Rising costs are devastating Mainers.
Why won’t Susan Collins stand up for us?
Right now, Mainers are facing a cost-of-living crisis manufactured in Washington.
Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration finalized the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB), a law that funds enormous tax breaks for the wealthy by cutting funding that directly reduces costs for health care, food, and energy that Americans rely on.
President Donald Trump signed this legislation into law, but he didn’t act alone. Republicans in Congress pushed this budget through, and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)—the leader of the Senate Appropriations Committee—paved the way for this bill to pass. The result is a disaster for Maine families: historic cuts to MaineCare, rural Maine health clinics stopping primary care services, slashed food assistance, and rising electricity prices.
The high cost of the congressional Republican budget
Sen. Collins paved the way for the congressional Republican budget that is already hurting communities across Maine:
GROCERY COSTS ARE UP
Congress has failed to stop Trump’s tariffs, and the BBB cut funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), putting 10,000 Mainers at immediate risk of losing some SNAP benefits, including parents with children, veterans, homeless people, and foster care kids.
HEALTH CARE IN CRISIS
Medicaid cuts are already shutting down hospitals and clinics across the United States. Five rural hospitals in Maine were at risk of closure before the latest cuts, and other rural clinics have stopped primary care. This crisis will only accelerate thanks to the passage of the BBB. Congress also failed to extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits, increasing 2026 premium costs for Mainers with marketplace coverage. A 55-year-old who earns nearly $63,000 this year will see their annual premium costs increase by at least $6,030, on average.
SOARING ENERGY BILLS
The repeal of energy tax credits is driving up electricity bills, and Mainers making their homes more weather-proof have had their tax breaks worth $1,200 ripped away, while the Trump administration has proposed eliminating the heating assistance (known as LIHEAP) that keeps many Maine seniors warm in the winter.
HOLD Sen. Collins accountable
Sen. Susan Collins is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. This is one of the most powerful positions in Congress, giving her jurisdiction over all discretionary spending for the federal government.
Sen. Collins bears responsibility for this crisis, helping ensure that these cuts were even considered by the Senate and voting with Trump 96 percent of the time.
As chair of the Appropriations Committee, she has the power to fix this in the upcoming government funding bill. She must stop these cost hikes from devastating Maine families.
SPREAD THE WORD TO OTHER MAINERS
Paid for by the Center for American Progress Action Fund
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Header photo: Derivative of Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0