Effective legislators in the United States Senate are a rare commodity. Their impact is often contingent upon accumulating substantial seniority and earning the respect of their 99 colleagues. Within this exclusive chamber, it becomes clear who possesses the capacity and influence to guide significant legislation through its intricate processes.
Senator Susan Collins of Maine stands out as one of the few senators who garners deference from both her Republican peers and many Democratic senators committed to effective governance. This respect is evidenced by her leadership as chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and her membership on the crucial Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. She also serves on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Ensuring Robust National Defense Funding
As the Appropriations Committee chair, Senator Collins holds a unique position to shape the nation's spending priorities. In collaboration with Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), a primary legislative responsibility for Collins is to ensure the American military receives the necessary funding to fulfill its constitutional mandate to "provide for the common defense."
Collins has long established a reputation as a dedicated "workhorse" in the Senate. Her casting of 10,000 consecutive roll call votes, an unbroken streak that began in 1997, marks a historic achievement, making her the first senator to reach this milestone without a single missed vote. This remarkable record, akin to Joe DiMaggio's legendary 56-game hitting streak, continues to grow with each vote she casts.
Modernizing the Military in a Turbulent Era
All of this accumulated experience and earned respect will be essential in the coming weeks and months. Collins, alongside Senator Wicker and Senate Republican leadership, confronts what may be the most challenging endeavor of her distinguished career: allocating the necessary funds to modernize the Pentagon. This task is set against a backdrop of rapidly evolving technology in warfare and intelligence gathering, encompassing both visible displays of American power—such as ships, submarines, and the new B-21 bombers that provide deterrence—and secret, highly sensitive virtual stockpiles of cyber strength. This must be accomplished even as intense partisanship grips the nation's political landscape.
Collins faces the urgent need to navigate this exceptionally partisan period, characterized by negative polarization and extreme rhetoric from various political factions. The nation requires stable and effective military appropriation bills to sustain its defenses against immediate threats, such as the ongoing conflict with Iran, while also defining and addressing the challenge posed by the assertive strategies of China's leader, Xi Jinping.
Political Challenges and Electoral Context
It is widely considered fortunate for the country that Senator Collins is in a leadership position during this precarious time. However, she must undertake these critical responsibilities in an election year, facing an opponent, Graham Platner, who has been described as a self-proclaimed "communist" and a radical figure from the far-left wing of the Democratic party. This presents a new electoral challenge for her.
Mr. Platner's nomination by Democrats is seen by some as an attempt to undermine the Senate's effectiveness by potentially removing one of its most productive members. Critics suggest this strategy aims to diminish Maine's significant congressional influence and serves an agenda perceived as antithetical to Western, American, and Israeli interests, including accusations of antisemitism.
Furthermore, these efforts are viewed as potentially damaging to the very processes essential for safeguarding American security at this critical juncture.
Navigating the Budget Process
The House and Senate must soon determine the path forward for the Pentagon's budget for fiscal year 2027 and beyond. Both the SASC and the Senate Appropriations Committee must act. While SASC outlines defense spending policy through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), as noted by The Wall Street Journal, the NDAA serves as a policy guide rather than a funding mechanism. The key question remains whether the President's proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget will pass, in what form, and through which legislative process.
Legislators like Senator Collins typically prefer to utilize "regular order"—a process involving hearings, mark-ups, and conference committees with the House. While this is the ideal, it is anticipated to be unfeasible this year. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, reportedly pressured by elements within his party, is said to be intent on instigating a government shutdown before the midterms.
This potential shutdown is not merely a prediction but is viewed as an inevitable consequence of how Democrats have framed the upcoming midterm elections. While Senator Schumer may not be able to prevent the House from enacting a defense budget, he is expected to halt the Senate's regular order to appease certain factions of his party with a shutdown.
The Dilemma of Funding and the Reconciliation Option
This situation places Senator Collins and other Republicans serious about maintaining a strong military in a difficult position. The military requires consistent equipping and preparation in an era of rapidly evolving threats and technology. It cannot effectively operate by lurching from one "Continuing Resolution" (CR) to another, which is often the outcome of "shutdown politics."
Democrats are perceived as aiming for precisely this result. Should Democrats regain control of either or both chambers of Congress in the fall, some believe they will go beyond a series of CRs and significantly reduce defense spending in favor of other policy priorities.
This perspective is openly stated by some and is not considered mere speculation. There is a belief that the Democratic party has shifted significantly to the political left, embracing positions on American power and global standing that are unprecedented. Critics argue this shift could lead to a weakening of national defenses. Even a small number of radical House members, potentially joining an existing progressive bloc, could wield significant influence over defense spending in a closely divided House. Similarly, one or two senators could impact outcomes in a narrowly split Senate. The upcoming Congress is thus anticipated by some to be among the most ideologically driven in American history.
<Consequently, Senator Collins and Senator Wicker, along with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Senate Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR), may need to consider an alternative, less conventional approach: funding the Pentagon through the "budget reconciliation process." This complex and often controversial mechanism has been used for major tax and spending legislation, such as the Working Families Tax Cut of 2025 and various COVID relief bills under both Republican and Democratic administrations. (Collins, with then-Senator Marco Rubio, was instrumental in crafting the Paycheck Protection Program, a crucial component of the economy-stabilizing CARES Act of March 2020.)
Given the expectation that Democrats may use a federal government shutdown as a significant campaign tactic in the fall, it may fall to pragmatic Republican senators to advance national security spending via reconciliation. A more challenging decision is whether to pursue this for two or three years rather than just one. This choice is difficult because it would acknowledge the profound ideological chasm between the mainstream American consensus on national defense and certain left-wing calls to "defund defense," echoing sentiments like "defund the police" and "defund ICE."
While using reconciliation to allocate funds, potentially up to $5 trillion, is not seen as an ideal solution by anyone, it may be deemed a necessary measure to ensure the military is adequately supported until political divisions subside.
