Susan Collins voted six times against Senate measures to end U.S. military action against Iran that Congress never authorized: on June 27, 2025, after the first U.S. strikes, and five times between March 4 and April 22, 2026. The war that began on February 28, 2026 has killed at least 21 U.S. service members.
Collins also voted to confirm Gen. Dan Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Stephen Feinberg as deputy secretary of defense, two of the officials who ran the war. In Maine, the most heating oil dependent state in the country, households that heat with oil will pay hundreds of dollars more this year.
Susan Collins's Votes on the Iran War and the Officials Who Ran It
- Collins Voted Five Times in March and April 2026 Against Ending the War With Iran. Between March 4 and April 22, 2026, Susan Collins voted no five times on Senate measures directing the President to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran that Congress had not authorized: on March 4, March 18, March 24, April 15 and April 22. Each measure died on the vote. The war had already killed Army Reserve soldiers in Kuwait on March 1, and the toll has since reached at least 21 dead as of the Pentagon's October 15, 2026 report.
- Collins Voted Against Limiting Military Action Against Iran After the June 2025 Strikes. On June 27, 2025, six days after U.S. bombers struck three Iranian nuclear sites without Congressional approval, Collins voted no on bringing up Senator Tim Kaine's resolution to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran that Congress had not authorized. It failed 47 to 53. The Defense Intelligence Agency's early assessment said the strikes likely only set it back by months; eight months later the United States went to war with Iran.
- Collins Voted to Confirm the Joint Chiefs Chairman and Deputy Defense Secretary Who Ran the War. Collins voted to confirm Stephen Feinberg as deputy secretary of defense on March 14, 2025, and Gen. Dan Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on April 11, 2025. Their department ran the war, which by the Pentagon's own figures has cost $43.6 billion as of September 2026, and about 50,000 troops remain in the region until at least early 2027, by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's estimate.
What the Iran War Run by Officials Susan Collins Confirmed Has Cost Maine
- Heating oil. Maine heating oil topped $6 a gallon recently, which is more than 80% higher than last year, Maine Public reported in October 2026, and households that heat with oil will pay $674 more this year to fill their tanks, by a Joint Economic Committee Democrats estimate cited by the Center for American Progress.
- Gasoline. Regular gasoline in Maine rose from $2.91 a gallon the day before the war to $4.40 by September 17, 2026, up 51.3 percent, according to AAA prices compiled by the Center for American Progress.
- Household costs. Moody's economist Mark Zandi estimates the war has cost about $2,000 per household nationally, including $1,100 in higher energy prices, $540 in higher interest rates.
Frequently Asked Questions About Susan Collins on Iran war
What is Susan Collins's record on the Iran war under Trump?
Susan Collins voted six times against Senate measures to end U.S. military action against Iran, in June 2025 and in March and April 2026, and voted to confirm Gen. Dan Caine and Stephen Feinberg, two of the Pentagon leaders who ran the war. The war has killed at least 21 U.S. service members, and in Maine heating oil prices rose sharply in 2026.
What did Susan Collins say when she voted against the first Iran war powers resolution in 2026?
Susan Collins said on March 4, 2026: "Passing this resolution now would send the wrong message to Iran and to our troops." She voted no that day on the motion to discharge the resolution, and it failed 47 to 53.
How many Americans have been killed or wounded in the Iran war?
Susan Collins voted against ending the war five times in March and April 2026; since the war began on February 28, 2026, 21 U.S. service members have died and 865 have been injured, as of the Pentagon's October 15, 2026 report. Most of the wounded were hurt after fighting in the war restarted in July, Task & Purpose reported.
Did Susan Collins vote to confirm the Pentagon leaders who ran the Iran war?
Yes. Susan Collins voted to confirm General Dan Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on April 11, 2025 and Stephen Feinberg as deputy secretary of defense on March 14, 2025. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the war cost $38.1 billion through July 2026 and may be $2 billion to $3 billion a month going forward, Roll Call reported.
Last updated: 2026-10-25