WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Senate Appropriations Committee has unveiled its subcommittee membership list for the 113th Congress, and Senator Susan Collins will serve on six subcommittees.
Senator Collins will remain the top Republican on the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee, serving with Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA). Senators Murray and Collins led the subcommittee during the 112th Congress.
"I support a robust investment in transportation infrastructure, both in Maine and throughout the nation," said Senator Collins. "As Ranking Member of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, I know well the positive effects of investing in our nation's aging infrastructure. This investment not only repairs crumbling roads and bridges allowing the critical flow of goods and services, but also boosts the economy and creates much-needed jobs. "
In addition, Senator Collins will serve on the following subcommittees:
In this critical role, Senator Collins will oversee funding for the Department of Defense, and be in a critical position to continue to fight for Maine's military interests including Bath Iron Works, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the Maine Military Authority in Limestone, the Maine Air National Guard base in Bangor, Pratt and Whitney in North Berwick, and many other Maine entities that contribute to our national security.
As a member of this subcommittee, Senator Collins will have jurisdiction over the budget for military construction, restoration, and modernization within the Department of Defense. This subcommittee also funds the operations of the Department of Veterans Affairs and programs important to veterans and their families.
This subcommittee has jurisdiction over the budgets of the Department of Commerce, which includes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Economic Development Administration (EDA).
This subcommittee has jurisdiction over the budgets of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and Farm Credit Administration among others.
This subcommittee has jurisdiction over the budgets of the Department of Energy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Each of these subcommittees makes important funding decisions about a wide array of vital programs affecting Maine. In addition, important legislative policies are often passed on these annual Appropriations bills. For example, through the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Collins successfully blocked attempts by the Department of Agriculture to arbitrarily limit the servings of potatoes in the National School Lunch Program and eliminate the potato from the School Breakfast Program altogether. In her role on the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Collins was able to highlight the groundbreaking work on deepwater, offshore wind research at the University of Maine and private sector companies in our state. As a result, UMaine is on the cusp of securing millions of dollars of research grant funding that should eventually result in thousands of good-paying jobs in Maine. In her role as the top Republican on the Transportation funding subcommittee, Senator Collins was able to create a 20 year pilot program to allow the heaviest trucks to travel on Maine's federal interstate highways rather than on smaller, secondary streets.