Note: This analysis uses AI to help identify potential outreach strategies for space science issues. Because it uses AI, it is important to understand the sources and limitations of this analysis.
Space-related committee assignments (if present), and additional sources (if present), are from congress.gov and a direct output of a targeted web search.
Opportunities, challenges, overall summary, and preparation recommendations are products of AI analyses. The biography uses AI to summarize key aspects of the member's Wikipedia page.
All AI-generated claims, assessments, and recommendations should be independently verified.
This is an experimental feature, and intended to provide guidance and inspiration for outreach strategies for your meeting. Feedback is welcome: casey.dreier@planetary.org.
NASA-related Committee Assignments or Caucuses
Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations
Member, Senate Committee on Appropriations: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Overall Summary
Senator Collins, as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and its Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee, is uniquely positioned to influence NASA's budget, and her committee has recently resisted proposed cuts to NASA science for FY2026. She has a documented history of criticizing federal science funding cuts and advocating for increased research investment, aligning with the goal of supporting NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Furthermore, significant NASA science contracts and grants in Maine, including for thermal protection systems and Earth system science research, provide a clear local economic and research incentive for her support.
Despite these opportunities, Senator Collins also maintains a commitment to fiscal restraint and must balance a wide array of federal funding demands, which could limit the potential for substantial increases in NASA science funding. The current administration's proposed deep cuts to the Science Mission Directorate create a challenging budgetary environment that her committee must actively counter. While her track record suggests she will likely defend against severe cuts, securing significant new investments will require compelling advocacy to overcome competing priorities and her general inclination towards reducing overall spending.
Preparation Recommendations
Consider researching the local economic impact and job creation associated with NASA Science Mission Directorate contracts and grants awarded to Maine entities like Fiber Materials Inc. in Biddeford and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, to highlight tangible benefits to her constituents.
Explore how increased investment in NASA's space science activities aligns with Senator Collins's stated commitment to opposing cuts to federal science funding and her leadership as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in maintaining robust research budgets.
Look into how NASA science initiatives, particularly those involving Earth system science and climate research, contribute to and benefit from the STEM education and research infrastructure investments Senator Collins has championed in Maine, such as those at the University of Maine System.
About Susan M. Collins
Graduated St. Lawrence University magna cum laude with a B.A. in Government (1975).
Served as a legislative assistant and staff director for Senator William Cohen.
Held various state and federal executive branch positions before Senate election.
Criticized Trump administration for cutting science funding and firing federal scientists (2025).
Opportunities
Appropriations Committee Chairmanship: Senator Collins, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and a member of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, holds a powerful position to influence NASA's budget, and the committee under her leadership recently pushed back against proposed FY2026 cuts to NASA science, aiming to maintain funding levels.
Opposition to Science Funding Cuts: Senator Collins has publicly criticized proposed cuts to federal science funding, stating that such actions "put our leadership in biomedical innovation at real risk and must be reversed," and has actively worked to increase funding for research.
Direct Local NASA Science Contracts: Maine-based entities, including Fiber Materials Inc. in Biddeford and the University of Maine System, have received significant NASA Science Mission Directorate contracts and grants for projects such as Thermal Protection Systems for SMD missions and Earth system science research. (USAspending, FY2022-FY2024)
Bipartisan Approach to Funding: As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins has demonstrated a commitment to advancing appropriations bills with bipartisan support, including the Commerce-Justice-Science bill which funds NASA, indicating a potential for collaborative efforts to support NASA science.
Advocacy for STEM and Research Infrastructure: Senator Collins has championed investments in science education and research infrastructure in Maine, including securing Congressionally Directed Spending for facilities that expand science education and entrepreneurship, which supports the broader scientific ecosystem relevant to NASA.
Challenges
Fiscal Restraint Stance: Senator Collins has expressed a commitment to reducing "excessive spending" and has supported rescissions in appropriations bills, indicating a general inclination towards fiscal conservatism that could constrain growth in NASA science funding.
Competing Appropriations Priorities: As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Collins balances a wide array of federal funding demands, with a stated emphasis on national defense and other non-science areas, which could limit the allocation for NASA's science activities.
Executive Branch Budgetary Pressure: The current administration has proposed significant cuts to NASA's Science Mission Directorate, creating a challenging budgetary environment that Senator Collins's committee must actively counter to maintain or grow science funding.