Susan Collins, Maine's senior senator, voted to confirm Marco Rubio as secretary of state, and as acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development he canceled most of its programs. On July 16, 2025 she voted against an amendment to shrink the Rescissions Act's cut to global health programs "to preserve funding for programs addressing diseases," and she voted to confirm Russell Vought, whose budget office later withheld billions more in foreign aid.
In the fall of 2025 the Maine senator voted twice against measures to stop U.S. military strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific and against Venezuela, in October and November. Her record on China, including her vote to confirm Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, whose department approved AI chip sales to China, is on her China and national security page.
Susan Collins's Votes on Foreign Aid, the Boat Strikes and the Officials Who Ran Them
- Collins Voted to Confirm Marco Rubio, Who Shut Down USAID. On January 20, 2025, Susan Collins voted to confirm Marco Rubio as secretary of state. As acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Rubio announced the cancellation of 83% of programs funded by U.S. Agency for International Development in March 2025, and the State Department took over programs previously run by USAID on July 1, 2025.
- Collins Voted to Confirm Russell Vought, Whose Budget Office Moved to Revoke Nearly $5 Billion in Foreign Aid. On February 6, 2025, Collins voted to confirm Russell Vought as director of the Office of Management and Budget. On August 29, 2025, the administration moved to revoke nearly $5 billion in foreign aid that Congress had approved, a move known as a pocket rescission.
- Collins Voted Against Preserving Money for Disease Programs in July 2025. On July 16, 2025, Collins voted no on an amendment to the Rescissions Act "to reduce the amount rescinded from Global Health programs to preserve funding for programs addressing diseases." It failed 46 to 51. The law rescinded $500 million in global health funding.
- Collins Voted Twice in 2025 Against Stopping the Boat Strikes and Military Action Against Venezuela. Collins voted no on October 8, 2025 on taking up a resolution to remove U.S. forces from hostilities Congress had not authorized, after a month of strikes on boats in the Caribbean, and again on November 6, 2025 on a resolution covering hostilities within or against Venezuela, which failed 49 to 51. Both resolutions died on those votes. By October 2026 the strike campaign had reached 79 strikes and 238 killed, by InSight Crime's count.
- Collins Voted to Confirm the State Department Officials Who Carried Out Its Layoffs. Collins voted to confirm Christopher Landau as deputy secretary of state on March 24, 2025, and Michael Rigas as deputy secretary for management and resources on May 14, 2025. On July 11, 2025, the department sent layoff notices to 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers after Rigas told staff they would be informed "soon."
- Collins Voted Against Stopping Last-Minute Rescissions of Approved Spending in January 2026. On January 30, 2026, Collins voted no on waiving the budget rules for Senator Jeff Merkley's amendment "To prevent the deferral or rescission of appropriations within 90 days of their expiration," the method used for the August 2025 foreign-aid rescission. It failed 47 to 52. The Supreme Court's interim order had already allowed President Trump's administration to withhold more than $4 billion in foreign aid, and that money expired.
- Collins Voted Against Barring Military Strike Plans From Commercial Messaging Apps After the Signal Chat. On April 4, 2025, ten days after a journalist published the Signal chat about U.S. strikes in Yemen, Collins voted no on a budget amendment to protect members of the armed forces "by prohibiting the use of any commercial messaging application to transmit information revealing the timing, sequencing, or weapons to be used during impending United States military operations." It failed 46 to 53. The Defense Department's inspector general later found that the defense secretary sent sensitive, nonpublic, operational information, including the quantity and strike times of manned U.S. aircraft over hostile territory, which could cause harm to DoD personnel and mission objectives.
- Collins Voted Against a Budget Amendment Backing Continued Support for Ukraine in February 2025. On February 21, 2025, Collins voted no on a budget amendment "to ensure continued United States support for the Government of Ukraine to stand firm against aggression by the Government of Russia in Europe," which failed 47 to 53. Two weeks later the administration suspended military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine, lifting the suspension after about a week, on March 11, 2025.
What the Foreign Policy Decisions Under Officials Susan Collins Confirmed Have Cost
- Global health. A Lancet study projected that the USAID cuts could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030 if they are permanent, a projection published in July 2025.
- Boat strike survivors. The boat strikes killed at least 22 people who had survived an initial strike only to be hit again or die at sea, the AP reported in May 2026.
- Diplomats. A year after the July 2025 notices, NPR reported that more than 1,350 employees, including foreign services officers were laid off from the State Department.
Frequently Asked Questions About Susan Collins on Foreign policy
What is Susan Collins's record on foreign policy under Trump?
Susan Collins voted to confirm Marco Rubio, whose State Department shut down USAID, and Russell Vought, whose budget office moved to revoke billions in approved foreign aid. In July 2025 she voted against preserving Rescissions Act money for disease programs, and in October and November 2025 she voted against measures to stop the boat strikes and military action against Venezuela. Those strikes have killed 238 people by October 2026.
When did the boat strikes start, and how did Susan Collins vote on stopping them?
Susan Collins voted on October 8, 2025 and November 6, 2025 against Senate measures to stop the strikes on boats and the military action against Venezuela. The first strike, on September 2, 2025, killed 11 people, and the campaign continued through 2026.
Did Susan Collins vote to confirm Marco Rubio as secretary of state?
Yes. Maine Sen. Susan Collins voted to confirm Marco Rubio on January 20, 2025, and he was confirmed 99 to 0. As acting USAID administrator, Rubio presided over the cancellation of 83% of programs funded by U.S. Agency for International Development.
Last updated: 2026-10-25