Susan Collins defended Trump’s war of choice with Iran and repeatedly opposed congressional intervention. Collins had a personal stake in the war’s continuation and profited nearly $25,000 in the first month of hostilities. Collins received more than $100,000 in campaign contributions from defense contractors and defense executives.The war with Iran drove up Mainers’ energy prices and squeezed Maine farmers.
Message: Collins cheered for war with Iran which drove up Mainers’ prices.
2026: Collins Effectively Voted Against Withdrawing US Troops From Iran. In April 2026, Collins voted against, according to Congressional Quarterly, the “motion to discharge the joint resolution from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The joint resolution would direct the president to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a war declaration or authorization for the use of military force from Congress.” The vote was on the motion to discharge. The Senate rejected the motion by a vote of 46 to 51. [Senate Vote 88, 4/22/26; Congressional Quarterly, 4/22/26; Congressional Actions, S.J.Res.114]
2026: Collins Effectively Voted Against Withdrawing US Troops From Iran. In April 2026, Collins voted against, according to Congressional Quarterly, the “motion to discharge the joint resolution from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The joint resolution would direct the president to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a war declaration or authorization for the use of military force from Congress.” The vote was on the motion to discharge. The Senate rejected the motion by a vote of 47 to 52. [Senate Vote 79, 4/15/26; Congressional Quarterly, 4/15/26; Congressional Actions, S.J.Res.123]
2026: Collins Effectively Voted Against Withdrawing US Troops From Iran. In March 2026, Collins voted against, according to Congressional Quarterly, the “motion to discharge from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the joint resolution that would direct the president to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a war declaration or a congressional authorization for the use of military force.” The vote was on the motion to discharge. The Senate rejected the motion by a vote of 47 to 53. [Senate Vote 69, 3/24/26; Congressional Quarterly, 3/24/26; Congressional Actions, S.J.Res.116]
2026: Collins Effectively Voted Against Withdrawing US Troops From Iran. In March 2026, Collins voted against, according to Congressional Quarterly, the “motion to discharge from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the joint resolution that would direct the president to terminate the use of U.S. armed forces from hostilities against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a war declaration or a specific use of military force authorization. It would clarify that nothing in the measure could be construed to prevent the U.S. from directly defending against attacks by Iran or providing assistance to countries attacked by Iran since Feb. 28.” The vote was on the motion to discharge. The Senate rejected the motion by a vote of 47 to 53. [Senate Vote 58, 3/18/26; Congressional Quarterly, 3/18/26; Congressional Actions, S.J.Res.118]
2026: Collins Effectively Voted Against Withdrawing US Troops From Iran. In March 2026, Collins voted against, according to Congressional Quarterly, the “motion to discharge the Iran war powers resolution from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The joint resolution would direct the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.” The vote was on the motion to discharge. The Senate rejected the motion by a vote of 47 to 53. [Senate Vote 46, 3/4/26; Congressional Quarterly, 3/4/26; Congressional Actions, S.J.Res.104]
2025: Collins Effectively Voted Against Terminating Hostilities In Iran Without Congressional Authorization. In June 2025, Collins voted against, according to Congressional Quarterly, “motion to discharge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from further consideration of the joint resolution directing the removal of U.S. armed forces from hostilities against Iran that have not been authorized by Congress.” The vote was on the motion to discharge from committee. The Senate rejected the motion by a vote of 47 to 53. [Senate Vote 328, 6/27/25; Congressional Quarterly, 6/27/25; Congressional Actions, S.J.Res.59]
Collins Claimed That Ending Hostilities In Iran “Would Send The Wrong Message” And Believed That “Unequivocal Support” For Trump’s War Was “Critically Important.” According to a press release from Senator Susan Collins, “‘Passing this resolution now would send the wrong message to Iran and to our troops. At this juncture, providing unequivocal support to our service members is critically important, as is ongoing consultation by the Administration with Congress.’” [Press Release – Senator Susan Collins, 3/4/26]
Collins Warned Against A Nuclear Iran, Claimed The Iranian Regime Posed “Serious And Longstanding Threats” To The United States, And Claimed Iran Was “The World’s Leading Sponsor Of Terrorism.” According to a press release from Senator Susan Collins, “‘We cannot tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran. The Iranian regime’s pursuit of nuclear capabilities, ballistic missile development, and support for terrorist proxies pose serious and longstanding threats to the national security of the United States and our allies. [...] Iran is also the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism. It has spent nearly half a century attacking Americans directly and through terrorist proxies’” [Press Release – Senator Susan Collins, 3/4/26]
Collins Defended Trump's Authority To Conduct The War. According to a press release from Senator Susan Collins, “‘Sustained combat operations require full engagement with Congress. The Administration has adhered to the provisions of the War Powers Act that require notification to Congress within 48 hours of hostilities commencing, and it has provided numerous classified briefings to Congress.’” [Press Release – Senator Susan Collins, 3/4/26]
Collins Saw Nearly $25,000 In Gains Between The Start of The War And April First; She And Her Husband Owned Up To $115,000 In Natural Gas Stock. According to American Journal News, “Maine Sen. Susan Collins and North Carolina Republican Michael Whatley have both seen their stock portfolios soar since the war began on Feb. 28, largely because of their investments in oil and gas. [...] Among those investors are Collins and her husband, who reported owning up to $115,000 in natural gas stock on her campaign finance disclosures. This includes shares of ConocoPhillips, that hit a 52-week high on March 26. Between the start of the war and April 1, Collins profited by up to $24,480 from these investments.” [American Journal News, 4/8/26]
Collins Received More Than $100,000 In Campaign Contributions From Defense Contractors As She Ran Defense On Trump’s War. According to NOTUS, “Republicans running in challenging congressional races have also received significant defense-related contributions. The campaign of Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and is expected to face upstart Democrat Graham Platner, accepted more than $100,000 from defense contractors, including $4,500 from PACs tied to L3Harris and $7,000 from RTX’s PAC.” [NOTUS, 5/1/26]
HEADLINE: Northern Maine feels pinch of heating oil price spikes from Iran war [Spectrum News, 4/3/26]
The War Drove Heating Fuel Prices Up 41%, To More Than $5 A Gallon, And Mainers Expected To Pay $425 More To Fill Their Heating Fuel Tanks. According to WGME, “Mainers continue to feel the burn in their bank accounts as heating fuel prices remain above $5 per gallon. Maine's Energy Resources Department shared with CBS13 that those prices have increased 41% since the war in Iran began. They say residents are now estimated to pay about $425 more to fill their home oil tank than they would've in February.” [WGME, 4/3/26]
Mainers’ Spending At The Gas Pumps Increased By $46 Million Since The War Began. According to WGME, “And when it comes to filling up at the pump, new data shows that since the war began, Maine's statewide gas spending has increased by more than $46 million, according to statistics shared by a new joint economic committee out of the Senate.” [WGME, 4/3/26]
Maine Farmers Were “Stretched Thin” And Faced Choices Between Healthcare And Fuel Bills. According to the Bangor Daily News, “Many Maine farmers are making tough choices as the prices of everything from fuel to feed to health care go up, said Bill Pluecker, who is a farmer, a state representative and the public policy organizer for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. ‘We’re already stretched thin,’ he said. ‘So, undoubtedly, this is going to be a huge problem.’” [Bangor Daily News, 4/17/26]
Commuter Students On The University Of Maine's Campus Were Feeling The Brunt Of The High Gas Prices As Their Daily Commute Were Increasing In Price. According to Maine Campus, “Commuter students are experiencing the brunt of the impact, as their cost of education is increasing as their daily commute is going up in price. Students that were interviewed expressed frustration with the Trump administration and the increased gas prices — including third year French and history student Gabe Veilleux.” [Maine Campus, 4/13/26]
A Student At University Of Maine Claimed That Since The War Broke Out In Iran, Their Commute cost Increased By 40 Dollars. According to Maine Campus, “'It definitely impacts me. I commute from Brewer to campus, which is about a 20 minute drive. I’m usually filling up twice a week and that typically amounts to around $100 in expenses, following the war that Trump started in Iran,' said Veilleux. ‘So, yeah, it’s rough out there. I mean, I’m spending probably 40 bucks more than I was before…which puts a huge dent into my income that didn’t exist before.’” [Maine Campus, 4/13/26]