Collins Voted to Allow Trump's War that Has Driven Up Fuel Prices

As of Thursday, the average cost of gas in Maine reached $4.41 per gallon, roughly the same as the national average for gas. The price of heating oil is now at a record high of $6.02 per gallon, breaking the record of $5.92 per gallon set in May, 2022, less than three months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The average price of diesel in Maine has spiked to $6.51 per gallon. This is especially alarming because high diesel prices increase costs for ordinary people by squeezing vital industries because it powers the majority of heavy commercial, shipping and agricultural machinery. Higher diesel prices drive up the costs of groceries, shipping and household budgets. President Donald Trump has so far failed to negotiate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is choking the supply of fuel to the world and causing cost-of-living crisis. This was a war of choice and it is having devastating consequences.

It didn't have to be this way. Back in March Senator Susan Collins had a chance to stop the war in Iran, but she refused. Instead, she voted against the Iran War Powers Resolution, directing the removal of U.S. Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities against Iran. Since the war began, between 22 and 25 U.S. servicemen and women have died and 750 troops have been wounded. Human rights groups estimated that between 1,701 and 3,636 Iranian civilians have been killed in the conflict. Meanwhile, working-class Mainers are paying the cost for the war at the grocery store, at the gas pump and when filling up their oil tanks. Although Collins has since flipped her position, it’s too little too late and the Senate leadership she voted for has been unwilling to pass a War Powers Resolution to reign in the President’s war.

While Collins claims to be one of the powerful Senators in Washington, she has exerted little influence on Trump’s foreign policy agenda that will cause extreme hardships for Mainers. It’s time to elect a Senator who will stand up to the President and his foolish foreign policies: Troy Jackson.