WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine said Tuesday that they didn’t like their options as they weighed two rival spending measures that would fund the federal government through Sept. 30.

Collins dismissed a proposal by Senate Democrats, backed by the White House, that would cut $4.5 billion through the end of the 2011 fiscal year as not nearly sufficient “given the seriousness of the deficit problem.”

But Collins said in a Capitol Hill interview Tuesday that she also doesn’t support the House GOP-approved bill, which would cut $61 billion. That measure includes drastic cuts to programs she supports, such as low-income heating assistance and weatherization, and Head Start.

Snowe said Senate Democrats weren’t offering up enough cuts, and criticized Democratic leaders for not allowing Republicans to offer a middle ground to bridge the wide gap between the Democratic proposal and the House GOP bill. Snowe also said she was concerned about the severity of the House GOP cuts to programs such as heating assistance.

“The best way to proceed would be to avoid partisan all-or-nothing, up-or-down votes,” Snowe said.

Procedural votes on the two bills were on tap to occur today. It is a near-certainty that neither will gain the 60 votes needed to cut off debate and proceed to a final vote.

Collins said she might vote yes in the procedural vote on the House GOP bill to send a message, but that her real message to Senate leaders of both parties is that the procedural votes are not needed. What is needed, she said, are meaningful negotiations designed to forge a compromise that can actually pass the Senate.

“Why don’t we get serious and sit down and negotiate a bill for which there would be 60 votes?” Collins said. “I am trying to encourage both sides not to have ‘message’ votes.”

Collins said she supports cuts that zero in on things like $3 billion worth of ethanol subsidies through the end of the year, and improper Medicaid and Medicare payments. Among the cuts she supports in the House GOP bill is the elimination of an alternate engine for the F-35 fighter jet, a $465 million savings just for this year.

“That’s what we want,” said Collins, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Real savings that are also good policy.”

Snowe said that “ultimately, we should be permitted thorough and thoughtful debate in the Senate on the level and substance of this bill, and I find it astounding the Democratic majority has decided not to even consider any changes to a $1 trillion spending measure.”

Washington Bureau Chief Jonathan Riskind can be contacted at 791-6280 or at: jriskind@mainetoday.com

 

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