On March 27, 2025, Susan Collins voted for S.J.Res. 18, which repealed a federal rule the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimated would save households up to $5 billion a year in overdraft fees, or $225 per household that pays overdraft fees. On June 30, 2025, she voted against striking the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's cut to the bureau's funding.
Collins voted to confirm Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, whose agency announced it would phase out about 2,700 staff positions, and the officials under whom the government dropped enforcement cases against more than 200 corporations. In Maine, the Agriculture Secretary she confirmed ended a program that bought from about 100 Maine farmers.
Susan Collins's Votes on Small Businesses, Consumers and Corporate Power
- Collins Voted to Repeal a Limit on Big-Bank Overdraft Fees in March 2025. On March 27, 2025, Susan Collins voted yes on S.J.Res. 18, disapproving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's rule on overdraft lending by very large banks, and it passed 52 to 48 and became law. The bureau had estimated the rule would save up to $5 billion a year, or $225 per household that pays overdraft fees.
- Collins Voted Against Keeping the Consumer Bureau's Funding in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Susan Collins voted no on a motion to allow an amendment striking the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's cut to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding cap. It failed 47 to 53. The law decreased the funding cap in FY2025 to $446 million, and the bureau moved to drop cases including its suits over banks' failure to reimburse customers cheated through Zelle: The Trump administration filed to dismiss the Zelle Network cases on 3/4/25, Public Citizen's tracker shows.
- Collins Voted to Confirm the SBA Chief Who Cut 43 Percent of the Agency's Staff. On February 19, 2025, Susan Collins voted to confirm Kelly Loeffler as Administrator of the Small Business Administration, and she was confirmed 52 to 46. Collins also voted to confirm William Briggs as deputy administrator on July 9, 2025. In March 2025 the agency said about 2,700 staff positions in the Small Business Administration will be phased out, 43 percent of its workforce, and the New York Times reported that deep staffing cuts and stricter loan terms at the Small Business Administration are making it harder for entrepreneurs to get loans, contracts and advice.
- Collins Voted to Confirm Officials Under Whom the Government Dropped Cases Against Banks and Big Companies. Susan Collins voted to confirm Russell Vought as budget director on February 6, 2025; he also became acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She voted to confirm Abigail Slater as head of the Justice Department's antitrust division on March 11, 2025. Public Citizen counts that the Trump administration has canceled or frozen enforcement actions against more than 200 corporations, including the consumer bureau's cases against the Zelle network banks.
- Collins Voted to Confirm the Agriculture Secretary Who Cancelled $1 Billion for Small Farms' Local Sales. On February 13, 2025, Susan Collins voted to confirm Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture. In March 2025 Rollins cancelled about $1 billion of funding to the LFPA program and related programs that bought food from local farms for food banks and schools, and farmers had to scramble to find new buyers for crops already planted, Civil Eats reported.
What the Cuts Under Susan Collins's Votes Mean for Maine Small Businesses and Farms
- Local farms. The cancelled Local Food Purchase Assistance program helped Good Shepherd Food Bank buy produce from about 100 Maine farmers, which distributes the food to local pantries across Maine.
- School food buyers. USDA also cut the $660 million Local Food for Schools Program that Maine schools used to buy from nearby farms.
Frequently Asked Questions About Susan Collins on Small businesses and competition
What is Susan Collins's record on small businesses and competition under Trump?
Susan Collins voted to repeal the overdraft fee rule and against keeping the consumer bureau's funding cap. She voted to confirm Kelly Loeffler, whose Small Business Administration cut 43 percent of its staff, and the officials under whom enforcement cases against more than 200 corporations were canceled or frozen. In Maine, she voted to confirm the Agriculture Secretary whose department ended local food purchases from about 100 Maine farmers.
What happened to the Small Business Administration under Kelly Loeffler?
Susan Collins voted to confirm Loeffler on February 19, 2025, and in March 2025 the agency announced it would phase out about 2,700 positions. The New York Times reported in May 2025 that staffing cuts and stricter loan terms were making it harder for entrepreneurs to get loans, contracts and advice.
How did Susan Collins vote on overdraft fees?
Susan Collins voted yes on March 27, 2025 on S.J.Res. 18, which passed 52-48 and repealed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's limit on overdraft fees at the largest banks. The bureau had estimated the rule would save households that pay overdraft fees $225 per household a year.
Last updated: 2026-10-25