U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, did not initially weigh in Thursday on President Donald Trump’s offer to pay every American adult $5,000 if Republicans keep control of the Senate and House in the November midterms — then she expressed skepticism about the idea.

Collins, the Senate Appropriations Committee chair who is seeking a sixth term this fall, said while at a Thursday morning campaign event in Naples that she had not had a chance to watch Trump’s speech Wednesday night at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, where the president made his proposal.

“I was campaigning until late last night … and then started up first thing this morning, so I have not had a chance to look at that, and I’m not familiar with that proposal,” Collins said Thursday.

Hours later, her office said she’d had a chance to review it.

“From the few details we have, it seems that the proposed $5,000 dividend would not have an income cap and would be extraordinarily costly,” Collins said in a statement. “Tax and spending decisions should be made based on the needs of the American people and the state of the economy; they should not appear to be tied to election results.”

Congress would need to approve the payment plan, which would cost more than $1 trillion. Trump did not provide more specifics beyond saying the money would need to be spent domestically.

Leaders on both sides of the aisle, including the current and past chairs of the fiscally conservative House Freedom Caucus, quickly questioned the idea’s appropriateness and legality ahead of midterm elections in which affordability is a top concern for voters.

It is the latest example of the Republican president, who faces low approval ratings, putting Republican lawmakers in awkward positions ahead of November.

Collins’ initial comments came Thursday morning while she was at a sand-and-gravel supplier in the town of Naples to receive the endorsement of the National Federation of Independent Business in her race against former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson.

At the event, the senator praised a different Trump initiative, the “Trump Accounts” that offer families $1,000 for each child born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028. That policy was part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included controversial healthcare cuts and tax breaks. Collins voted to advance the legislation procedurally, but opposed its final passage in 2025.

Collins, 73, has sought to cast herself to Maine voters an independent-minded and influential senator. Her critics have noted she votes with Trump most of the time.

Trump has criticized and praised Collins over the years, saying in June that she is “a sane woman, and she’s a respected person.”

During Wednesday’s nearly two-hour speech at the Republican convention in Dallas, Trump urged voters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot” in November. Numerous Republican politicians running in competitive races, including Collins, did not attend the two-day convention. A campaign spokesperson said the senator does not go to national conventions in years when she is on the ballot.

Vice President JD Vance suggested after Wednesday night’s speech that revenue from Trump’s aggressive tariffs could pay for the dividend plan.

“I don’t think it’s a controversial idea,” Vance said.

U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, cited the federal law that bans spending money to influence voting in criticizing Trump’s pledge. King noted the national debt recently topped $40 trillion under Trump.

“He’s promising people money that he’s borrowing from their kids,” King said Thursday, adding that Republicans could win elections by focusing on “having better ideas or better candidates rather than trying … to bribe the voters.”

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a 1st District Democrat, called the payment idea “flagrantly illegal and pathetically desperate.”

“Notice how he’s not even trying to hide his illegal scheme?” Pingree posted on social media. “He is flaunting it, because he knows Republicans will let him get away with it.”

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a 2nd District Democrat, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday on Trump’s proposal.

Staff Writer Rory Sweeting contributed to this story.

Editor’s note: This story was updated late Thursday afternoon with additional comment from Collins.