Senate Democratic PAC hits Collins over Medicaid cuts she voted against

A Democratic super PAC on Monday launched a new ad campaign attacking Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for the closure of about a dozen birthing centers in Maine, arguing she helped enable the massive Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act even though she voted against the legislation.

The Senate Majority PAC, which supports efforts to establish a Democratic majority in the Senate, announced a $2 million ad campaign to air across Maine, tying her vote to advance the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year to the closure of birthing centers in Maine.

“[President] Trump’s Medicaid cuts are forcing labor and delivery units to close in Maine. When there’s an emergency, mothers will have to drive an hour or more to the hospital, jeopardizing the life of the baby and the mother,” Dr. Peter Millard, a physician from Belfast, Maine, said in the ad.

“Susan Collins was the deciding vote to advance Trump’s Medicaid cuts, so they can give billionaires a tax break. Every time it matters, Susan Collins caves to Donald Trump.”

Collins was among a small group of Republicans last year who voted against final passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, directly citing her concerns about the reductions in Medicaid coverage.

Democratic critics have argued, however, that she was the deciding vote in advancing the bill initially. Former Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner echoed similar criticisms during his campaign. The version Collins voted to advance included Medicaid cuts, but she went on to vote in favor of amendments to strip those cuts from the bill once it was on the floor.

Collins’s supporters and staff have pointed out that even if she had voted “no” on the bill, Vice President Vance’s tiebreaking vote would have advanced it anyway, and she ultimately voted against passing it. Her supporters have also noted that the Medicaid cuts included in the bill have yet to go in effect.

The fact-checking nonprofit group PolitiFact called previous criticisms of Collins claiming she “sided with Trump to cut Medicaid” false.

Collins’s campaign has responded aggressively to these attacks, pushing back in a statement on social media.

“I did NOT vote to cut Medicaid. I voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill specifically because of its Medicaid provisions. I warned that the proposed reductions could threaten health care for Mainers and put rural hospitals at further risk,” Collins wrote on Facebook .

“MaineHealth has cited low birth volumes and an increasing inability to recruit specialized providers to safely staff labor and delivery units around the state,” her statement continued.

“This has been an ongoing problem for years and did not begin as a result of legislation passed last year. In fact, MaineHealth has called on Maine’s Governor and Legislature to help address the workforce, reimbursement, and demographic pressures that have been threatening rural maternity care for years. This is something Troy Jackson should have prioritized as Senate president.”