Sen. Susan Collins has failed Mainers. On April 30, she voted against a federal minimum wage increase, and the bill failed to pass.

Collins has said she would vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The House has voted to repeal it more than 50 times.

On April 10, the House did it again in Paul Ryan’s proposed new federal budget. H.CON.RES96 is pretty scathing against the middle class, seniors, kids and the poor, including veterans, so the rich get 25 percent in tax cuts. The budget also would repeal the Affordable Care Act permanently.

Collins’ fellow Republicans dismiss the fact that 8 million families, including Mainers, would lose insurance if the Affordable Care Act were repealed.

Republicans have complained that policyholders of private junk health insurance got dropped because their policies did not meet the Affordable Care Act standards. Those standards included coverage for pre-existing conditions, keeping kids on parents policies until 26 years old, eliminating the medical extended cost ceilings, allowing free yearly wellness preventative exams for seniors to detect and treat medical problems early. This last item alone would save billions of dollars to Medicare in the long run.

On Feb. 27, Republicans Collins, John McCain (former presidential candidate), and Rand Paul voted against Sen. Bernie Sander’s bill (RE:S1982, the Comprehensive Veterans Health Bill), which would have supported veterans hospitals, increased mental health services and job retraining for wounded veterans. The bill failed to pass.

Collins also voted against S1845, to extend unemployment benefits. The bill failed to pass.

For the past five years observing C-Span, Collins’ negative votes on record coincide with the tea party obstruction agenda with Republicans from both houses of Congress.

Collins’ uncaring performance is against Mainers. Maine no longer needs Collins. Collins’ political career should be terminated in November.

Joan Gilbert-CroteauSkowhegan