President Trump’s address to Congress on March 4 was full of partisan jeering, exaggerated claims and campaign-style rhetoric, sounding more like a rally speech aimed at his base than a unifying address to the American people.

As Trump worked through a list of highlights from his first weeks in office, he made a point to celebrate the new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. After all the damage billionaire Elon Musk has done to Maine in just the last five weeks as the head of DOGE, I was dismayed when the White House’s broadcast showed a standing ovation from Maine Sen. Susan Collins among the applauding Republicans.

DOGE cuts have abruptly halted funding that was promised to Mainers doing important, non-political work. Maine farmers who planned around guaranteed federal grant money for projects like erosion control, mulching, solar arrays and irrigation pumps are left scrambling after those funds were frozen. Maine veterans could face declining services following layoffs at the Maine VA Healthcare System. DOGE-led layoffs of park rangers at Acadia National Park will leave the park’s entrance stations understaffed, leading to diminished services and experiences for Mainers and visitors.

There have also been nationwide cuts to National Weather Service forecasters and researchers, who provide weather information critical to making safety and business decisions, especially in Maine’s heritage fishing, farming, forestry, tourism and outdoor recreation industries.

The unpredictable DOGE cuts lead to uncertainty and fear, including workers anticipating layoffs at the Naval Shipyard in Kittery, which employs more than 4,300 Mainers and is critical to our nation’s defense. The National Institutes of Health announced it will cap grant payments for indirect costs, a move that threatens critical medical research at Maine universities and other institutions working on cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s, Lyme and cancer — illnesses that affect thousands of Mainers. These frantic and cruel cuts don’t create government efficiency; they hurt our neighbors, endanger our businesses and threaten our future.

While Sen. Collins has voiced opposition on select issues, many of her votes so far have enabled the actions of Musk and DOGE. Collins voted to confirm Russell Vought as director of the Office of Management and Budget, the agency helping DOGE implement the mass layoffs and cuts to federal programs that are important to Maine.

Vought famously helped author Project 2025, and prior to his confirmation said about federal employees, “When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work, because they are increasingly viewed as the villains. We want their funding to be shut down … We want to put them in trauma.” Does Sen. Collins really think those are the words of someone who will help Mainers and who deserves to be put in a position of power?

Collins also voted to confirm almost all of Trump’s nominees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of health and human services, Pam Bondi as attorney general and Linda McMahon as secretary of education, all of whom are now working alongside Musk to implement the DOGE cuts. As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Collins has the power to provide accountability to DOGE, including the ability to subpoena Musk, but she has stated that she has not considered doing so.

In past campaigns, Sen. Collins portrayed herself as an independent voice of reason in the Senate, willing to break with her party to represent Maine’s diverse interests. However, her actions over the past five weeks have been anything but moderate — they’ve been radical.

I ask Sen. Collins to stop enabling an unelected billionaire and start representing Mainers by joining our other elected leaders like Sen. King, Rep. Pingree and Gov. Mills in taking legitimate action against Musk’s transgressions.

If you would like to join me in urging Sen. Collins to take bold action for Mainers, you can contact her office. Tell Sen. Collins that we will remember her (in)actions when we head to the polls in November 2026, when her seat is up for reelection — because the people of Maine deserve a senator who isn’t afraid to represent us.