President Donald Trump is on track to have all of his Cabinet nominees confirmed despite a slim Republican majority in the Senate, after three of the most controversial picks have now taken office.
Throughout the confirmation process, Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) consistently opposed President Trump’s most controversial nominees, voting against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, while Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) took a more nuanced approach.
Sen. King, who caucuses with Democrats despite his independent label, was always expected to side with Democrats in opposing President Trump’s controversial picks. He accused Hegseth of supporting torture, insinuated that Gabbard could be compromised by foreign threats, and called Kennedy a “danger.”
“This man is not only unqualified, he’s anti-qualified, he’s a danger,” said King of Kennedy.
While King was considered a safe “no” vote, Senator Collins became a central figure in discussions about the nominees’ chances of confirmation.
Although she is a Republican, Collins has on occasion sided with Democrats and is widely considered to be a centrist who has publicly opposed Trump, even saying last spring that she would not vote for him.
Collins appeared to be confirming conservatives’ worst fears when she, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), voted with Democrats against Hegseth.
“While I appreciate his courageous military service and his ongoing commitment to our servicemembers and their families, I am concerned that he does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job,” said Collins, in a lengthy X post about her decision.
She also expressed concerns about Hegseth’s criticism of women being allowed to serve in combat roles and his skepticism regarding burdensome rules of engagement that he believes impede the nation’s warfighting ability.
The three Republicans opposing Hegseth left the Senate with a tie, requiring Vice President J.D. Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote.
Collins was also initially critical of Gabbard, seeking clarification about the former Hawaii congresswoman’s position on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows government surveillance of foreign nationals that has been known to also ensnare American citizens.
“Her answers to the written questions were very hedged on it. I know there’s been a lot of reporting that she’s changed her position. That’s not how I read her answers. I read them as, ‘I’ll take a look at the reforms and see if they meet my concerns,” said Collins.
Due to her criticism and opposition to Hegseth, Collins surprised many when she announced that she would be voting to confirm Gabbard.
“The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, however, has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size,” said Collins.
Sen. McConnell was, in the end, the only Republican to oppose Gabbard’s nomination.
Collins also voted in favor of Kennedy, ending weeks of suspense with a statement to The Maine Wire.
“After extensive public and private questioning and a thorough examination of his nomination, I will support Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services,” said Collins.
She told The Maine Wire that Kennedy had assuaged some of her concerns about his perspectives on vaccines and convinced her to support him.
Though a cynical interpretation of Collins’ decision to support Gabbard and Kennedy would suggest that she supported the nominees primarily to avoid alienating the Republican base, that may not be the case.
Collins, Maine’s senior U.S. senator, originally comes from northern Maine, which tends to be more supportive of Trump, but overall her constituents are not predominantly MAGA Republicans. Predictably, anti-Trump voters have criticized her for supporting Gabbard and Kennedy this week.
With the most controversial nominees already confirmed, Collins has ultimately supported every nominee except Hegseth.
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