Sen. Susan Collins explodes at ‘sexist’ media for reports she was ‘duped’ on GOP tax bill

Does it surprise anyone to see a Republican who voted to save Obamacare now parroting the left’s “sexism” talking points?

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) on Tuesday complained about the media’s coverage of her role in the GOP tax plan, calling it “unbelievably sexist.”

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Collins found accusations that she was “duped” into supporting the tax bill “extremely discouraging,” Politico reports.

The tax plan, which has the support of President Trump, was passed in the Senate early Wednesday morning by 51-48 vote.

Collins was seen as a swing vote due to her role in derailing Obamacare repeal attempts earlier this year.

Her vote against the “skinny” Obamacare repeal bill and opposition to the Graham-Cassidy block grant legislation were critical in halting the elimination of Barack Obama’s signature policy.

The Maine Senator voted for the Republican tax plan based on promises from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that Congress will pass legislation aimed at stabilizing Obamacare in exchange.

House Republicans have voiced opposition to providing insurers with “bailout,” causing observers to question the plausibility of passing Collins’ desired legislation–despite McConnell’s assurances.

Sarah Sanders crushes Congressman for fake news: ‘Dear @TedLieu – I don’t serve in Congress, but I can read …’

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite).

This led to commentators who previously praised Collins’ actions on Obamacare now saying the senator was tricked into granting her vote with promises that won’t be fulfilled.

Collins called the criticism “sexist.”

“I believe that the coverage has been unbelievably sexist, and I cannot believe that the press would have treated another senator with 20 years of experience as they have treated me,” she said.

The Republican lawmaker asserted she was not “duped,” but was an active contributor in the final tax legislation.

“They’ve ignored everything that I’ve gotten and written story after story about how I’m duped,” Collins continued. “How am I duped when all your amendments get accepted?”

Collins pointed to changes she secured in the final version of the bill, including keeping a deduction for major medical expenses, capping state and local tax deductions, and giving hospitals access to tax-exempt private activity bonds.

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais).

“The list goes on and on,” Collins maintained. “[Ohio Sen.] Rob Portman would tell you that I’ve had more impact than anybody who was not a conferee.”

She also took issue with a New York Times story that alleged Collins “didn’t cry” when she met with protesters of the tax bill who had serious medical conditions. The line was removed after Collins complained.

The senator said:

“I can’t imagine a reporter writing that about a male senator meeting with the same group, and, in fact, I have proof because they met with [Arizona Sen.] Jeff Flake. So it’s been extremely discouraging to see the press coverage on this given the significant impact that I’ve had on this bill.”

Here are the 12 Republicans who voted against tax reform

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite).

Although the moderate Collins has been a target of conservatives, she affirmed support for the GOP tax plan.

“We’ve had a lot of protesters, including those that have staked out my home on Sunday mornings, but we’ve also had a great deal of support,” Collins said.

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

PLEASE JOIN OUR NEW COMMENT SYSTEM! We love hearing from our readers and invite you to join us for feedback and great conversation. If you've commented with us before, we'll need you to re-input your email address for this. The public will not see it and we do not share it.

Latest Articles