Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease that exacts a tremendous personal and economic toll on the individual, the family and our society. There is no more helpless feeling than to watch the progression of this devastating disease. It is equally painful to witness the emotional and physical damage inflicted on family caregivers, exhausted by an endless […]
susan collins
Collins, King split on vote to restrict Senate filibusters
WASHINGTON — Maine’s U.S. Senators split on a Democratic effort to weaken filibusters and make it harder for Republicans to block confirmation of the president’s nominees for judges and other top posts. Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins voted against the restriction while the independent U.S. Sen. Angus King voted for it. It passed 52-48 — […]
Gay rights legislation gains bipartisan support
WASHINGTON (AP) — Gay rights advocates from both parties are newly upbeat about the prospects for Senate passage of legislation that would bar employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The outlook for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act reflects the nation’s growing tolerance of homosexuality and the GOP’s political […]
Collins: ‘I love it that the women of the Senate led the way out of this impasse’
“My staff, too, had been furloughed,” she said at a press conference held at Husson University on Thursday, the day the 16-day government shutdown ended. “I started writing a plan that could move us forward. I marched down to the Senate Floor where I challenged my colleagues to work together. “Shortly after my speech, my phone […]
‘Susan Collins is a gang of one’
WASHINGTON — Earlier this month, Sen. Susan Collins, dispirited, sat watching her colleagues on the Senate floor stake out opposing positions over funding the government. She decided she’d had enough. “Each side was lobbing partisan grenades at the other side, despite the fact that we had a really serious problem confronting us,” the Maine Repuiblican […]
Steve Abbott leaving UMaine to rejoin Sen. Collins’ staff
ORONO — Steve Abbott this week will announce his departure from the University of Maine, where he serves as athletic director, to rejoin the staff of Sen. Susan Collins. Abbott, who in June agreed to remain in that position through December, is expected to announce this week that he is rejoining Collins’ staff and will leave […]
Collins criticizes how Obama is handling Syrian crisis
WATERVILLE — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, says President Barack Obama has put the country into a “no-win situation” by issuing an ultimatum to Syrian President Bashar Assad without fully considering the consequences. The Maine Republican said at an appearance in Waterville on Tuesday that she is pleased that Obama has sought congressional approval for […]
Sen. Susan Collins outlines ideas to reduce government waste
PORTLAND — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, outlined steps she believes could help the federal government make progress toward resolving its budget crisis during a Thursday morning address before the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce. Among those steps, according to a transcript of her prepared remarks provided to the BDN by the senator’s office, are […]
U.S. Sen. Collins honors Lewiston Fire Department
The Republican senator from Maine recently visited the department to present Chief Paul LeClair with a copy of the statement she read in Congress commending the firefighters. She also gave the department a flag that had flown above the U.S. Capitol. Three major fires in one week in Lewiston in May destroyed nine apartment buildings, […]
Collins the only Republican supporting $54 billion transportation bill
WASHINGTON — Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was the only Senate Republican who voted for a $54 billion measure for transportation, housing and community development grants Thursday. The Senate Republicans killed it because it exceeded the spending limits required under automatic budget cuts that are the product of Washington’s failure to deal with its fiscal problems. […]