ICYMI: “Maine’s Susan Collins A Force For Consensus”
Washington, D.C. – In a feature story today, The Boston Globe profiled Senator Collins and her important role as a bipartisan dealmaker in the United States Senate. The story focused heavily on the Senator’s negotiating skills, ability to forge compromise with members on both sides of the aisle, and willingness to cultivate discussion to move legislation forward. The story highlighted, “As senators struggle to pass even innocuous bills, Collins is emerging as a lifeline for moderate Democrats and a counterbalance to the GOP’s right flank — a catalyst for compromise in a sea of intractable ideologies.”
To read the full Boston Globe feature story about Senator Collins, click HERE.
Excerpts from today’s profile can be read below:
Maine’s Susan Collins a force for consensus
By Jessica Meyers
May 6, 2015
WASHINGTON — The Senate’s first attempt at regular bipartisan lunches this year began with a telling choice: the tastes of Maine.
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The ingredients for this buffet of good will came from the home state of Senator Susan Collins, a Republican long known for her moderate views and willingness to find compromise.
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As senators struggle to pass even innocuous bills, Collins is emerging as a lifeline for moderate Democrats and a counterbalance to the GOP’s right flank — a catalyst for compromise in a sea of intractable ideologies.
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The sedate, 62-year-old senator, heralded for her help defusing the 2013 government shutdown, quickly dove into the Senate’s thorniest issues after Republicans took control in January.
When lawmakers nearly failed to fund the Department of Homeland Security in February over a dispute about President Obama’s executive actions on immigration, Collins introduced a bill that separated immigration from the rest of the spending measure. Her legislation augmented a broader deal that prevented a partial department shutdown.
Her negotiating skills also helped break a Senate logjam this month over abortion language in a bipartisan bill to combat sex-trafficking. Collins and Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat, proposed a method to pull the abortion reference out of the bill.
The move helped propel the negotiations that led to the bill’s unanimous passage last month and broke a GOP blockade of the nomination for attorney general.
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“She’s been steadfast in her ability to operate independently,” said Senator Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat. “It’s even more important now.”
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“I see my role as someone who has credibility with senators on both sides, who deals in good faith, and . . . is willing to put the time in to figure out what matters most to each side,” Collins said.
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Numerous senators credit Collins for easing the Senate past a 2013 government shutdown over the federal budget that stretched more than two weeks. Collins recalls sitting in her office — alone, because her staff had been furloughed.
She got up and walked to the Senate floor, where she implored lawmakers to work with her on a compromise. The Common Sense Coalition was born, sparking a discussion that helped end the stalemate.
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Those kinds of big breakthroughs are rare. Collins’s compromises are often a steppingstone to consensus rather than the deal itself. And while she points to the Senate’s 20 women as fellow collaborators, the one major issue they have united on – human trafficking legislation – stalled for weeks on the Senate floor.
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“Just the ability to have a certain air of civility and to be able to have conversations and establish relationships, that is the basis to solving real problems,” said Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat who helped create the supper group.
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Placement on key committees also enhances her negotiating power. Collins heads the Special Committee on Aging, leads a transportation subcommittee on the highly influential Appropriations Committee, and sits on the health and select intelligence committees.
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To read the full article, click HERE.
