The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
David Remillard of Alfred recently retired from a 40-plus year career in information technology, which included being the head of IT for four public companies.
Maine has always valued independent leadership. We come from a state where people expect their elected officials to put country ahead of party and principle ahead of pressure. That’s why so many Mainers — myself included — have supported Sen. Susan Collins over the years, even when we haven’t agreed with her. We believed she would stand up when it mattered.
But her recent votes on two critical war-powers resolutions raise serious doubts for me about whether that independence still guides her decisions.
In 2025, Sen. Collins voted against S.J.Res.59 and S.J.Res.90 — measures intended to reaffirm Congress’s constitutional authority to authorize war and prevent unilateral military action by the president. For a state with generations of military service, and for a country still haunted by the consequences of conflicts entered without proper deliberation, I believe these votes should concern us all.
This is not about a policy disagreement or a difference in strategic judgment. It is about whether Maine’s senior senator is willing to defend the Constitution at a moment when it is under unprecedented strain.
We are living through a period when the president has openly demanded personal loyalty from government and military officials. He has attacked military leaders who reminded him that their oath is to the Constitution, not to him. He publicly called six members of Congress “traitors” for reaffirming long-standing U.S. military law: that the military must refuse illegal orders.
Calling members of Congress traitors for upholding the law is not normal political rhetoric. It is the language of a leader demanding personal allegiance, not constitutional accountability.
Sen. Collins must know how dangerous that is. She has served long enough to understand the importance of civilian control of the military and the necessity of checks and balances. She has spoken out in the past about the dangers of executive overreach. She has warned that no president should have unchecked power.
And yet, faced with a president who has pushed the boundaries of lawful authority more openly than any modern predecessor, she voted — twice — to preserve his ability to take military action without congressional approval.
Adding to the urgency is the appointment of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, a move opposed by Collins. Hegseth has no meaningful Pentagon management experience, no senior command background, and no demonstrated understanding of the constitutional foundations of civilian oversight. His public comments have shown disregard for due process, legal constraints, and the traditional norms that guide military conduct. National-security experts across the political spectrum raised concerns when he was nominated.
That is precisely the moment when Congress should step up — not step back.
Instead, I believe Collins’s votes weakened Congress at a time when its role as a co-equal branch is already being challenged.
Many Mainers are asking: What happened to the independent voice we were promised? I’m one of them.
This is not about whether one supports or opposes the president. Maine is a politically diverse state, and people here hold a wide range of views. But no matter where we stand politically, we should all agree on this: war-making authority should not rest with one person. Congress must remain the branch that decides when our nation goes to war.
Sen. Collins still has time to demonstrate the independence that once defined her public service. But her votes on these war-powers resolutions were, to me, a troubling step in the wrong direction. They do not reflect Maine’s values, and they do not reflect the constitutional principles she has long claimed to uphold.
At a moment when democratic norms are under strain, Maine needs leaders who will defend the checks and balances that have served our country for more than two centuries. I hope Collins will remember that her oath — like the military’s — is to the Constitution alone.
And I hope she will act accordingly the next time it matters.
