Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, suggested during a recent interview with Politico that President Donald Trump’s efforts to cut wasteful spending with the help of Elon Musk could violate the Constitution.
[RELATED: A Tale of Two Senators: Collins and King on Trump Nominees…]
Sen. Collins said during the interview, released on Wednesday, that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) headed by Musk and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) are violating the constitutionally mandated separation of powers by trying to cut spending already approved by Congress.
“I think it’s pretty clear that this violates Article One of the Constitution,” said Collins.
She warned that the Trump Administration, already facing various legal troubles for a variety of executive actions, including attempts to end birthright citizenship for illegal aliens, could face additional lawsuits for attempted spending cuts.
“A lot of these issues are going to end up in court,” said Collins.
She argued that President Trump’s executive actions to cut federal spending violate the Budget Control and Impoundment Act of 1974, which gives Congress the authority to ignore presidential requests to stop funding for federal programs.
According to Politico, OMB Director Russ Vought has argued that the act is unconstitutional and that congressional approval is not required for the president to halt federal spending programs.
As Congress considers how to pass a spending bill before the March 14 funding deadline, Maine’s senior senator complained to the outlet that Musk has not met with her despite her powerful position in Appropriations.
Collins has been critical in the past of Trump and many aspects of his agenda, voted to impeach him in 2021 and is widely considered a moderate Republican willing to cross the aisle and vote with Democrats on various issues.
She was considered a potentially vital swing vote in Trump’s most controversial cabinet appointments’ confirmation hearings. She ultimately opposed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, while supporting Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
On Thursday, she also announced she would not support Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel to be director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), disappointing many who have sought reform of a bureau seen as pursuing politicized investigations. In a statement Collins couched her decision as motivated by the Department of Justice’s recent decisions she termed also partisan, albeit in a different direction, than the DOJ had been seen as slanting over the past eight years.
“The nomination of Kash Patel to serve as Director of the FBI comes to the Senate against the backdrop of recent personnel actions at the Department of Justice, including the resignations of several career federal prosecutors who felt they were being instructed to act in a manner inconsistent with their ethical obligations,” she said, referencing the Department’s recent orders to drop the prosecution of New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
To confirm Patel, the White House can afford only three Republican defections.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="35668 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=35668">51 Comments
Collins has nailed her own career coffin closed. She’s done!
If 2D is going to have a Senator who votes with Socialist Democrats, we might as well have a Democrat in the seat. At least we all know they will vote against America!
If ANYONE primary’s Collins, they have my vote!
Pitty the Maine GOP is run but eunuchs and cowards!
I just contacted her office to let her know I would no longer support her. I’m sure it went straight to trash, right besides her ethics.
Fuck You Susan Collins .
As soon as I can get the road dirt and calcium off my car my bumper sticker is going on
I learned about it right HERE on the Maine Wire .
ANYBODY BUT SUSAN COLLINS
Susan Collins is a traitor to the voters of Maine .
She will NEVER be elected here again .
But a supreme court justice that can’t define women is acceptable.
She needs to be primaried!!! She has been absolutely useless for many years now. Her start was not great when she lied about limiting her terms. She is just like every politician a liar deep down and out for themselves.
Susan has no leg to stand on as she has made herself and her criminal conspirators wealthy with no regard for the constitution. she has much to explain why she has failed as a us senator and broke her oath to protect the constitution.
Susie must have realized she won’t survive another term. Good riddance. She will go out like the old Mitch’s (Romney and Mcconnell)… bitter dinosaurs.
F.U. RINO BITCH. She needs to be primaried but not by the current clown show of reDUMBlicans in Agusta. Remember Collins was the 1st to suggest that the Biden/Pelosi budget continuing resolution so the gravy train can continue.
I am so sorry that our 4 “leaders” in DC permitted the murder of four incent people, including 2 children, Under the leader ship of Joe Bidden. This a bigger issue than
than Trump “not following” the Constitution Sue.
Dear Senator you are so far off base.
Quit now in protest if you have the balls before you are voted out in disgrace Senator
Two babies in locked coffins and you stoody by.
and your only idea is to take it out on Kash Patel !
You are truly an ass.
Dear Sue , If you and the others members of the House and Senate had done their jobs
We woud not be in this mess. So move over and shut-up!
Collins, who chairs the Appropriations Committee is probably going to wish she wasn’t when the Trump Team ridicules her selections for funding. Good bye Susan, you’re fired.
Susan Collins is perhaps the benign looking WAR PIG who ever lived.
Her reputation is beyond repair, and if she chooses to run, and the Maine Republican party backs her, that seat flips Dem
I look forward to Susan Collins being audited.
I wish Susan Collins would take Lisa Murkowski for a boat ride and strike a big rock two miles out .
We don’t need either of them in our party .
Bye Susie …..there isn’t a single Republican in Maine who will vote for you in 2026 .
YOU are all done .
Maybe you can go find a waitress job in Canada .
Susie sure can’t read a room. Doesn’t like cuts, opposes FBI change, yet strangely can’t seem to acknowledge how much of our money she has helped squander. There is no way she didn’t know about A LOT of what Doge is finding. We gotta primary her out folks. FYI, she voted for EVERY one of Biden’s nut job nominees. Yet somehow Kash and Pete are worse? We’re done with you Collins.
Does she listen to herself?
I’m in a powerful position but Elon still hasn’t met with me.
She sounds like Zelenskey.
Of course she’s been over there to hold hands with the little dictator on more than one occasion.
She’s one of the swampers who doesn’t want spending cuts and wants to continue the money laundering through Ukraine.
In your face collins.
She knows she’s lost the republican vote so she’s going full retard to attract the dem voters. Trying to save her skin, good luck with that, most dems dislike you.
Well Collins got her 5 minutes of fame she loves so much, and she’s not in favor of cutting fraud , humm what’s with that ?
So this is what happened. Sue sees there are enough votes to confirm kash. Sue deducts that since it doesn’t matter how she votes she’ll vote with the group that she believes can elect her next cycle. Self centered, selfish and only looking out for her own interests. Problem her master plan is that she can no longer count on any republican votes, this is assuming she can survive the governmental corruption investigation.
Collins is one reason why I am no longer a Republican…
Trump, doing the job Collins and the rest refused to do. He has done more for the American taxpayer in 3 weeks than Collins has done her entire career. Please find out how she and all the rest became so wealthy, for producing absolutely zero.
Of course Collins is silent about all the waste fraud,and out right steeling of tax payers $. All this Shrew is concerned about is continuing to fund this totally out of control corrupt federal government. Her TDS has compromised any rational thinking on her part
Alright EVERYONE. Gather around. YOU TOO MAINE WIRE. We NEED Collins replaced. She needs to be PRIMARIED from her “two terms” once and for all. Anyone “but Collins” won’t work. You want Maine BACK? We NEED to rally around ONE STRONG CONSERVATIVE. Who’s it gonna be? We need that rally now. We need to start that conversation NOW…
KING IS NEXT.
Cheech
Collins has been a perennial two-face forever. All this time she has done her ad nauseum version of Camille and trying to convince herself she is so nice. Congrats to the de facto old maid-you are being primaried. Why on earth did we wait this long?
Isn’t she having fun!
She knows that Maine Republicans will cave at the last minute before the next election when they realize that the only alternative is a Democrat.
Susan Hussein Rodham Collins is a tool and beneficiary of the DC Kleptocracy !
I apologize; I couldn’t get passed “interview with Politico” ….Operation Mockingbird paper.
She is laughing all the way to the bank, the heck with those pesky voters.
Bobby Charles is the Gentleman to primary and replace Collins , He is actually ( unlike Collins ) competent and Qualified to hold the position , he has public and private sector accomplishments and he is a Trump Man …. Demi “The Koon ASS” is a Mittens Romney – Rhona Mcdaniels Rump Swab …..
It’s clear to me that after receiving her responses to my emails supporting the confirmation of The Trump cabinet nominations, that Susan Collins lacks the mental faculties needed to continue as a Senator. She was completely out of touch with the real issues. She really needs to join Mitch.
Why wouldn’t she support Kash? Because I’ll bet she has hand in cookie jar. How much has this woman gained in worth since becoming a senator?
Susan commie Collins supports men in women’s locker rooms and bathrooms. This androgynous looking woman and her androgynous looking friend in Alaska are huuuge transvestite lovers.
Transvestites are infidels.
Mainers had better be damned sure they chose a person with a realistic chance of beating her in the Primary. She is going to be loaded with Swamp Money and will inundate the media with her image. Name recognition is vitally important in elections and she has that advantage big time. Her primary opponent will not be able to out raise her because she is affixed to the Washington Swamp spigot. There probably will be more than one primary opponent which will split the conservative vote. The Maine media will be all for the Democrat and will have Collins in 2nd place. The Maine media will give almost zero coverage to a R primary opponent. Unless a superstar emerges, I think Maine and the United States is literally stuck with her.
Perhaps Elon Musk should investigate Susan Collin’s finances….
Billy Bob Faulkingham has the name recognition and dedication of a true conservative. He can beat this old bat in the next election if he would only try.
Susan the Swamp Creature. Wait until GD-BIW gets audited. She will be out there protesting.
I guess it’s past time to make yourself look good Sue Collins… We know all about your RINO ways… shaking my head… sad sad sad.
Susan Collins loves to sit on the fence with her wet finger waving in the breeze. She’s in a tough place now, but she tells herself that she’s really a republican. Well, she’s not really that either! Dems also vote for her otherwise she wouldn’t keep getting elected. Unless the people of Maine radically change how they think she’ll remain the politician dems love to hate and the politician republicans hate to support. Wake up, people; we’re being played by electing someone who reflects exactly who we are. Government is not your friend…Can’t you see that yet? It’s crystal-clear!
To bad Collins voted for RFK, Jr. She likely did so because billionaire Nicole Shanahan promised to primary anyone who did not vote for him. She needs to be ousted. She’s really a Dumbocrap RINO.
Contact the Maine Republican committee and demand they stop funding Susan Collins, and kick her out of the party or they won’t raise another cent from their constituents in Maine.
Sen. Go away your a big reason why this country is in the crapper
For Susan to make this statement means she does not understand the law or the constitution. Anyone who runs for public office should have to take a comprehensive test. I don’t think she would pass.
Time to go suziQ
Time to primary old Sue.
Also need to repeal transgender sanctuary for minors in Maine, and late term abortions.
When election time comes around we’ll be asked to hold our nose again and vote for the least of two evils AGAIN!!!!!
Not me. No more.
Collins is a Traitor! The American people will vote you out of office!
Collins you are being fired by the American people! You are aware of the Taxpayers money that was stolen, and you are involved! Collins is a traitor!!!