U.S. Senator from Maine Susan Collins was one of just two Republicans to join Democrats on Thursday in voting against President Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.
The Senate voted 51 to 49 to advance Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Department of Defense, with Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Collins siding with all 47 Democrats in attempting to block his nomination.
Thursday’s vote sets up a final confirmation vote for Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor and Army combat veteran, whose nomination generated a flurry of negative media attention after news reports containing allegations of alcohol abuse, sexual assault and financial mismanagement of veterans’ advocacy organizations that he led.
Hegseth has also faced criticism for his prior statements expressing his opposition to women serving in combat roles — part of his broader view that the Pentagon’s diversity programs have lowered standards.
Sen. Collins issued a statement Thursday afternoon announcing her decision to vote against Hegseth, saying that she believes the Princeton and Harvard-educated veteran lacks the “experience and perspective necessary” to succeed as Secretary of Defense.
Hegseth served as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard from 2003 to 2014, and again from 2019 to 2021, attaining the rank of Major and serving in deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
“While I appreciate his courageous military service and his ongoing commitment to our servicemembers and their families, I am concerned that he does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job,” Collins wrote in a post to X.
Collins highlighted the “tremendous pressure” the U.S. military is facing on the global stage, with ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Europe, the threat of China in the Pacific and “sever financial challenges” brought on by what she said was ineffective leadership by the Biden administration.
“The next Secretary of Defense will be responsible for managing a massive bureaucracy that includes nearly three million employees and a budget of nearly $850 billion,” Collins wrote. “In addition, our next Secretary faces long-standing procurement and supply issues that continued to worsen under the Biden Administration.”
Collins previously applauded Biden’s Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for overturning the ban on transgender people serving in the military, a prohibition put in place by Trump during his first term and reinstated by the president in an executive order signed on Monday.
“In sum, the Secretary is going to be facing a number of incredibly complex problems that are going to require highly skilled management ability,” she continued. “I am concerned that Mr. Hegseth does not have the management experience and background that he will need in order to tackle these difficulties. His limited managerial experience involved running two small non-profit organizations that had decidedly mixed results.”
Additionally, Collins pointed to Hegseth’s prior statements about women serving in combat roles as another reason behind her opposition to his nomination.
Hegseth has since clarified those remarks, explaining that he only opposes the lowering of standard for women in combat to levels that are different from those for men.
While the two had a meeting in December regarding those statements, Collins said that she is “not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed.”
“Women comprise nearly 18 percent of our active-duty military. They continue to make critical and valuable contributions to our national defense. I have long advocated that women who wish to serve in and can meet the rigorous standards of combat roles should be able to do so. And numerous women have proved that they can accomplish this difficult feat,” Collins wrote.
“Currently, thousands of women are serving in combat roles and many others serve in non-combat functions. Their service is essential to the success of our military,” she added.
Collins also touched on a topic that came up during Hegseth’s hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week regarding torture and rules of engagement in combat.
Maine Sen. Angus King (I), who eventually voted against Hegseth’s nomination himself, questioned Hegseth on his prior statements that the U.S. military should “fight to win,” asking if the nominee believes the U.S. should not adhere to the humanitarian provisions of the Geneva Conventions.
WATCH:
“Mr. Hegseth also appears to lack a sufficient appreciation for some of the policies that the military is required to follow because they are codified in the laws of the United States of America,” Collins said of Trump’s nominee.
“While I understand his points on the importance of up-to-date and workable rules of engagement, our prohibitions against torture come from American laws and treaties ratified by the United States, including the Geneva Conventions,” she wrote.
Primary time Sue, you missed the point of the election.
I will vote for anyone who challenges her
Susie old girl you’ve finally done it !
You will NEVER be elected to office here in Maine again.
We don’t care how many votes you did or did not cast during your time in Washington .
You have VOTED THE WRONG WAY for the last time .
Maine Voters will make sure you are defeated next time you run .
You are done .
Bye Bye
I wish now that I had voted for Sara Gideon .
Collins is a giant disappointment who will never get my vote again .
You and Murcowski are real assholes .
YOU WILL NEVER BE ELECTED HERE IN MAINE AGAIN YOU TRAITOR A!
Susan Collins is a gigantic c$@t. The biggest pile of sh:; this state ever produced.
Susan Collins you “ Republican “ In Name Only .
NOBODY but the democrats will miss you when you are gone .
But THEY can’t really trust you and neither can we .
And effective TODAY you are gone .
Like Jerry said : BYE BYE !
My next Bumper Sticker
.ANYBODY BUT COLLINS
Order Yours Today
So the Pentagon can start to buy its ships from SanDiego , Norfolk , and a Half Dozen other naval shipyards .
You voters from B.I.W. had better get that idiot Susan Collins on the phone ..
Hegseth and Trump are NOT the people that the people in Bath Maine want to be screwing with .
Collins is EVIDENTLY too stupid to know that !
But she voted for fat men in dresses, men in pup masks & all of Biden’s freak show after saying Presidents deserve wide latitude in nominations.
Sue , we are going to be at war with in a few months. actions like yours are pushing there, Did the last sec of war tell Biden the president when he went under the knife==no and he was not drunk. what did you say about that, nothing. I had hoped you were better than the Independent–ak.
Will some Mainer’s step forward who can do what is best for us. To Bath and Kittery– good by contracts for ship work.
To all of you who say that you would vote for anyone who challenges Senator Collins, please consider this:
If we primary her, the Dems will win in 2026 100%. No one can tell me that any other Republican can beat a Dem in a statewide election. I disagree with Senator Collins on a good amount of issues, but challenging her in a primary will almost certainly be a loss of a Republican vote in the US Senate.
If you really want to push Trump’s agenda, do not primary Senator Collins!!! A Dem will beat whoever our candidate is almost surely. If a Dem wins our state in 2026 because we primaries her, I hope those who voted for her opponent remember their vote when Trump’s agenda (in the areas that Susan does support) don’t get passed as easily.
Please don’t take this as me supporting her liberal social views. I just like keeping a solid Republican Majority. As hard as it may be to vote for a RINO, it’s better her than Shenna Bellows as our senator.
I wrote to Sue C again to vote yes. She needs to hear from us Pete supporters.
Another weak-kneed republican with no spine or testicular fortitude. I guess we know who wears the pants in his house. Johnny boy do you really think this bitch is going to support Trump’s legislation. What a f’n moron.
I just started 3 weeks ago this web income system that my friend recommended to me and I’ve gotten 2 checks for a total of $9,200… this is the best decision I made in a long time! This extra cash has changed my life in so many ways, thank you!
Here is I started_______ Rebrand.ly/homejobs25?/01
This RINO voted for every one of biden’s nominees. Every single one of them she has done more to damage Trump’s agenda than to delay or stop Biden’s insanity. She has to go! The problem is that it will take 10s of millions of $$ to primary her. Then more 10s of millions to defeat the declared dem. And let’s face it. With Collins running our choice is between two dems.
Collins should reserve her room in the old folks home, this will be her last term as senator. The hair dye has poisoned her brain.
She draws the line at Pete Hegseth yet she voted for disgusting Genital Rachel Levine, give me a break. I dont care how many committees shes on or her “perfect” voting record, she obviously does not comprehend that MAGA owns the Republican party now. The past your prime rino with health issues (dare I say parkinsons) needs to retire now because its only downhill from here. Robert, I:ll take 2 bumper stickers.
All I can say is I’m surely relieved that there is only two Susan Collins in the Senate. Primary the two-faced liar out of office. MAGA, BABY, MAGA
She has made her millions, time to go. She along with every other person in Congress has no moral authority to question anyone’s morals.
Can’t wait for the next election
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. We need to find her replacement now. Look at the potentials and find the needle in the hay. Would Demitroula ” Demi” Kouzounas be a good choice? How about Mike Soboleski or Austin Theriault try again? One last person I can think of is Jonathan Connor(R) who was defeated by HAND COUNT by a mere 112 votes for Lewiston Mayor. He’d be a strong contender.
Totally no surprise from Collins and I expect the same on the RFK, Jr. nomination. She should prepare her tombstone to read, “After careful consideration…” which really means I will do whatever the f**k I want despite what my constituents think.
spoken as a true demorat!
Hopefully we won’t see Susan’s name on another ballot in Maine. A huge disappointment to republicans in this state,
Maine has been the most ineffectual state in the nation. Angus and Susan wow! Two losers! C’mon man
That’s the last straw for Collins!
If we’re going to get someone who always votes against Republicans, we might as well elect a Democrat!
At least we know they hate America!
Collins pretends to care, then votes with those she spends all her time arse-kissing!
She must be removed from ALL committee positions immediately, before she further undermines the winning side’s momentum and policies!
Collins is a traitor to Country and Party.
Her career ends in 2026, same as Toad Mills!
Coincidence? NOT LIKELY!
Somebody needs to ask Two Term Suzy how much experience Bill Cohen had when Slick Willy put him in as Secretary of Defense. Trump is going to clean out the skeletons in Cohen’s closet. Suzy can’t go against her mentor.
This vote by Collins is pure political pandering in anticipation of the 2026 election. I am willing to wager that she worked this out with Thune so that she could tell the Democrat voters (the majority by a lot) in Maine that she is a principled, bipartisan voice in the Senate. That plus her seniority and committee assignments makes her the best choice for Maine. No other Republican can win here. If she fails to win reelection the state will have two powerless Democrats in the Senate. I don’t like Collins either but she is our best hope for having a Republican senator.
Yet this RINO bitch voted for EVERY one of FJBs freakshow.
Sue is not listening to the voice of the people because she thinks she knows better…. well, well, well,…. you’ve lost touch , time to retire and move on… maybe there’s a beach somewhere that Biden could suggest….
sandy
12 hours ago
I wrote to Sue C again to vote yes. She needs to hear from us Pete supporters.
I’ve been writing and E-mailing this BITCH for months. NEVER got a reply, but I get a “oh look what I’ve done and how great I am” E-mail like clockwork.
ABC Anybody But Collins.
Should have voted of the Pixie, Commie, Slime ball last time. At least she has the guts to stab me in the front and smile while doing it.
When Susan Collins entered the Senate, after promising to serve for only two terms, the national debt was 5.4 billion dollars. It’s now over 36 trillion. She’s in no position to question the anyone’s ability to manage a large organization. As an unaffiliated voter, if Susan Collins is the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2026, not only will I not vote for her, I won’t vote for any Republican candidate for any office in the State. Not local. Not State. Not Federal.
Collins has always been a friend of the Deep State. She and Agnes Thing should get married.
You just screwed up. I WILL NEVER VOTE FOR YOU AGAIN!!!!!!!
Maine, vote her out!!!
For the people who think there worse things than a rino consider this. What if a moderate independent were to run for Collins seat, say like king did. Someone who says things that appeal to the majority. Then once in make a hard turn to one party, like king did. So don’t be afraid to vote her out
I would vote for Billy Bob Faulkingham for her position in a heartbeat. He has name recognition and the ability to do the job. Susan Collins, is no friend of Republicans.
Old skank ready for the glue factory.
NOMINATE
Robert B. Charles …..Wayne Maine
See an earlier article here on The Maine Wire
HE WOULD BE EXCELLENT FOR MAINE REPUBLICANS
So tired of that worthless clown. She should just switch parties and get it over with. She had no problem voting for all of Biden’s disgraceful clowns
PRIMARY, BYE BYE!
Then I am a “NO” on Collins in the next primary. You voted for Garland and Austin but you couldn’t bring yourself to vote for Hegseth? Completely done with you. You must know this has just ended your career in Maine.
Check out the Lithium Battery plant fire in Monterey County, Ca.
And Janit wants battery storage plants in Maine.
Hydrogen fluoride gas is produced, the stuff that edges glass.
And she does not want my hot water heater, Janit go home.
Susan Commie Collin’s is a transvestite lover. She hates masculine men. Collin’s also fears the militant white females that threaten to chop off her head. She will likely back Pence and big pharma lobbyists in blocking RFK jr.
What good is having a Republican in office when they consistently vote with Democrats?
The MAINE GOP needs to get started on selecting a candidate that will represent the people of Maine and who listens to what WE want. They work for us and need to be familiar with our concerns. No more RINO’s!!!
she needs to be primaried and even if she makes it on the ballot there is no way I will vote for ever again. Maine GOP needs to get off its ass and start fighting instead of getting long with these DemocRATS like Collins. She had zero issue voting in ALL Bidens cabinet.
NOT ONE DEMOCRAT VOTED AGAINST BIDEN’S PICKS.
Pete Hegseth said he wants to rebuild the Navy, bring its number of ships back to over 300, where do the best shipbuilders in the world works? Yes, Bath Iron Works, Collins just voted against her own state, her own workers! Remember Rep. Tom Andrew’s? He voted to close Loring Air Force base, never got elected again!! Goodbye Susan!
Who exactly do you work for Sen Collins, because you damn sure don’t work for MAINERS. You voted no against the best Sec of Defense we could possibly ask for, but guess what? He is NOW our Sec of Defense! Do Maine a favor, LEAVE and take Mills Pingree King Bellows all with you. You bunch of pompous idiots.
After careful consideration, I have decided to vote against Susan Collins. While I appreciate her service, I am concerned that she does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job.