Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, warned that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s widespread firings of the federal workforce are a “big problem,” expressing concern about how they could affect her home state.
Newsweek has reached out to Collins’ press team for comment via email on Sunday.
Why It Matters
Since taking office just over a month ago, Trump has pledged to dramatically reduce federal costs and shrink the government workforce, mainly through the White House task force known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is helmed by Musk.
Some Democrats and Trump critics have warned of a looming “constitutional crisis,” accusing Trump of overstepping presidential authority and disregarding legal constraints, claims the White House has refuted. The administration has faced a flurry of lawsuits on the matter.
Including Collins, only a handful of Republican lawmakers have expressed concerns about the criteria for the mass firings and their potential long-term repercussions.
What To Know
In a video posted on Sunday to X, formerly Twitter, Collins told CNN earlier this week that she is “very concerned” about the firings and their “impact on the state of Maine, on everything from our national parks to biomedical research.”
Maine has four national parks, including Acadia, and is home to several notable biomedical research labs, most notably The Jackson Laboratory. Recent layoffs of about 1,000 National Park Service employees are expected to affect tourism due to reduced maintenance on trails and fewer visitor services.
Collins concluded, “So this is a big problem.”
Roughly 75,000 workers voluntarily left their jobs after the Trump administration gave 2 million federal employees the option to resign with the promise of eight months of salary.
Over the last month, Trump has directed federal agencies to identify the approximately 220,000 employees serving probationary periods, which typically last a year or two, and determine whether they should be let go.
In the past month, thousands of probationary employees across departments and agencies have been terminated. Probationary employees refer to more recent federal hires and include individuals who may be long-serving but move to new positions, agencies, or are promoted.
Some career government workers have also said they were laid off without warning.
Another Republican lawmaker, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told CNN on Thursday that the DOGE’s “abrupt terminations” have “really been detrimental” to her home state, citing concerns over preparations for wildland fires amid cuts to the National Park Services.
Collins has broken with both her party and Trump several times before, including voting to convict Trump on a charge of incitement of insurrection during his second impeachment trial in 2021.
Earlier this week, she announced she will “oppose the president’s attempt to curtail funding for Maine,” over the state allowing transgender student-athletes to compete in girls’ sports, following Trump’s executive order barring that. Collins also suggested that state officials reevaluate their position on the matter.
Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images
What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for the federal Office of Personnel Management told Newsweek last week: “The probationary period is a continuation of the job application process, not an entitlement for permanent employment. Agencies are taking independent action in light of the recent hiring freeze and in support of the President’s broader efforts to restructure and streamline the federal government to better serve the American people at the highest possible standard.”
Annelise Waling, a recently fired U.S. Forest Service employee, told Newsweek in an interview earlier this month: “I was heartbroken and devastated. This really was a pretty incredible job where I felt very fulfilled in my soul. I feel like I was positively contributing to the world, which is all that I kind of want out of a job.”
Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on February 14: “Dozens of Alaskans – potentially over 100 in total – are being fired as part of the Trump administration’s reduction-in-force order for the federal government. Many of these abrupt terminations will do more harm than good, stunting opportunities in Alaska and leaving holes in our communities. We can’t realize our potential for responsible energy and mineral development if we can’t permit projects. We will be less prepared to manage summer wildfires if we can’t support those on the front lines. Our tourism economy will be damaged if we don’t maintain our world-class national parks and forests.”
What Happens Next?
The Department of Defense announced in a Friday press release the upcoming termination of “approximately 5,400 probationary workers” this week.
DOGE-driven layoffs, meanwhile, are expected to continue.
