Mike Collins voted in June and July 2025 for the rescissions bill (roll call 168; roll call 203) that took back $500,000,000 from global health programs, after the Senate refused to limit the cut to HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases (Congressional Record). He also voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (roll call 190), which raised the tax on the richest university endowments to as much as 8%; Emory University in Atlanta expected $26 million in the tax in 2026.
In March 2025, Collins posted that "Whoever came up with @DOGE is a genius". Days later HHS cancelled public health grants that DOGE listed among its cuts, and in Georgia those cuts included a $334 million funding cancellation that led to the elimination of 180 state jobs at the Department of Public Health. The Atlanta-based CDC lost more than 3,800 employees between March 2025 and May 2026.
Mike Collins's Votes and Statements on Public Health and Research
- Collins Voted Twice to Take Back $500 Million From Global Health Programs That Fight Disease Abroad, in 2025. On June 12, 2025, Mike Collins voted yes on the Rescissions Act, which passed the House 214 to 212, a margin at which a switch by him alone would have tied the vote, and a tie fails. On July 18, 2025 he voted yes on the rule under which the House was deemed to have concurred in the Senate amendment, which kept a rescission from global health programs; the Senate had rejected an amendment that would have cut the rescission from $500,000,000 to $66,000,000, limited to HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases. The cut came as USAID shut down after cancelling 83% of its programs earlier this year; a Lancet study of all the aid cuts, not this rescission alone, projected that somewhere between 8 and 19 million people could die, including 4.5 million children, by 2030 if they last. With fewer disease programs abroad and the U.S. out of the World Health Organization, the country lost access to data from other countries that could give America an early warning of outbreaks.
- Collins Voted for the Law That Raised the Tax on Research University Endowments and Took Back Unspent Weather and Climate Research Money, in July 2025. On July 3, 2025, Collins voted yes as the House passed the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act 218 to 214, after voting for the House version in May, which passed 215 to 214, so it would have failed without his vote. The law raises the rate to 8% for institutions with an endowment exceeding $2 million per student and the bill rescinds certain unobligated funds appropriated by the Inflation Reduction Act for NOAA's weather and climate work. In Atlanta, Emory University said it may face a potential endowment income tax increase of $26 million in 2026, almost three times the $9 million endowment tax paid in 2024, the Emory Wheel reported.
- Collins Called DOGE "a Genius" in March 2025 as Public Health Grant and CDC Cuts Began. On March 22, 2025, Collins posted, "Whoever came up with @DOGE is a genius", and that "We are going to get the 4th branch of government, the federal bureaucracy, under control". Days later, HHS cancelled public health grants to the states that DOGE listed as its own cuts: According to DOGE's website, Michigan's health department lost more than $390 million in discontinued HHS grants that week, Michigan Public reported on March 27, 2025. In Georgia, HHS cuts included a $334 million funding cancellation that led to the elimination of 180 state jobs at the Georgia Department of Public Health, and Georgia did not sue to restore the money, the Partnership for Public Service reported. NPR reported in April 2025 that DOGE cut a CDC team as it was about to start a project to help N.C. flood victims after Hurricane Helene.
What the Public Health Cuts Mike Collins Backed Mean for Georgia and the CDC in Atlanta
- CDC in Atlanta. The CDC, headquartered in Atlanta, lost 30%, or more than 3,800 employees, between March 2025 and May 2026, according to a union dashboard built on federal personnel data and reported by WABE.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mike Collins on Science and public health
What is Mike Collins's record on science and public health under Trump?
Mike Collins voted twice in 2025 for the rescissions law that took back $500,000,000 from global health programs, including the House bill, which passed 214 to 212, and for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which raised the endowment tax on research universities such as Emory. In March 2025 he called DOGE "a genius" as public health grants and CDC jobs were being cut. The Atlanta-based CDC has since lost more than 3,800 employees.
Did Mike Collins support the DOGE cuts that hit the CDC?
Mike Collins praised DOGE on March 22, 2025, posting that whoever came up with it is a genius. Days later HHS cancelled public health grants that DOGE's website listed among its cuts, and in Georgia HHS cuts included a $334 million funding cancellation that led to the elimination of 180 state jobs at the Department of Public Health.
How did Mike Collins vote on global health funding?
Mike Collins voted on June 12, 2025 and July 18, 2025 for the rescissions law that took back $500,000,000 from global health programs, the programs that track and fight diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, after the Senate rejected an amendment to limit the cut to $66,000,000.
Last updated: 2026-10-25