Senator Collins floor speech on stimulus compromise

Parts 1 & 2:

CNN:Republican senator on stimulus: 'We're close'

from CNN:

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and other Republicans in an early morning meeting told CNN Radio that they've handed over a list of potential cuts to Democratic leaders and are waiting for a response.

"The ball's really in their court," Collins said. A few hours later, Collins walked out of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office smiling and told reporters, "We're close."

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Senator Collins on NBC Nightly News

Washington Post: A Horse and Pony Show

From Dana Milbank's column in the Washington Post:

Lawmakers, the saying goes, are either workhorses or show horses. As they debated the economic stimulus package yesterday, senators took this truism a step further: The workhorses and the show horses split into rival herds and began whinnying at each other.

The workhorses -- an ad hoc group of 18 moderates and dealmakers from both parties -- holed up in a committee room on the third floor of the Dirksen Building, tossed out their staff and got to work on a compromise plan that could get bipartisan support.

The workhorses, taking a lunch break so some of them could confer with the White House about the compromise, were pleased with their labors.

The show horses -- including the leadership of both parties -- gave speeches on the Senate floor and news conferences either to trade blame for partisan deadlock or to denounce the Group of 18's dealmaking efforts.

"It is unusual to think of senators actually doing that kind of painstaking, thorough work," said Susan Collins (Maine), leader of the Republican workhorses.

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Abandoning six-day mail delivery is unacceptable

Column by Senator Susan Collins, from Foster's:

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has traditionally prided itself on the fact that "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night" can keep its carriers from the "swift completion of their appointed rounds." That is why I was astonished to hear that the USPS is considering reducing mail delivery from six days a week to just five.

Postmaster General John Potter recently made this unexpected recommendation during a hearing before a subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, of which I am the ranking member. The purpose of this hearing was to examine the impact of the current economic crisis on the U.S. Postal Service.

There is no doubt that the recession is affecting virtually every sector of our economy, including the postal service. The statistics are alarming. Maine's unemployment rate hit a 16-year high of seven percent at year's end, with widespread job losses in the retail, forest products, construction, boatbuilding, publishing, and hospitality industries.

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CQ: Senate Sees Finish Line for Stimulus

from CQ Politics:

Senate Democratic leaders hope to finish work on an economic stimulus bill Thursday as moderates from both parties push for spending cuts in the package, arguing that they are the best way to secure a bipartisan vote.

Ben Nelson , D-Neb., and Susan Collins , R-Maine, are leading the moderates’ effort, even as the Senate added billions more in spending provisions and tax cuts Wednesday evening, including a major expansion of a tax credit for homebuyers.

Both lawmakers met individually with President Obama earlier in the day, as he again urged quick passage of the legislation, warning that any delay could have dire consequences for the economy.

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CBS Evening News: Senator Collins meets with Obama

from tonight's CBS Evening News: