Campaign Action
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), under increasing pressure back home in Maine, says through a spokesperson that she's "still reviewing the tax bill" and "hasn't yet reached a decision on how to vote." That pressure will increase today and tomorrow, with news that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has returned to Arizona and won't vote, and with Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) flailing to prove he didn't provide his commitment to vote for the bill in return for a provision that will make him wildly wealthy. That makes the pressure on Collins to flip her vote even greater.
Activists in Maine have been relentless in pressuring Collins, who is struggling to save face for having given up her yes vote on the first version of the bill for nothing. She blusters that "I would consider it a very serious breach of a promise to me," to have her demands ignored, she says. Then blusters, "they don’t want to do that." Like she has any power now that she's allowed herself to be duped by leadership. All the power she had from helping to torpedo the Trumpcare bill earlier in the fall means nothing now, as far as Mainers are concerned.
"It's the last vote that counts. You can say 'no' 53 times in a row but if the 54th is the 'yes' that puts the thing over the line, that's going to be your legacy," said Steve Butterfield, policy director of Consumers for Affordable Health Care in Augusta, Maine.
In this case, Butterfield added, Collins's legacy would be millions of Americans losing their health insurance.
"It's absolutely unbelievable," he said.
If the people of Maine have any sway over Collins anymore, she can be the hero again. Or the villain, which has been made extremely clear to her:
Jam your senators' and representative's phone lines at (202) 224-3121. Tell them to vote "no" on the Republican tax bill. And if you’re in Maine:
Senator Susan Collins
DC office = (202) 224-2523
Portland = (207) 780-3575
Lewiston = (207) 784-6969
Bangor = (207) 945-0417
Augusta = (207) 622-8414
Biddeford = (207) 283-1101
Caribou = (207) 493-7873