Susan Collins — Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, 2026

Senator Susan Collins opposed what she described as "sweeping and indiscriminate" immigration enforcement surges by ICE in Maine and Minnesota, asking DHS to pause these operations. She supported continued funding for DHS, specifying that the bill included $22 million for body cameras and de-escalation training for ICE agents to improve trust and accountability. Collins also supported the SAVE Act, which would require states to check voter rolls against a federal immigration database.

““Immigrants have long been an important part of our state, and they continue to make valuable contributions to our communities. People who are in this country legally should not be targets of ICE investigations. They should be able to continue to go to work, school, and other public places and carry on with their normal lives.” (Senator Susan Collins, Statement on ICE Operations in Maine, collins.senate.gov)”

Susan Collins has championed efforts to lower prescription drug costs and increase funding for diabetes and Alzheimer's research. She supports expanding healthcare access, especially in rural areas. Collins voted against extending ACA tax credits without reforms, arguing the ACA is a "broken system" that needs fixing. She proposed amendments to ensure taxpayer-funded credits target low- and middle-income families through an income phaseout. She has also accepted campaign contributions from health insurers.

“For months, I have said I support extending the enhanced premium tax credits. Families in Maine and across the country are struggling with the high cost of health insurance, and I want to prevent an unaffordable spike in health insurance premiums for many Americans who rely on these COVID-era subsidies. My votes today reflect my understanding that two things can be true at once: the Affordable Care Act has proven itself to be unaffordable; it is a broken system that must be fixed—and it cannot be fixed overnight. The families that rely on it now, however, cannot be left facing huge premium increases with inadequate assistance." - Senator Susan Collins, Statement on Votes on Alternatives to Address Expiration of ACA Enhanced Premium Tax Credits, Collins.senate.gov, December 11, 2025.”

Susan Collins voted for the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill. She secured nearly $68 million for Congressionally Directed Spending projects in Maine, including investments in public lands and national parks, and funding for rural water technical assistance programs. Collins states her commitment to advancing reasonable policies that protect Maine's environment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create clean energy jobs. She also supports critical infrastructure for clean drinking water and flood risk mitigation.

“This legislation will provide important investments in Maine’s public lands, national parks, and tribal programs. It will promote healthy and resilient communities by supporting critical infrastructure that would help to provide clean drinking water and mitigate increasing flood risks,” said Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee.”

Senator Susan Collins opposes the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), voting against it in 2026. Her opposition stems from concerns that the WHPA would invalidate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and supersede conscience protections for healthcare providers with religious objections to abortion. Collins supports codifying the abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade and affirmed by Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and has introduced legislation to achieve this while maintaining existing conscience protections.

““I support codifying the abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade and affirmed by Planned Parenthood v. Casey. That’s not what the Women’s Health Protection Act would do,” said Senator Collins, from her statement on the partisan bill designed to fail, collins.senate.gov.”

Senator Susan Collins opposed an amendment to the NATO treaty that would have reserved Finnish and Swedish accession, upholding Article V collective defense. She supported the CHIPS and Science Act to strengthen U.S. capacity in strategic sectors and manage competition with China. Collins criticized Democrats for blocking the Fiscal Year 2026 Defense Appropriations Bill, citing its importance for deterrence and the defense industrial base. She voted against Pete Hegseth's nomination for Secretary of Defense.

“U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, stated: "Today Senate Democrats blocked the consideration of the Fiscal Year 2026 Defense Appropriations Bill – a bill that advanced out of the Appropriations Committee by a bipartisan vote of 26-3. The Defense appropriations legislation includes full-year funding needed to deter our adversaries, strengthen the defense industrial base, and invest in shipbuilding. It would provide a downpayment toward an additional DDG-51, along with investments in additional Columbia and Virginia class submarines – funding that would directly benefit Bath Iron Works and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The bill would also fully fund the 3.8 percent pay raise that was approved by the Senate last week as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. Instead of working with Republicans to remove the uncertainty facing our troops about when they will be paid, Democrats chose to continue the needless and reckless Schumer shutdown. The government has now been shut down for more than two weeks, and the consequences will only continue to worsen. As our defense capabilities are hampered, China’s and Russia’s continue to grow. Let us abandon this brinkmanship and vote to reopen government and continue our work to pass the annual appropriations bills."”

Senator Susan Collins supports education at all levels, including early childhood, K-12 public schools, and higher education affordability. As a member of the Senate Appropriations and Education Committees, she works to secure robust funding and targeted legislation for effective programs. She has advanced funding for institutions like the UMaine System and MDI Biological Laboratory, and champions initiatives like the Geriatrics Workforce Improvement Act.

“I have a strong record of supporting education at all levels. This includes promoting early childhood education, improving our public school system for kindergarten through 12th grade, and working to increase the affordability of higher education. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Education Committee, I will continue to work to ensure that Congress provides robust funding and targeted legislation for the most effective educational programs aimed at helping teachers and students succeed. (Susan Collins, collins.senate.gov, 'Education' page)”

Senator Susan Collins negotiated and supported the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which she described as the most significant gun safety legislation in decades, aiming to prevent gun violence while safeguarding Second Amendment rights. She advocated for funding crisis intervention programs, specifically referencing Maine's yellow flag law, which includes due process and medical professional assessment to temporarily restrict firearm possession for individuals posing a serious threat.

“As a member of the group of 12 Senators led by Chris Murphy (D-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX) who negotiated this gun safety legislation, we have reached consensus on a bipartisan bill, which represents the most significant gun safety legislation in decades. Our plan will help prevent gun violence while protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. As I strongly advocated for, our bill will fund crisis intervention programs like Maine’s yellow flag law. Maine’s law has robust due process provisions that allow a court, following an assessment by a medical professional, to determine if a person should temporarily lose possession of firearms because they pose a serious threat to themselves or others.”