Sen. Jeff Timberlake

Sen. Russell Black

Sen. James Hamper

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Article 1, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the so-called “power of the purse.”  That means that the power to set funding priorities on behalf of the federal government rests with the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Each chamber has one powerful committee that writes legislation allocating funding across all federal agencies and departments, and makes key decisions affecting issues from agriculture to national defense and the jobs at Bath Iron Works, to the very roads and bridges we drive on every day. It’s called the Appropriations Committee, and Maine is fortunate to have U.S. Senator Susan Collins representing us as a senior member of that committee. Every corner of our state — including where we live — has benefited because Sen. Collins holds that important position.

After serving as an influential member for more than a decade, Sen. Collins is now close to becoming a leader of this committee. Recently, an article in the Sun Journal quoted several of Sen. Collins’ would-be opponents, questioning “whether it would matter much to Maine if she did.” This is not only naïve and short-sighted, it is also demonstrably inaccurate because, as a member of that committee, Sen. Collins has delivered critical federal funding for years that is already making a difference. Her relentless determination and hard work is visible all around Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin Counties.

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For example, just last year, Sen. Collins successfully secured $1.3 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s budget to help improve struggling neighborhoods in Lewiston.  As a result of her seniority on the Senate Appropriations Committee, she has delivered funding to remove hazardous lead paint from homes, supported Lewiston’s waterfront economic redevelopment and boosted educational programs at Central Maine Community College in Auburn and South Paris that help our students secure necessary skills to live and work in Maine.

Sen. Collins holds a key position as chairman of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, and all you have to do is get in your car and take a ride to see first-hand what that means to our area. Sen. Collins has brought federal funding to Maine to replace the crumbling Martin Memorial Bridge in Rumford, rebuild and improve Route 136 from Auburn to Freeport and repair and improve safety on roadways in Kingfield, Woodstock and Fryeburg as a part of the Western Gateways Project.

Most recently, as a result of Sen. Collins’ position on that vital committee, the U.S. Transportation Secretary announced that Maine will receive $61 million to rebuild additional roads and bridges, including more than $6 million to replace the Farmington Falls Bridge in Farmington, Alder Stream Bridge in Jim Pond Township and Hall Bridge in Wilton.

And it’s not just federal funding that Sen. Collins is delivering. One of her early successes as a leader of the subcommittee was to make Maine roads safer and grow the state economy by changing a federal law that was forcing the heaviest trucks to drive on local roadways instead of on the interstate, where it is safer.

That is just a partial list of Sen. Collins’ accomplishments for our region that are a direct result of her advocacy on Maine’s behalf as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Securing a senior position on the prestigious Appropriations Committee isn’t easy. It is earned by rolling up your sleeves, working hard and consistently advocating on behalf of those you represent. When Sen. Collins was first appointed to this committee in 2009, Maine had not had a seat at this significant table for 38 years. At that time, she made a commitment to be a forceful advocate for funding priorities that are important to our state, and to work across the aisle to ensure federal dollars are spent wisely. She has more than lived up to that commitment to the benefit of all of us and our great state.

Sens. Jeff Timberlake (Androscoggin), Russell Black (Franklin) and James Hamper (Oxford) are all small business owners and Republican state senators representing counties in Western Maine. Sen. Timberlake is the assistant Republican leader. Timberlake and Black are farmers; Hamper is a carpenter.

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