Maine’s Senate and 2nd Congressional District races could be pivotal for the control of Congress and are expected to draw significant outside spending.
Randy Billings
Staff Writer
Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been the State House bureau chief since 2021. He was named the Maine Press Association’s Journalist of the Year in 2020. He joined the Press Herald in 2012 as the Portland City Hall reporter, where his beat touched on a wide range of topics, including municipal government, immigration, homelessness, housing and social services. Prior to that, he worked at various weeklies as well as business and arts publications. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine, Orono. He lives in North Yarmouth with his wife and two children and enjoys the outdoors and playing his upright bass.
Posted inLocal & State, Nation & World, News, Politics
Collins votes no but Senate advances Trump budget request
Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie in a procedural vote on the president’s demand to cut $9.4 billion in funding already approved by Congress for foreign assistance and public broadcasting.
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Posted inLocal & State, Nation & World, News, Politics
Donald Trump gave Susan Collins a pass, for now. Will Maine voters?
The Republican senator’s maneuvering on Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill shows she’s walking a tightrope ahead of her 2026 reelection bid.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Maine’s political leaders pan Senate passage of Trump’s tax and spending cuts
The entire congressional delegation and Gov. Janet Mills oppose the bill, which polling found to be deeply unpopular in Maine.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Susan Collins votes ‘no’ as Senate approves Trump spending cuts and tax breaks
Collins was one of three Republican senators to vote against the bill. Vice President JD Vance broke the 50-50 tie by casting a final vote in favor.
Posted inNews, Politics
Sen. Collins in spotlight as Trump budget bill heads to final vote in Senate
While Sen. Susan Collins is among a handful of Republican holdouts, Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, has been a vocal opponent of the bill, which would extend tax cuts, slash funding for health insurance and food assistance and roll back clean energy incentives.
Posted inNews, Politics
Why Maine lawmakers pulled back on ranked choice voting expansion
Advocates say they plan to ask the Maine Law Court to revisit its 2017 advisory opinion, which would not be possible if Gov. Janet Mills vetoed the bill as they expected.
Posted inNews, Politics
Maine senators weigh Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ as pressure mounts for a vote
Independent Sen. Angus King detailed his opposition to Trump’s tax cuts and spending package on Wednesday, while Republican Sen. Susan Collins has expressed concerns about certain provisions.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Sen. Susan Collins presses Trump’s budget director over foreign aid cuts
Russell Vought appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday to field questions about the Trump administration’s request to cut $9.4 billion from the current budget for foreign aid and public broadcasting through what is called a rescission package.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Maine lawmakers advance additional spending bills
Many of the bills advanced by the budget committee either had nominal costs or had their funding reduced, as nearly 300 bills, totalling more than $2 billion in spending over 2 years, competed for only $5 million funding.