Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson traded sharp accusations over the war in Iran and its effect on Maine heating oil prices during Thursday’s WMTW debate, with Collins twice demanding Jackson apologize on camera for suggesting she and her husband are financially benefiting from the conflict.
The exchange began when Jackson, discussing rising home heating oil costs in Maine, argued that Collins, as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has the power to cut off funding for the war but has not used it.
She still could do something. She could use her leverage to stop this war. But instead, they’re making money. I mean, Senator Collins and her husband making money more off of this war, and so isn’t a whole bunch of other people, and that’s why this doesn’t stop because they got us in another forever war that we’re never going to get out of, and people in the state are feeling the effects of it.
Collins rejected the claim immediately. “That is absolutely outrageous, and you owe me an apology,” she said. When Jackson responded, “No, you owe me,” she repeated her demand, calling it “absolutely outrageous to say that my husband and I are making money off the war in Iran.”
Collins pointed to her voting record to defend herself, saying she has repeatedly tried to bring the conflict to a close. “First of all, I have voted nine times to bring the war in Iran to an end,” she said. “Under the War Powers Act, for the first 60 days, the president, as commander in chief, has broad discretion to commit our troops and to enter military action. After that, it requires congressional approval, and that is why I have voted nine times to end this war.”
Jackson kept the focus on Maine households, warning that residents paying “$6.50 a gallon” for heating oil “will freeze to death this winter because they can’t afford to heat their home.”
Collins’ voting record on the issue is a matter of public record. On June 23, she was one of four Republicans who broke with their party to pass a war-powers resolution limiting President Donald Trump’s authority over the conflict, in a 50-48 vote. That followed a similar measure that failed a week earlier. Since the war began, Maine heating fuel prices have risen more than 30 percent.
