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Albert Manville of Brunswick is a certified wildlife biologist who worked for 17 years for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He also worked as a park ranger naturalist for the National Park Service and a botanical research assistant for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He also served as a vice president for the Science Policy Division of Defenders of Wildlife, lobbying Congress and briefing the Office of Management and Budget on wildlife issues.
In Maine, the health of our economy and our environment are inextricably linked. Over the past few years, we’ve seen meaningful action taken to ensure the sustained success of working waterfronts, farms and businesses in Maine, as well as investments to make coastal communities more resilient to extreme weather events. Federal initiatives like Climate-Ready Coasts and Rural Energy for America Program have directed millions of dollars into addressing coastal hazards and lowering energy costs for businesses.
But investments like these and others that protect our environment and strengthen our communities are now under threat from Russell Vought, the nominee to run the Office of Management and Budget, which controls how taxpayer dollars are spent. I believe Vought’s extreme approach would seriously undermine and possibly cripple the fundamental role Congress plays in setting funding priorities based on the needs of their constituents.
As demonstrated during his time at the Office of Management and Budget under President Donald Trump’s first administration, Vought does not respect the role of Congress to allocate funds that reflect the needs of our nation. He has pledged to dismantle and defund federal agencies, including refusing to spend all the money Congress appropriates, undermining the integrity of the legislative process, threatening essential services on which many Americans rely, as well as ignoring the rule of law. His reckless stance on budgetary matters is exemplified by his plan to slash nondefense discretionary spending by a staggering $2.5 trillion over the next decade — cuts that would decimate vital programs for communities in Maine and across the nation.
This disregard for the will of Congress is coupled with Vought’s dangerous belief in shifting critical funding decisions away from career officials — who are experts in their fields — to political appointees. If allowed to shape the budget from the helm of the Office of Management and Budget, Vought would enable a system where science and expertise are sidelined in favor of partisan politics and political pandering, leaving the interests of everyday Americans vulnerable to political whims.
Throughout her time representing the people of Maine, Sen. Susan Collins has been clear that her priorities lie in helping Maine communities, vowing to advocate for federal programs and opportunities that protect the state’s natural resources, keep our water and air clean, create good jobs, and build resilience. Now, as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Collins is in a powerful position to stand up for Mainers and assert her responsibility to protect the integrity of the budgeting process.
I encourage Collins to vote to stop Vought’s plan to further empower political appointees who disregard the will of Congress and risk undermining the progress we have made in addressing urgent issues like climate change that are costing our nation billions, according to a nonpartisan report requested by Collins. If Vought is given free rein to withhold funds that have been lawfully appropriated by Congress, Maine communities, businesses and families will suffer.
