Credit: Gage Skidmore
In yet another display of how establishment Republicans prioritize power and politics over their own base, RINO Susan Collins (R-ME) is set to take the reins of one of the most influential committees in Congress.
Reports confirm Collins is poised to become Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, a role that wields unparalleled control over discretionary federal spending.
This news comes on the heels of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s announcement that he will relinquish the chairmanship, paving the way for Collins, who currently serves as vice chair, to step into the position.
The Appropriations Committee oversees billions of taxpayer dollars, deciding how funds are allocated across the federal government. With Collins at the helm, conservatives are raising alarms about what this means for the Republican Party’s commitment—or lack thereof—to fiscal responsibility and its grassroots base.
They hate you. https://t.co/RBh4n3mRhs
— Catturd (@catturd2) November 24, 2024
“As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, my priorities will remain helping Maine’s communities, funding biomedical research to save and improve lives, improving our infrastructure, supporting rural economic development, and helping to strengthen our workforce by supporting education, job training, and child care programs,” Collins said in a statement Friday evening, according to Maine Public.
“In the past three years, as I have become an increasingly senior member of the committee, I have secured more than $1 billion for hundreds of projects throughout Maine,” Collins said.
“I look forward to continuing to work to ensure that federal spending produces real results for the American people and that our state’s needs are met.”
The Senate Appropriations Committee, often called the “power of the purse,” is arguably one of the most critical in Congress. By controlling discretionary spending, its chair holds immense sway over how taxpayer dollars are spent—or wasted.
Collins proudly touts her reputation as a moderate, but for many conservatives, her “bipartisanship” is nothing more than a betrayal.
In 2013, the National Journal rated her voting record as 55% conservative and 45% liberal—a nearly even split that underscores her ideological limbo. By 2017, GovTrack named her the “most moderate” Republican in the Senate, placing her politically to the left of several Democrats.
For a party that has fought tooth and nail to push back against an increasingly radical left, Collins’ penchant for playing both sides feels more like surrender than strategy.
Collins has made a career out of breaking with her party on critical issues. In 2017, she was one of only three Republican senators to oppose a partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a cornerstone of Democratic policy that conservatives have been fighting for years to dismantle.
Her vote effectively kept Obamacare intact, leaving Republicans—and millions of frustrated constituents—empty-handed.
But perhaps her most infamous act of defiance came in 2021, when Collins joined six other Republicans in voting to convict President Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial.
For many conservatives, this was the ultimate betrayal, solidifying her status as a senator more aligned with D.C. cocktail parties than grassroots Republican values.
If Collins’ voting record weren’t enough to raise eyebrows, her consistent support for Democratic initiatives and nominees certainly is. She voted to confirm liberal Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Jackson, and Attorney General Merrick Garland, to name a few.
There were reports suggesting that her opposition, along with that of other RINO senators, may have influenced Gaetz’s decision to withdraw from consideration for the role.
Meanwhile, RINO McConnell will now chair both the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense—roles that could give him significant influence over key legislative priorities.
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