airspace safer. We can delay no longer. It is essential that the continuing resolution be adopted today in order to prevent a harmful government shutdown. I urge its adoption. Let each and every one of us here commit to working together on the fiscal year 2026 budget so that we can enact appropriations bills prior to the start of the new fiscal year.”
Senate14 March 2025Source ↗
“Neville Chamberlain declared ``peace in our time,'' trying to appease Germany before World War II. We should not make the same mistake today by appeasing Russia. We cannot avert our eyes. We cannot leave an ally to fend for itself, and we must show resolve to deter possible future aggression by China, Iran, and North Korea. Our adversaries are watching closely our response in Ukraine.”
Senate11 March 2025Source ↗
“Mr. President, the spirit of volunteerism is one of Maine's greatest strengths. For the past 30 years, that spirit has been nurtured and enhanced by Volunteer Maine Executive Director Maryalice Crofton, and I join people throughout our State in honoring Maryalice for her outstanding leadership and in wishing her all the best in her retirement. Volunteer Maine is our State's National Service Commission that supports AmeriCorps and Senior Corps.”
Senate5 March 2025Source ↗