Mainers are Calling on Senator Susan Collins to Reject Mitch McConnell’s Bid for Leadership of the Senate
Today, 16 Counties Coalition joined with Mainers for Accountable Leadership, Maine People’s Alliance, Suit Up Maine, and DemCast to launch a petition calling on Maine Senator Susan Collins not to back Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s bid for reelection as leader of the Senate.
From the petition: Senator Mitch McConnell, the current Majority Leader, has worked for the last 35 years to push through an unpopular agenda to eliminate decades-old campaign finance rules, cut taxes for corporations and the rich, and stack the courts with unqualified, deeply conservative judges. These actions are not in the best interests of Mainers and Senator Susan Collins should no longer support McConnell in his bid to be Senate Majority Leader.
“Mitch McConnell’s tenure as Senate Majority Leader has been bad for Mainers,” said Willy Ritch, executive director of 16 Counties Coalition. “His agenda, like giveaways for corporate special interests and stacking the federal bench with his hand-picked appointees, have come at the expense of everyday Mainers. If Susan Collins is serious about putting the interests of Mainers first, she should take a stand to prevent Mitch McConnell from controlling the Senate’s agenda for another two years.”
Since he took the helm as Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell has been on the wrong side of nearly every issue important to Mainers. McConnell has:
- Used the 2017 Republican tax cuts, which gave billions in giveaways to corporate special interests and the one percent at the expense of everyday Mainers, to end the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual mandate, providing the basis for the current SCOTUS challenge to repeal the ACA, and jeopardizing access to health care for 98,000 Mainers.
- Exploited the coronavirus stimulus package to give millionaires $135 billion in taxpayer-funded giveaways.
- Turned the Senate into a legislative graveyard, except for appointments of federal judges hand-picked by the Trump administration.
AS THOUSANDS OF MAINERS FILE NEW CLAIMS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT SUSAN COLLINS AND MITCH MCCONNELL REFUSE TO PROTECT INCOMES FOR WORKING FAMILIES
With the Incomes of Millions of Workers Due to Be Cut At the End of the Month If Congress Doesn’t Act, Susan Collins Refuses to Push Mitch McConnell to Extend Unemployment Insurance Keeping Working Families out of Poverty
Portland, MAINE — Today, the US Department of Labor announced that over 1.3 million Americans, including thousands of Mainers, filed new claims for unemployment last week. This news comes as new coronavirus infections have hit record highs, and the unemployment insurance that many workers have relied on to stave off poverty and keep their families safe during the pandemic, is set to expire.
Maine Senator Susan Collins has expressed skepticism about extending the unemployment insurance, echoing Senate Majority Mitch McConnell, who opposes the extension. A recent fact sheet released by 16 Counties Coalition shows how access to this insurance, which is set to expire June 30th, has helped Mainers to make ends meet during the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Mainers are struggling, and we need Congress to act to ensure working families aren’t left without adequate support,” said Willy Ritch, executive director of 16 Counties Coalition. “Mainers need Susan Collins to stand up to Mitch McConnell and protect their access to this lifeline for the duration of the pandemic.”
In an appearance on a podcast sponsored by the Maine Chamber of Commerce, Senator Collins said, “To me what we should do is make people whole but not make them better off not working than working. And I’ve heard from countless employers that because their employees are actually better off not working they are having a hard time getting them to come back.”
Not only do these anti-worker talking points ignore that we’re in the middle of a dangerous pandemic, but they also ignore the fact that people receiving unemployment insurance are “more likely to look for jobs,” according to a recent report from the Chicago Federal Reserve.
# # #About the 16 Counties Coalition The 16 Counties Coalition is a year-long grassroots advocacy campaign aimed at amplifying the voices of families and working Mainers and encouraging Senator Susan Collins to vote in favor of the people she was elected to represent and defend. The campaign will mobilize members through small- and large-scale events, through digital action, and paid television, radio, and digital ads.
