U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, could soon become leader of the Senate’s powerful appropriations committee. Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press

The Republican takeover of the U.S. Senate means Maine’s senior senator is poised to become leader of the upper chamber’s powerful appropriations committee.

But Sen. Susan Collins, who has been the highest-ranking minority member of the committee, is not guaranteed that promotion because Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is reportedly considering using his seniority to take over the post.

If Collins does end up leading the committee, it could create some challenging and uncomfortable interactions with the incoming Trump administration.

Collins was one of seven Republican senators to vote to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and she refused to endorse his reelection bid, saying she planned to cast a write-in vote for Nikki Haley instead. And Trump will likely need the committee’s support to carry out some of his more ambitious, and controversial, initiatives.

Trump was elected by a wide margin on Tuesday, becoming the first Republican since 2004 to win the popular vote and the Electoral College. On election night, he declared, “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.”

Democrats had a slim majority in the U.S. Senate headed into Tuesday’s election, limiting Collins’ ability to influence federal spending decisions made by the committee. As of Friday, Republicans were projected to pick up three Senate seats, giving them 52 members and a two-seat majority. That shift will put Republicans in control of Senate committees and give Trump an advantage to confirm his appointees, including administrative officials.

Collins is currently the vice chair of the appropriations committee. If she’s promoted to chair as expected, she could be asked to help implement some of Trump’s campaign promises, including mass deportation of immigrants, drastic spending cuts that Democrats warned could threaten Social Security and eliminating federal agencies, like the U.S. Department of Education.

Nicolas Jacobs, assistant government professor at Colby College, said Collins could find herself in a difficult position as the top appropriator, especially if Trump plans to advance conservative policies contained in Project 2025.

“She might have the opportunity to shape (Trump’s agenda), but it might not be what she wants, and it could put her in an incredibly difficult spot if she’s planning on running for reelection in just two years,” Jacobs said.

Project 2025 was drafted by former Trump officials and allies at the Heritage Foundation. Proposals include curtailing abortion access and the repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act, which lowered some prescription drug costs for seniors.

Democrats tried to tie Project 2025 to Trump, but he disavowed it during the campaign.

A spokesperson said that Collins was not available on Friday to talk about the election results and what it would mean for her political future and for Maine.

“Of course, it is Senator McConnell’s prerogative to make his own decisions given his seniority, but Senator Collins fully anticipates that in the next Congress, she will be the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee,” Annie Clark said in an email.

The Senate appropriations committee is responsible for making detailed and far-reaching spending decisions. As chair, Collins would be able to control the budgeting process, lead negotiations and set the agenda for the committee.

And that could include funding important projects in Maine. Collins, who will be the seventh most senior member of the Senate, has secured more than $1 billion worth of earmarks for 514 projects in Maine since Congress ended a ban on earmarks in 2021, according to her office.

That doesn’t include earmarks, known as Congressionally Directed Spending, included in fiscal 2025 spending bills that have not yet been signed.

Collins has secured nearly $361 million in earmarks this year – second only to McConnell’s nearly $499 million, according to an analysis by Roll Call, which found that 15 of the top 20 earmarkers were Senate appropriations members.

“(Collins) would have an extraordinary amount of power to pull spending bills through the logjam of congressional negotiations and enact it as law and send the checks as it were,” Jacobs said.

Appropriations bills would need to get the support of both chambers before being sent to Trump. And Republicans are increasingly confident they will retain the House of Representatives, though with a continued small majority.

Ronald Schmidt Jr., chair of political science at the University of Southern Maine, said that in “a normal Congress,” Collins would have more power to address challenges confronting Maine, including housing costs, education, an aging population and infrastructure.

But, Schmidt said, “we haven’t seen a normal Congress in a while,” especially in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has had difficulty finding agreement among his caucus.

“For a budget to pass, it needs a majority on both sides, and Speaker Johnson has been challenged in doing that kind of work,” Schmidt said. “The House Freedom Caucus and the right wing of the GOP in the House don’t really incentivize getting budgets done smoothly or with an eye towards long-term planning.”

Meanwhile, McConnell is considering leading the appropriations committee himself, Axios and Politico reported over the summer. Roll Call reported last month that such a move would be unlikely, although some observers expected McConnell to use his seniority to lead the appropriations subcommittee on defense, on which Collins is the ranking member.

McConnell, who is expected to step down as the Republican Senate leader after the new Congress is seated, told reporters on Wednesday that he plans to focus on defense and foreign policy next year. McConnell said he hasn’t decided whether he wants to chair the appropriations committee while suggesting he wouldn’t need that post to be effective.

“I haven’t made a decision,” McConnell said when asked about the appropriations chair. “I hope, as a former leader, guys will care what I think anyway, and I don’t think it will have anything to do with committee assignments.”

A Republican Senate also will make it easier for Trump to secure appointments for high-level administration officials and U.S. Supreme Court justices, should any vacancies arise.

Trump has talked about having Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a vaccine opponent, oversee public health care, and having billionaire Elon Musk spearhead an effort to drastically reduce federal spending and the size of government.

Jacobs said Collins could find herself in a position similar to Sen. Joe Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Both are former Democrats-turned-independents who helped temper and block some of Biden’s spending plans in the Senate.

“Even though Republicans will not have as slim of a majority as the Democratic Party has had the last couple of years, Collins is going to find herself in a position that Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have found themselves in, as being necessary for cobbling together a majority, potentially stifling and at times have the ability to put the handbrake on many pieces of legislation or appointments,” Jacobs said. “It won’t be as significant, but she will play a role that’s similar to that.”

When Trump was first in office, Collins expressed concern about Trump’s personality, style and some of his policies, but she ultimately stood with him on important votes, including efforts to solidify the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court that eventually overturned abortion protections that had existed for 50 years under Roe v. Wade.

But she also was one of just a few Republican senators who blocked a Trump-backed attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017.

Collins could once again be an important vote, including on important confirmations.

“If Republicans must include her in their majority, she’s almost always going to be in that pivotal spot as one of the most liberal members of the Republican coalition, and they are going to try and pull her rightward as much as possible,” Jacobs said. “That middle position has a lot of opportunities but it’s also going to create a number of potential pitfalls.”