Susan Collins | The Ohio Star

Four Republican Senators Who Voted Against Reinstating Troops Who Refused the Vaccine

December 18, 2022December 17, 2022 Ohio Star Staff

Four Republican senators joined Democrats in shooting down an amendment to a massive defense authorization package that would have reinstated troops discharged for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the Senate 83-11 Thursday night, and along with it a provision overturning the Biden administration’s service-wide vaccine requirement. Republican Senators Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mike Rounds of South Dakota voted no on a last-minute amendment to the bill re-enlisting thousands of troops separated for refusing the vaccine mandate, collapsing the proposal 54 to 40.

Retiring Ohio Senator Portman Helps Codify Gay Marriage into Law

December 1, 2022November 30, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

Same-sex marriage is on track to becoming codified in federal statute and retiring U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) is celebrating his role as a key driver of the change.

In 2013, Portman became the first Republican senator to support redefining marriage as something other than the matrimonial union between one man and one woman. He attributed his reversal of his prior opposition to gay marriage to his son having come out two years earlier.

Sen. Mike Lee’s Amendment to Safeguard Religious Liberty for Americans Who Hold to Traditional Marriage Fails By One Vote

November 30, 2022November 30, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Senator Mike Lee’s (R-UT) religious liberty amendment to the Democrats’ same-sex marriage bill failed by just one vote, 48-49, an outcome that, if the legislation is signed into law, could give a green light to the federal government’s retaliation against nonprofit faith organizations, such as schools and businesses, whose religious beliefs are incompatible with gay marriage.

Senate Democrats voted Tuesday, 61-36, to codify same-sex marriage into federal law with the help of 12 Republicans, as the Senate Press Gallery noted.

U.S. Senate to Vote on ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ as Several Groups Question its Constitutionality

November 28, 2022November 27, 2022 The Center Square

Several groups argue the Respect for Marriage Act (ROMA) currently before the U.S. Senate is unconstitutional, and if enacted, will eventually be struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The bill, HR 8404, was introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-NY, on July 18 and passed by a vote of 267-157 the next day. The U.S. Senate took it up on November 14.

Senate Advances Bill Enshrining Same-Sex Marriage Agenda in Federal Law with Significant Republican Support

November 17, 2022November 16, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) moved for a procedural vote Wednesday on legislation that would enshrine same-sex marriage in federal law and block any states refusing to recognize such marriages.

The bill also would provide federal protection for interracial marriage.

Mitch McConnell Backs Electoral Count Reform Bill Ted Cruz Warns All Republicans to Oppose

September 29, 2022September 28, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced Tuesday he will back legislation that intends to make it more difficult in the future to object to the results of presidential elections.

The Electoral Count Act and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, a bill sponsored by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and supported by other liberal-moderate Republicans, was dismissed, nevertheless, by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who said it is based on Democrats’ belief voter fraud “helps elect more Democrats.”

Commentary: America Needs a Red Flag Law For Senile Senators

June 27, 2022June 26, 2022 Admin

America’s geriatric senators increasingly represent a threat to themselves and to others. Take Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) for example. She has filed paperwork to run again in 2024, despite the fact she turns 90 next year and associates say she can’t hold a coherent conversation or remember the names of close colleagues.

This is a woman who has the power to vote to send Americans to war. Just this past spring, she helped pass legislation that sent billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine, a country currently at war with a nuclear power. America’s senators have enormous power to harm the country. They have access not just to firearms but to the world’s most powerful military force and even nuclear weapons.

Commentary: Make the Judiciary Great Again by Holding Senators Accountable

April 13, 2022April 12, 2022 Ohio Star Staff

Following four days of hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee in late March, the full Senate voted 53-47 last week to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as an associate justice of the Supreme Court—fulfilling Joe Biden’s campaign pledge to name a black woman to the high court. Three Republican senators joined their Democratic colleagues in voting to confirm Jackson—Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, Maine’s Susan Collins, and Utah’s Mitt Romney.

Imagine a slightly different scenario: a Republican president nominates someone to serve on the Supreme Court and asks a 50-50 Senate to confirm that person. You can be absolutely sure that Democrats would force the vice president to break the tie to get that nominee on the bench. Remember when, in 2016, President Trump nominated Betsy Devos to be secretary of education and Vice President Mike Pence had to break a tie, even without an evenly split Senate?

John Fredericks Interviews Former President Donald Trump

April 5, 2022April 5, 2022 Julie Carr

Tuesday morning on The John Fredericks show, host Fredericks welcomed President Donald Trump to the show to weigh in on Dr. Oz, David Perdue, and the disaster of Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp.

GOP Sen. Collins Says She’ll Vote to Confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court

March 31, 2022March 30, 2022 Ohio Star Staff

Republican Sen. Susan Collins says she’ll will vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, guaranteeing President Biden’s judicial nominee at least a slim path toward confirmation.

Jackson will need 51 votes in final Senate vote – with the chamber evenly split among 50 Democrats and 50 Republican. With no GOP support, Vice President Kamala Harris would cast the decisive, tiebreaker vote.

Collins, Murkowski Vote Against Going to Session to Consider Barrett Confirmation

October 24, 2020October 24, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voted against going into an executive session to consider the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett Friday.

The United States Senate voted 51 to 46 to go into executive session to consider the confirmation of Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. Democratic senators Kamala Harris of California, Doug Jones of Alabama, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona did not vote.

Republican Senators Murkowski and Collins Join Democrats to Defeat the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act

February 26, 2020February 25, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted with Democrats Tuesday against protecting unborn babies after 20 weeks.

Battleground State Report: The Republican ‘Usual Suspects’ Veer Left on National Emergency Vote Abandoning President Trump

March 20, 2019 Julie Carr

On Friday’s Battleground State Report with Steve Gill, Michael Patrick Leahy, and Doug Kellett – a one hour radio show from Star News Digital Media in the early stages of a national weekend syndication roll-out-the three men discussed how the “usual suspects” of the Republican party have veered left on their vote on…

Three Senate Republicans Likely to Vote in Favor of Terminating Trump’s National Emergency

February 27, 2019February 27, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Henry Rodgers Three Senate Republicans are expected to vote “yes” for a resolution in an attempt to terminate President Donald Trump’s national emergency for border wall funding. The group of three Republicans expressed their concerns with Trump’s declaration for a national emergency, saying they do not believe the…

Liberal Writers, Activists Attack ‘White Women’ Over Kavanaugh

October 9, 2018October 9, 2018 Ohio Star Staff

by Peter Hasson Liberal writers and activists responded to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation over the weekend by attacking “white women.” The New York Times on Saturday evening published an op-ed titled “White Women, Come Get Your People.” The op-ed’s author, Alexis Grenell, attacked Republican women who supported Kavanaugh as “gender traitors”…

Senator Susan Collins’ Historic Speech Lauding Constitutional Principles in Support of Justice Brett Kavanaugh

October 7, 2018October 6, 2018 Ohio Star Staff

U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) delivered remarks from the Senate floor Friday afternoon to announce her decision to vote to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. On Saturday, Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court by the United States Senate by a…