Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, speaks on the Senate floor Wednesday in favor of a resolution to block tariffs on Canada. Image captured from C-SPAN

AUGUSTA — Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, broke ranks and joined Democrats over the weekend in opposing a budget resolution that would likely require cuts in Medicare and Medicaid programs to extend President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.

The vote came only days after she broke with fellow Republicans and Trump over tariffs.

Collins voted against the Senate budget resolution in a late-night voting session, during which she also voted in support of several amendments from Democrats to prevent any cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and reverse cuts to Social Security, which have included staffing reductions and plans to cut phone services and close offices.

Aides said Collins was not available for an interview Monday. Her spokesperson said Collins opposed the resolution because of concerns about possible cuts to Medicaid.

“There are more than 400,000 Mainers that rely on Medicaid,” Collins said in a written statement to the Press Herald on Monday. “Our rural hospitals depend on it as well, and they are already struggling because the state is holding up more than $100 million in emergency supplemental funding. So, the last thing I want to do is create more duress for our hospitals and providers, or cut Medicaid for seniors, low-income families, people who are disabled, or those who cannot work.”

Her written statement echoes comments she made to reporters in Washington, D.C., last week regarding her concerns about House Republicans’ promised spending reductions.

“I’m concerned about the instruction to the House Committee for $880 billion — the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid, because I don’t see how you can get to that amount without cutting Medicaid benefits,” Collins told reporters in Washington.

Collins’ aides did not answer questions about a Senate Republicans’ budget maneuver that would effectively make it seem like extending the Trump tax cuts would not affect the deficit even though they’re estimated to cost trillions over the next decade.

It was Collins’ second high-profile break with Republicans and Trump in the past week. Collins voted Wednesday against his sweeping tariffs, citing Maine’s close relationship with Canada, and is a co-sponsor of a bill to give Congress more control over tariffs.

The Senate budget resolution passed, 51-48, with Collins and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky the only Republicans voting in opposition. Passage kicks off the so-called reconciliation process, where the Senate and House of Representatives must draft a compromise plan before sending it to  Trump.

Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, voted against the resolution. In a written statement, Maine’s junior senator criticized the economic turmoil caused by Trump’s tariffs and Senate Republicans’ “partisan budget resolution” that he said would lead to “harsh cuts” on Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, student loans and other services.

“All while the White House continues to expand tax cuts for the richest Americans at the expense of working people,” King said. “Of all the harsh, cruel weeks that this country has seen since January 20th, the shadow cast by this week is darker and colder. I fear the impacts of this week will stretch over the American people and their household budgets for a long period of time.”

But the Senate resolution faces resistance among House Republicans, who are concerned that the upper chamber’s bill will add to the deficit since it extends and expands Trump’s 2017 tax cuts without drastically reducing spending.

The Senate budget resolution calls for far fewer spending cuts, largely because it treats extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts as deficit neutral through a procedural maneuver, even though the tax cuts have added an estimated $1.9 trillion to the national deficit over a 10-year period. The resolution calls for another $1.5 trillion in tax cuts.

The Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank, estimates that the tax cuts would add more than $5 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, including $3.8 trillion to extend the existing tax cuts and another $1.5 trillion for the expansion.

She also supported a resolution Wednesday to end the national emergency Trump declared and used as a basis for tariffs levied against Canada, which is Maine’s largest trading partner. Collins spoke at length about her opposition to tariffs on the Senate floor last week.

Collins is also co-sponsoring a bill in the Senate that would give Congress control over tariffs. The bill was introduced by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Massachusetts, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

“The unilateral imposition of tariffs by the president without congressional oversight undermines Congress’ constitutional role and can have serious consequences for American workers and businesses,” Collins said in a written statement Monday. She was one of a handful of Republicans — including North Carolina’s Thom Tillis, Kansas’ Jerry Moran and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski — to join as co-sponsors of the bill.

A similar bill has been proposed in the House.

Her vote against the budget resolution also is the latest chapter in Collins’ dispute over Congress’ power to spend money. Collins became the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee this year — a position she long coveted and one that ideally gives her strong influence over discretionary spending.

But Collins supported Trump’s choice for budget director, Russell Vought, even though he publicly expressed his opinion that presidents have the power to block any congressionally approved spending they don’t like.

Collins has criticized that view as unconstitutional and has been pushing back against various funding cuts and federal layoffs that have taken place with congressional approval since Trump took office.

All of this is expected to overshadow the 2026 election, when Collins is expected to seek reelection to a sixth term.

The House is likely to take up the Senate budget resolution this week. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., tried to assuage concerns from fiscal hawks in his caucus by pointing out that Senate resolution does not change the version passed by the House, which calls for deep spending cuts.

Johnson also cited the ongoing “market turmoil” caused by Trump’s sweeping tariffs last week, which has sent global financial markets plummeting, as a reason to act quickly.

“With the debt limit X-date approaching, border security resources diminishing, markets unsettled, and the largest tax increase on working families looming, time is of the essence,” Johnson said in a letter obtained and published by Punchbowl News. “As President Trump said, “Every Republican, House and Senate, must UNIFY.”

Johnson said he hopes Congress will be able to deliver Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” by Memorial Day.

Staff Writer Daniel Kool contributed to this report.