Senator Collins graduated Phi Beta Kappa from St. Lawrence University in 1975 and began working for Maine Representative Bill Cohen. She remained a member of his staff when he was elected to the Senate three years later, where she was promoted to staff director of the Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee of the Committee on Governmental Affairs.
In 1987, she was appointed by Maine Governor John McKernan as Commissioner of the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. In 1992, she was appointed as Director of the Small Business Administration’s Regional Office by President George H.W. Bush. She continued her work to champion small businesses when she was named the founding Executive Director of the Center for Family Business at Husson College (now Husson University) in 1994.
As a member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I hold key positions in Congress that oversee and shape national security issues of importance to both Maine and the United States. I have successfully secured provisions in annual defense authorization and funding bills that support work at Bath Iron Works, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the University of Maine, Saco Defense, Pratt & Whitney, and other companies that are vital to Maine's economy.
I have a strong record of supporting education at all levels. This includes promoting early childhood education, improving our public school system for kindergarten through 12th grade, and working to increase the affordability of higher education. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Education Committee, I will continue to work to ensure that Congress provides robust funding and targeted legislation for the most effective educational programs aimed at helping teachers and students succeed.
I have made engaging with Maine’s students and faculty a top priority, visiting more than 200 schools during my time as a Senator.
From tourism and recreation to working forests, fishing, and agriculture, there is no doubt that Maine’s economy is inextricably linked to the environment. Maine’s greatest treasure is its natural beauty, and I remain committed to advancing reasonable and effective policies to protect the environment.
Throughout my time in the U.S. Senate, I have worked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and spur the creation of clean energy jobs – while retaining important American manufacturing jobs. High costs of energy are burdensome to Maine families, truck drivers, farmers, fishermen, schools, small businesses, mills, and factories. Approximately 60 percent of Maine households rely on fuel oil as their primary source of home heating, leaving Maine families extremely vulnerable to high crude oil prices.
Mainers are hardworking and resilient. I believe that expanding access to robust workforce training is essential to give people the opportunity to gain the skills they need to secure good-paying jobs and forge promising new career paths. In addition, throughout my Senate service, I have championed policies that support small businesses, the job-creating engines that power our economy. I have also authored and supported legislation to provide tax relief for families and job creators, cut bureaucratic red tape, and promote fair trade policies that allow Maine workers and business to compete on a level playing field in the 21st century economy.
There is no question that our nation’s health care system requires substantial reform. The status quo of soaring medical and prescription drug costs, struggling families, and health care provider shortages across Maine and the nation is unacceptable. I frequently work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address these and other important issues facing our nation, such as enhancing mental health care, expanding drug treatment programs, supporting America’s caregivers, and improving nutrition programs.
As a native of Northern Maine, I understand the specific challenges that rural communities face to receive medical care. Throughout my time in the Senate, I have consistently supported programs to improve and expand access to the health care system, particularly for citizens living in rural areas.
In 1997, I founded the Senate Diabetes Caucus and have led the effort to more than triple federal funding for diabetes research. As the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer ’s Disease, I have worked to increase funding for Alzheimer’s research and to strengthen support for family caregivers. I have also championed efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs and launched the Senate’s first bipartisan investigation into the causes, impacts, and potential solutions to these egregious price increases.
As a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, my priorities include improving retirement security, increasing biomedical research for diseases like Alzheimer’s and diabetes, and combatting scams targeting seniors.
During my tenure as Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee from 2015-2021, I led 74 hearings featuring expert testimony on issues important to older Americans, helping to generate and shape at least 45 new laws authored by members of the Committee to support seniors.
As a leader of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, improving our nation's infrastructure is one of my top priorities.
I was part of a group of 10 Senators--five Republicans and five Democrats--who authored the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This landmark law will make the most significant investment in American infrastructure since the establishment of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s. I also co-wrote the section of the law that will make the largest-ever investment to expand broadband Internet in our nation's history.
Millions of Americans wear the honorable title of Veteran, and our great State of Maine has one of the highest percentages of Veterans in the country. As the daughter of a World War II Purple Heart recipient, I learned first-hand of the sacrifice that these heroes and their families make to advance the cause of freedom. I have advocated on behalf of our nation’s Veterans by protecting access to rural health care, holding the Department of Veterans Affairs accountable in the wake of scandal, and expediting the process for disabled veterans to obtain the services they earned.