Posted on 11/24/2024 3:38:26 PM PST by Kazan
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.
“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.
May tenure be shorter than [fill in the blank].
She is a waste of a seat
Might as well just turn it over to Kamalala Harriz-Walzee. The DNC’s rising coconut.
💯.
I hope she only serves one hour.
She’s one the big reasons Maine is now a dump
Way too much conspiracy talk about this stuff.
The senior member of the majority is chairman of a committee, unless that senior member chooses to step down. In which case the next most senior takes chair of it.
This is not some special designation by Thune. It is automatic. Assigned to a committee? Member of the majority? Senior? The was assigned there for years.
Then chairman.
She cross the aisles so often she bought a second home there.
It’s going to take ground work by now-experts like Scott Presler and Charlie Kirk, backed by resources from Elon Musk and other freedom-loving Americans, to break the back of this perverse and corrupt Congressional cycle.
They need to pivot straight from 2024 to 2026 midterms.
And we need to develop a “farm team network” to identify and nurture rising stars who will become known via X and alternative media and can win congressional elections on the MAGA ticket.
The fact that she is Chairman may actually help in some ways. She will want to get things done, which means she will need to cut deals with Trump. I know we all hate deals and want everything how we want it, but that’s life. (Trump “okay, I’ll approve that highway project in Maine, but you need to approve my judges and Cabinet”)
For a party that hates unions they sure to operate like one
We need to find the MAGA primary candidate against Collins and get them campaigning NOW! She needs the fear of God put into her that she is facing a steep uphill climb for 2026. It may force her to stay in line with Trump.
What bothers me is that it sounds like she’s seeing and using the federal government as Maine’s personal bank account to be used to get favors for Mainers so she can get re-elected.
If Santa Claus dies, Susan Collins will be happy to load & drive his sled.
Ho-Ho-Ho, there goes your dough!
Forgive me Lord but sometimes I wish some people would just retire the ‘hard’ way.
How did she get the position? Is it seniority or is it voted on by other Congress members?
I was so hoping an American would get that job. Foiled again!
With republicans like this who needs enemies? The establishment GOP is going to do the work for the democrats, they can just sit back and laugh at Trump.
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