Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) criticized President Donald Trump’s newly released budget proposal on Friday evening, signaling his agenda faces an uphill battle in the upper chamber.
“While there are some improvements over last year’s domestic discretionary budget request,” Collins wrote in a statement to X, “the request has several shortcomings.”
The Office of Management and Budget’s $2.2 trillion proposal for fiscal 2027, released Friday morning, nearly doubles the defense budget, while cutting some domestic spending.
As the Senate Appropriations Committee Chair, gaining Collins’ support will be crucial for the White House, as Republicans hold only a narrow majority in the upper chamber, making passage of more partisan legislation difficult without all GOP members on board. But the Maine senator, a moderate lawmaker known to buck Trump at times, reiterated this week that she is scrutinizing the budget request for reforms, noting that “while the Administration proposes a budget, Congress holds the power of the purse.”
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Collins expressed unease that the proposal’s defense provisions don’t include enough of a boost to the U.S. Navy, leaving it “insufficient to counter the ever-growing Chinese fleet, which now exceeds the size of the American Navy.” She also criticized proposed cuts to the Justice Department’s Job Corps program, which the administration said would save $1.6 billion, calling that and other domestic initiatives on the chopping block “proven programs that I strongly support.”
“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,” Collins said.
Democrats have already thrown their weight against the budget proposal, arguing it favors funding “costly foreign wars,” as Washington’s military operation against Iran stretches into its fifth week.
“Donald Trump might be happy to spend more money on bombs in the Middle East than on families here in America—but I am not. The only responsible thing to do with a budget this morally bankrupt is to toss it in the trash,” vice chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), said.
Collins urged disgruntled Democrats to work with Republicans.
“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,” she said.
