federal budget

The Republican said the Trump administration has failed to provide critical details about the cuts. But the bill advanced anyway.

Maine is required by law to have balanced budget and the Trump domestic policy bill is expected to result in billions in lost federal aid for Medicaid and food assistance. It's unclear when state lawmakers might have to patch such a hole because Republicans delayed implementation of some cuts until after the 2026 midterm elections.

Sen. Susan Collins cast a pivotal vote in pushing Trump's "big beautiful bill" past a key procedural hurdle step over the weekend but said Monday that changes to Medicaid are "problematic."

The Democratic governor laid out her concerns in a letter to the state's congressional delegation this week as the Senate continues work on the bill, which contains key aspects of President Trump's domestic agenda.

Wednesday's hearing was the first opportunity for members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which Collins leads, to question Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought about more than $9 billion that Trump wants to claw back from programs.

The two senators spoke during committee hearings where Cabinet secretaries fielded a variety of questions about the president's cost-cutting measures and policy priorities.

The Maine Republican, who is chairwoman of the budget-writing Senate Appropriations Committee, said the panel would hold an aggressive schedule of hearings on the White House's plan to cut more than $160 billion from federal programs.

The majority of the legislature’s State and Local Government Committee has voted against passage of a resolution that seeks to insert a balanced budget…

AUGUSTA, Maine - Budget writers in the U.S. House have completed work on their version of the federal budget for the year, starting Oct. 1. But Collins,…