Press Releases

Shot/Chaser: Senator Susan Collins Has Taken The Most Corporate PAC Money in Maine History

Jul 29, 2020

SHOT:
Following a new Maine poll showing 23-year incumbent Senator Susan Collins trailing Sara Gideon by five points, Collins released a new ad claiming “I’ve never traded votes for campaign contributions.”

CHASER:
Senator Collins has cashed over $5.9 million from corporate PACs – the most in Maine history.

All that corporate PAC money helps explain why she voted for the 2017 partisan tax bill that slashed the corporate tax rate and gave the wealthiest Americans most of the benefits while Maine families saw their taxes hiked. Her vote gave billions of dollars in tax breaks to many of the same corporate interests that supported her campaigns over the years.

Collins Voted For The Disastrous Republican Tax Bill That Cut Taxes For Her Corporate Donors:

  • Collins voted for the Republican tax plan — a massive giveaway to corporations and the wealthy, including slashing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and allowing them to avoid paying billions of dollars in taxes on profits stashed overseas.

  • Some of Collins’ biggest donors saved billions thanks to her vote, including Big Pharma, which gave Collins over $230,000 throughout her career and received $76 billion in savings in the tax bill.

  • To pay for the tax plan and the $1.9 trillion it will add to the deficit, Congress will need to make deep cuts to Medicare And Social Security or force massive tax hikes on younger Mainers.

Collins Voted To Allow The Telecom Industry — Which Has Given Her Over $190,000 — To Sell Mainers’ Personal Data Without Their Permission:

  • Collins has taken over $190,000 from the telecommunications industry.

  • Collins also voted to allow Internet Service Providers to sell customers’ personal data without their permission. That data could include precise location, financial information, children’s information, health information, web browsing history, and even Social Security numbers.

  • Verizon — a major Collins donor — defended the legislation and said it would benefit consumers and “innovations.” Collins has taken over $60,000 from Verizon.

If you want to find out who Susan Collins works for in Washington, all you have to do is follow the money because the truth is money changes everything, even Susan Collins.

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