Maine Democratic Party

04/23/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/23/2026 09:25

MDP Statement: Susan Collins Backs GOP Plan to Fund ICE

Augusta, Maine - Today, Susan Collins cast a deciding vote to advance Republicans' Department of Homeland Security funding bill, backing more money for ICE without any reforms.

Maine Democratic Party spokesperson Kristi Johnston released the following statement:

"Susan Collins is leading the charge to pass more funding for ICE without any additional reforms or accountability. At a time when Mainers want transparency and oversight, Collins is doing what she always does - siding with Donald Trump and rubber-stamping the extreme GOP agenda."

Reminder:

Susan Collins is advancing ICE funding without reforms or guardrails while downplaying its impact.

  • News Center Maine: "Amid the controversy, Collins is staying course to steer the $64 billion DHS bill - and five remaining annual appropriations bills - through the Senate by a Jan. 30 deadline."
  • Collins is also actively pushing a DHS funding bill while downplaying its impact. Just yesterday, Collins claimed "less than 20%" of the package's funding goes to ICE. According to analysis from News Center Maine, the truth is, federal immigration enforcement could receive up to 43% of the bill's funding without any additional reforms or accountability.

Susan Collins lied about previously opposing ICE funding.

  • After weeks of refusing to hold the Trump administration accountable as ICE spreads fear in Maine communities, Susan Collins falsely claimed she opposed funding for ICE. In reality, Collins was a "key" "pivotal vote" to advancing the OBBB bill.
    • "The funding that is supporting the current ICE operations, and to which the protestors in Portland were objecting, mostly comes from the Big, Beautiful Bill, which I voted against," she said.

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Maine Democratic Party published this content on April 23, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 23, 2026 at 15:25 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]