On June 30, 2025, Susan Collins voted against Senator Tammy Duckworth's motion to keep SNAP benefits from being cut for homeless individuals, veterans, former foster youth and parents, and against a motion to remove the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's new paperwork rules. The same night she voted against motions to strike the law's Medicaid cuts and its SNAP cuts, which the Congressional Budget Office counts as a large contributing factor in the losses of the lowest-income households.
Collins voted to confirm Scott Turner as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, whose department is moving homelessness money away from permanent housing.
Susan Collins's Votes on Food Aid, Health Coverage and Housing for People in Poverty
- Collins Voted Against Keeping SNAP's Protection for Homeless People and Veterans in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Susan Collins voted no on Senator Tammy Duckworth's motion to make sure SNAP benefits are not terminated or reduced for homeless individuals, veterans, former foster youth and parents of children under 18, and it failed 49 to 51. The Congressional Budget Office estimates a net reduction in SNAP participation of 300,000 people in those groups of veterans, people experiencing homelessness and former foster youth.
- Collins Voted Against Removing Paperwork Rules That Cut People Off Aid in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Collins voted no on Senator Chris Coons's motion to remove provisions stripping individuals in the United States of the Federal benefits to which they are entitled through new paperwork rules, and it failed 48 to 52. Those rules reach people who rent with federal help: three in four households with rental assistance include a person who receives health coverage through Medicaid or a related program, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
- Collins Voted Against Striking the Medicaid and SNAP Cuts That Hit the Lowest-Income Households in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Collins voted no on Senator Ron Wyden's motion to strike any provision that cuts funding for Medicaid and on Senator Ben Ray Luján's motion to strike all provisions relating to SNAP; both failed. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the lowest-income earners will lose an average $1,200 in overall household resources each year under the law, and says a large contributing factor for this discrepancy is the Act's cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
- Collins Voted to Confirm Scott Turner, Whose HUD Is Moving Homelessness Money Away From Permanent Housing. On February 5, 2025, Collins voted to confirm Scott Turner as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and all 53 Republican senators voted yes. Turner praised President Trump's July 2025 homelessness order as a move away from "housing first" policies. His department's first plan for the Continuum of Care homelessness grants was blocked in court. After an appeals court ruled in September 2026 that HUD can now move forward making awards under the challenged CoC notice, the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates that at least 97,000 people in CoC-funded permanent housing will likely lose their housing.
What the Cuts Susan Collins Voted Against Removing Mean for Homeless and Low-Income Mainers
- Homeless Mainers on SNAP. Maine DHHS says the law ends SNAP work-rule exemptions for veterans (5,669 people), those experiencing homelessness (25,203) and former foster youth (505).
- Health coverage. Maine DHHS expects 31,000+ disenrollments in year 1 of the Medicaid work requirement, citing documentation hurdles and the seasonal work in many of Maine's heritage industries.
- Food aid. About 13,000 Mainers who once relied on SNAP no longer use it, WABI reported in August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions About Susan Collins on Homelessness and poverty
What is Susan Collins's record on homelessness and poverty under Trump?
Susan Collins voted on June 30, 2025 against protecting homeless people, veterans and parents from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's SNAP rules, against removing its new paperwork rules, and against motions to strike its Medicaid and SNAP cuts. She voted to confirm HUD Secretary Scott Turner, whose department is shifting homelessness grants away from permanent housing. In Maine, the state health department says the law ends the SNAP work-rule exemption for people experiencing homelessness.
Did Susan Collins vote to confirm HUD Secretary Scott Turner?
Yes. Susan Collins voted to confirm Scott Turner on February 5, 2025, along with every Republican senator. A federal appeals court let his department proceed in September 2026 with a homelessness-grant plan that sets aside $1.3 billion for transitional and service-only grants instead of permanent housing.
Does the One Big Beautiful Bill Act make the poorest families worse off, and how did Susan Collins vote on its Medicaid and SNAP cuts?
Susan Collins voted on June 30, 2025 against motions to strike the law's Medicaid and SNAP cuts. By the Congressional Budget Office's estimate, the lowest-income tenth of households lose resources under the law while the top tenth gains $13,600 a year.
Last updated: 2026-10-25