Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Friday that she continues to talk with colleagues about ways to end the more than three-week-old government shutdown. But she also blames Democrats for the political impasse.
Collins said she agrees with Democrats that Congress should act quickly to extend subsidies that help millions of Americans purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. But she said there are disagreements between Democrats and Republicans — as well as within the Democratic caucus — over whether to reimpose income caps on subsidies that were lifted during the pandemic.
"Let's bring their (Democrats') version to the floor, let's bring our version to the floor," Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Commttee, said in an interview. "But first, we need to reopen government because the ACA issues are complex. But they do need to be dealt with promptly."
Republicans and Democrats continue to point fingers about who is to blame for the shutdown that began on Oct. 1. Democrats have made extending the ACA subsidies a key part of any deal to reopen government. Republicans, meanwhile, have been insisting that Democrats agree to a continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government before dealing with the subsidies.
Without congressional action, many Mainers who purchase insurance through the state's ACA marketplace will likely see their premiums increase significantly when the enrollment period opens on Nov. 1. While the tax credits don't expire until January, the premiums that people will see when during the enrollment process will not include any subsidies.
More than 50,000 Maine residents receive coverage through the marketplaces.
Maine's delegation remains divided over the shutdown. U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, has voted with Collins and other Republicans on multiple occasions to pass a continuing resolution and the shutdown. King has said that he fears the shutdown is only emboldening and giving President Donald Trump additional powers at a time when he sees the country sliding toward "authoritarianism" under Trump.
U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, who represents Maine's 2nd Congressional District, was the only Democrat to vote with House Republicans last month to pass the "clean" stopgap budget bill. Like King, Golden views the shutdown as giving more power to Trump. He is also an original co-sponsor of a bill to extend the ACA subsidies through 2026.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat who represents Maine's 1st Congressional District, voted with all of her Democratic colleagues against the Republican bill. Pingree has joined other Democrats of accusing Republicans refusing to negotiate.
More than 1 million federal workers nationwide did not receive a paycheck this week as a result of the shutdown. Maine has an estimated 11,000 federal employees, including thousands at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard who are required to continue working but are not receiving paychecks.
Collins, whose 2026 reelection campaign is expected to be one of the most closely watched in the country, said she supports paying all furloughed federal workers as the federal government shutdown heads into its fourth week. The Senate failed to advance a Republican-sponsored bill on Thursday to pay the military and other federal employees who are still working. Collins said she had hoped to offer an amendment to that bill to pay all furloughed federal employees as well had it moved forward on the Senate floor.
"What we need to do is to end the shutdown and get them back to work," Collins said. "But in the meantime, it's not fair for them to suffer financial hardship because of the shutdown."
Democrats blocked the bill because they fear it would give the Trump administration too much leeway to decide who gets paid and who doesn't. King voted with most Democrats to oppose the bill. Republicans, meanwhile, blocked Democratic attempts to fast-track bills to pay all federal employees.
