In the first episode of Season Two, Alex sits down with US Senator Susan Collins to talk about international politics, including the safety of the world today, from Russia to Ukraine. They also touch base on various domestic policy issues including the marriage equality law recently passed, bipartisanship in Washington, and her work on finding treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. On a lighter note- ever wonder what music Susan Collins listens to? You can find out…if you tune in.
Podcast Transcript:
AS 00:07
Today, we are so honored to be joined by our fine Senator Susan Collins. Senator, thank you so much for joining us.
SC 00:17
My pleasure, Alex, it's great to be with you.
AS 00:20
First, I need to ask: you have a new high profile job in Washington this year as the vice chair of the Appropriations Committee. Can you tell us about this new role and what it means for Maine?
SC 00:33
It's very exciting to be the vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, which arguably is the most powerful committee in the United States Senate. I've served on the committee for many years working my way up, I was a subcommittee chair and ranking member for many years of the subcommittee that oversaw transportation and funded housing programs. Now under my purview, and that of the Democratic chair of the committee, Patty Murray, is $1.7 trillion dollars. So just imagine that all of the Department of Defense, health care and education programs, with the exception of Medicare and Medicaid, transportation, housing, environmental programs, you name it, any kind of program that requires an annual appropriation comes under our jurisdiction. So we have a lot to do. I'm also excited, because for the first time in history, the four women who had the appropriations committees in both the Senate and the House, it'll be four women. That's never been, four women.
AS
That is so exciting.
SC
So we've got to do a great job.
AS 02:01
I have no doubt. I don't think anyone does. So turning to a more somber topic, what can you tell us about the latest in Ukraine? I know you went to Ukraine last May with a group of senators. What was it like?
SC 02:17
It was the most extraordinary trip that I've ever taken. It was a very long trip. We flew first to Poland. There were four of us. And then we took a very long secret train ride into Ukraine, that I can't give you any details about. We arrived in Kyiv eventually, through other means of transportation as well. And President Solinsky strode into the square to meet us. One of the most moving moments was when a Ukrainian woman spotted on my lapel my Ukrainian and American flag pen. And she came up to me, hugged me and with tears in her eyes said, “thank you, America!” And she then raised her eyes and said it brief prayer. The Ukrainians are extraordinarily brave. They are fighting a battle against a country that is an adversary of ours. And I hope people keep that in mind. That this is not helping Ukraine is not only the right thing to do from a moral and humanitarian perspective, but it's very much in America's national interest. And the Ukrainians have degraded the Russian Army, an Army that poses a threat to us in ways that we never could have guessed. I spent, along with the three other senators, two hours talking with President Solinsky, in which he outlined very specifically his requests. And let me make clear he's not requesting that American troops go to Ukraine. They are fighting the battle themselves. But they do need munitions, they need weapons, they need humanitarian assistance. And Putin would not stop at Ukraine, if he was successful. And taking over that country, he would menace the Baltic states, like Estonia, he would also seize Moldova, in my view, and he would destabilize all of Western and Eastern Europe. His dream is to recreate the former Soviet Union. And he's been very blunt about that, that that is what he sees as his mission. So I know that some of the American public is getting weary of this war. But think what it must feel like for the Ukrainians to have their schools, their hospitals, their civilian apartment buildings targeted, and to be literally the bulwark in Europe against Russian aggression. But I will tell you, I think President Solinsky is one of the most inspiring leaders I have ever met in my life. He really has risen to the occasion, united to his country, and NATO. And just now we have a new member of NATO, Finland, which is wonderful because Finland shares an 835 mile border with Russia. I met with the Finnish President, and he took us out back of this house during this trip. And he showed us how close St. Petersburg is, and the Baltic states. So I think this was a miscalculation by Putin, because it inspired both Finland and Sweden to abandon their years, their decades, in the case of Sweden, 200 years of neutrality.
AS 06:23
How concerned should Mainers be about Russia's involvement with China and Syria and Iraq?
SC 06:30
Very concerned! Russia clearly is seeking to build a new alliance with China. And, and it's directed at us. Let's make no mistake about that. And that's why our actions in helping the Ukrainians send a very important signal to China, as well as Russia, as China, a eyes a campaign or an invasion against Taiwan. So this new closer alliance between China and Russia is very dangerous. And Russia's, and Iran's alliance is also very troubling. The Iranians have been providing drones to the Russians that they've been using to attack the Ukrainians.
AS
That's a lot.
SC
Just one other comment on that. We should not forget that Iran remains the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world.
AS 07:50
That's scary. Well, coming back to domestic policy, you are a leader in the Respect for Marriage Act that was just passed a few months ago. Is this a sign that bipartisan work can actually still happen in Washington, DC?
SC 08:08
It certainly is. A group of us on both sides of the aisle got together to make sure that should the supreme court overturn the decision that legalized same sex marriages, that there would be federal law that required states to recognize the same sex marriages of other states. This legislation also included very strong religious liberty protections. And it showed that you could bring together what many people would think would be people on very different sides of the issue toward a common goal. Our legislation makes very clear that no church, no synagogue, no mosque, would have to perform a same sex marriage ceremony, in contradiction to that faith’s tenets. And instead, we're talking about civil marriage and the rights and responsibilities that come with that. I'm proud of my role in working with both religious groups and with the advocacy groups for the LGBTQ community and coming up with legislation that will remove a cloud of doubt over the legality of same sex marriages, inheritance rights, the right to raise children, all love those kinds of typical rights and responsibilities attendant to marriage. And the fact that we got over 60 votes was highly significant. It was also very gratifying to get letters from everyone from the Mormon Church and the Seventh Day Adventist and the Council of Christian churches and universities in support of the bill, as well as the advocacy groups for same sex marriage. It shows that if you're willing to listen to people, and compromise, and that you often can accommodate, what if first appeared to be disparate views. But if you listen carefully, you can often find common ground. And that's what we did.
AS 10:47
Well, I know there's a lot of Mainers that are thankful to you for that, and there was a lot of in state support. So, another area that I know you have a lot of influence in and care very much about is Alzheimer's and Alzheimer's research. Is there anything you want to fill us in on in that area?
SC 11:04
There are two areas that I'd love to touch on. First, we reached a record high in the amount of funding that's going to be dedicated to Alzheimer's research. It’s $3.7 billion dollars. And that is a sufficient amount of funding so that we will be able to test some promising new drugs, explored what appeared to be some lifestyle factors, and continue the important research and clinical trials. Many people don't know, but we have clinical trials on Alzheimer's going on in Bangor at Acadia hospital. And I'm very proud of that. Jackson laboratories also is doing vital research in this area. The second bit of news that is more frustrating, there has been a new, I’’ll be it, expensive medication to treat those who are in the earlier stages of this devastating disease. Unfortunately, even though this drug has been approved by the FDA, which has responsibility for drug approvals, the agency that runs Medicare named CMS is blocking access to that drug for many patients, unless they're in a clinical trial. This makes no sense. We have over 200, Alzheimer's researchers right to the agency and say the evidence is then we have third stage clinical trials showing that it slows, that this drug slows the rate of cognitive decline in people with an early and moderate stages. And I questioned the Secretary of HHS about this at a hearing just recently, and he could not come up with a good reason. He just was saying we need more evidence. The evidence is in! Clinical trials have continued! And frankly, it's not the job of CMS to say which drugs can be used and which can't be. That's the FDA’s job. And the FDA, the Federal Food and Drug Administration, gave expedited approval to this drug, so that it could get to patients while further research was going on. This issue is both personal and policy from my perspective. I lost my father, my grandfather, and two uncles to this devastating disease. And I saw the role of caregivers, which is so difficult. My mother took care of my father at home for about eight years before he spent the last months of his life in the veterans home in caribou. And it took a real toll on her as well. It's also one of our nation's most costly diseases. So for all of these reasons, I think this investment, which I've pushed hard for as the founder of the Alzheimer's caucus many years ago and I've continued it, is vital, vital to so many families.
AS 14:46
I can relate firsthand because my mother had dementia towards the end and my father took care of her and I can't even imagine the length of Alzheimer's and how long it goes on for. So I'm sorry you and your family went through that and I'm sure all families are thankful to you for everything you're doing.
SC 15:04
Well, so many families have had this experience. And I feel particularly bad for friends that I know, who have loved ones, usually a spouse with early onset Alzheimer's. I take some comfort in the fact that at least my father was eighty before he had this devastating disease. But it was still awful. And there's, there's no worse feeling than to look in the eyes of a loved one, and receive only a confused look and return.
AS 15:41
You know so much about so many different topics I have to ask you. What is it that you digest? Like, what are your news sources? What do you read? What music do you listen to? How do we be like you?
SC 16:01
Well, first of all, let me credit my staff. I have a terrific staff that keeps me very well informed. I have six offices within the state. The heads of those office write me a report that's very detailed each week on what's going on in their area. And my press team in Washington puts together daily clips that have to be done by 8:30 in the morning, so they get up mighty early. And that includes both national publications, state, and television clips, a whole variety. And I also learn a lot from my constituents, from meeting with them. We mentioned Alzheimer's, people with diabetes, another one of my causes, were down just recently for a conference on diabetes, particularly focused on type one, which we used to call juvenile diabetes. And it was constituents who sparked my interest in helping those with diabetes. I go to a lot of hearings, and as the new ranking Republican on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I have to tell you, I never knew there were so many generals in the Pentagon. And I swear every one of them wants to brief me. But just, literally, just to recently, in my office for an hour, I met with the Secretary of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations, and Commandant of the Marine Corps. And it was a great opportunity for me to bring up the size of our Navy and shipbuilding Bath Iron Works, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to talk about the many contributions that the state of Maine makes to our national security. And I learned from them. And it is an advantage of having served a number of years now. I've been able to serve on different committees and to be able to get educated on a lot of issues, but I couldn't do it without my great staff.
AS 18:18
And in your moments off, any moments off, what music do you listen to?
SC 18:24
Well, I have to confess, that my favorite music still remains the music that I grew up with in high school and college. And whether just recently, Joni Mitchell's won the Gershwin Prize from the Library of Congress. And I was able to go to that presentation and saw James Taylor's sing some of her songs. And he's one of my favorites too. And Billy Joel I went to a concert of his, so I also liked Cyndi Lauper the more in some more modern performers, but, and I like classical music as well. I took piano lessons for 14 years, in caribou and I haven't played as an adult, unfortunately, much at all. But someday I will get back to that.
AS 19:23
There's time for that, but no one's gonna fault you for loving James Taylor and Joni Mitchell or Billy Joel. And if they do, we can have a conversation. I love Billy Joel and James Taylor. In fact, I saw James Taylor in Bangor not so long ago.
SC 19:40
Did you? Oh, I would have loved that. Well, I have a picture in my office of me at a Bangor concert with Cyndi Lauper and Rod Stewart. Another of my favorites.
AS 19:52
Absolutely. So all concerts aside, what is your ideal day in Maine? What is it look like? What is Hold?
SC 20:01
My ideal day is being at my camp at Coldstream pond, and going out in the kayak with my husband. We've got one of those ones that is a double kayak. A kayak with my husband and our black lab pepper who loves the water, as you can imagine, and being out on the lake. Now, I will confess, that in my more compulsive moments, I bring my cell phone. But I tried to leave it on shore. And then, having for dinner that night, lobster, a good a rustic baked potato, a salad, and wild blueberry pie or cobbler.
AS
Can I come?
SC
Absolutely!
AS
That sounds awesome!
SC
And that to me, that's a day you can't beat.
AS 20:56
Nope. That's a core memory kind of day, as they say.
SC
Absolutely.
AS
Is there anything else you'd like to say to the audience? Are there any other thoughts you have, parting words you'd like to leave the audience with?
SC 21:07
Well, I probably should have mentioned when we were talking about appropriations, that this position allows me to do even more for Maine. And last year, I was successful in securing more than $300 million for 180 projects across the state of Maine. And I'm proud of that. They ranged from PFAS research, to child care projects, to workforce development in healthcare and nursing programs, to transportation projects. And I love being able to help small communities. For example, in Greenfield to replace a really outmoded and even decrepit fire station. And but all over the state. To do projects like that means a great deal to me, because I know I'm helping people directly. And in addition, my six state offices helped more than 4,500 Mainers with individual cases with federal agencies. Say difficulty in getting Social Security or veterans benefits, that's very satisfying as well. And finally making sure that Maine's voices always heard in Washington. In my 26 years serving the people of Maine, I have never missed a roll call vote. And believe me, that takes a lot of work. Plus, I've been blessed with good health.
AS 22:49
They should be giving out awards for that, if you ask me. Senator Collins, thank you so much for stopping by and chatting with us.
SC 22:56
Thank you, Alex.
AS 22:57
Thank you for everything you're doing for Maine.
SC 22:59
Thanks, so much. Thank you.
AS 23:06
Thank you for joining us for this episode of Sarah speaks. Our podcast dedicated to issues in and about Maine, where we talk to those who write the headlines, make the headlines, and are behind the headlines. Please be sure to hit follow and subscribe and stay tuned for new episodes.