Senator Susan Collins of Maine has consistently positioned herself as one of the most independent Republicans in the Senate, frequently opposing President Donald Trump’s initiatives more than any other member of her party during his two terms. However, while she often votes against the Trump agenda, her dissent rarely alters the ultimate outcome of legislation.
Throughout Trump’s presidency, Collins has faced complex decisions balancing her opposition to certain policies with the political dynamics of a closely divided Senate. A notable example occurred last summer during a protracted vote on a spending bill aimed at rescinding $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funding that Congress had previously approved. Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, strongly objected to the cuts, especially those targeting public broadcasting and global AIDS relief programs. She even prepared an amendment to protect the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Yet, after hours of deliberation, she refrained from attempting to amend the bill due to concerns that doing so would galvanize conservative Republicans loyal to Trump and threaten the bill’s passage. Instead, she cast a symbolic “no” vote in opposition, but the measure passed and the spending cuts were enacted.
An analysis of Collins’s voting record reveals that she breaks with her party more frequently than any other Republican senator, defying Trump and his allies on a range of issues including healthcare, military aid, tariffs, and foreign policy. In her first two years opposing Trump, her votes often helped block or dilute key parts of his agenda. For instance, she was instrumental in stopping efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and opposing cuts to children’s health programs and military assistance to Saudi Arabia. However, in Trump’s second term, her dissent has been less effective in halting administration priorities, with her votes prevailing only about 15 percent of the time when opposed to the president.
Political observers attribute this shift in part to the increased polarization of the Senate and Trump’s strengthened control over the Republican caucus. Many moderate Republicans like Collins have been displaced or marginalized by more hardline members less inclined to break ranks. Additionally, Senate Republican leaders have adapted their strategies to accommodate Collins’s positions, often making concessions or rallying other senators to secure votes without needing her support.
Collins’s record also includes moments of high-profile conflict with Trump, such as her critical 2017 vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act, her vote to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial, and her opposition to several of his cabinet nominees. Nevertheless, she has generally maintained a tradition of supporting presidential nominees, including many put forward by Trump, arguing that her votes allow her to influence administration policies on behalf of Maine. Her 2018 confirmation vote for Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, who later played a key role in overturning Roe v. Wade, remains a contentious issue in her current re-election campaign.
Collins and her spokesperson emphasize her efforts as Appropriations Committee chair to protect federal funding from Trump’s proposed cuts, citing the rejection of $170 billion in budget reductions and specific wins such as preserving aid for global health programs. Collins has also been outspoken against what she describes as executive overreach, particularly the Trump administration’s attempts to cancel spending unilaterally without congressional approval, which she has called a violation of the Constitution’s “power of the purse.”
As Collins seeks a sixth term in a competitive race that could influence Senate balance, her complex role as a moderate Republican defying Trump’s agenda while rarely blocking it outright continues to shape her political identity and the broader dynamics of Capitol Hill.