WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued a measured but pointed response to the president’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget request, warning that several proposed funding cuts could have significant consequences for national security programs and key services relied upon by Maine residents.
In her statement, Collins emphasized that the president’s proposal marks the beginning, not the end, of the federal budgeting process, underscoring Congress’s constitutional authority to ultimately determine federal spending priorities.
“The President’s Budget Request is just that, a request,” Collins said, noting that the administration has proposed a significant increase in defense funding after years of what she characterized as underfunding. However, she raised concerns about the proposal to fund construction of only one DDG-51 destroyer, describing the vessel as the “workhorse” of the U.S. Navy.
Collins argued that funding a single destroyer would be insufficient to address the rapid expansion of China’s naval fleet, which she noted now exceeds the size of the American Navy, along with other global security threats.
While acknowledging some improvements compared to last year’s domestic discretionary budget proposal, including full support for the Pell Grant program, Collins warned that several proposed cuts could affect programs widely used across Maine and other rural states.
Among the programs she highlighted were reductions in biomedical research funding and the proposed elimination of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides financial support to low-income households and seniors struggling to pay heating and cooling bills. The proposal would also phase out TRIO, a long-standing program that supports low-income and first-generation college students, and Job Corps, which provides workforce training and education for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“These are proven programs that I strongly support,” Collins said, emphasizing the longstanding role those initiatives play in supporting education and workforce development.
Collins also warned about proposed cuts to the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which subsidizes air travel routes serving rural communities. The program has historically been critical to maintaining commercial air access in smaller regions, including parts of Maine.
She noted that similar cuts were proposed last year but were ultimately rejected by Congress after review.
“After careful review, Congress decisively rejected these particular cuts last year,” Collins said.
Looking ahead, Collins said the Senate Appropriations Committee will begin a series of hearings with cabinet members and agency leaders to examine the administration’s recommendations and consider alternative spending proposals.
“While the Administration proposes a budget, Congress holds the power of the purse,” Collins said. “The Senate Appropriations Committee will now hold hearings with cabinet members and agency heads to review these recommendations and to explore other fiscally responsible proposals.”
She also urged bipartisan cooperation during the upcoming budget cycle, calling on lawmakers to avoid tactics she said had slowed or disrupted the appropriations process in the past year.
“I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, who too often worked over the last year to impede the appropriations process and shut down federal agencies, will abandon their harmful tactics and work with us to govern responsibly,” Collins said.
