In an interview with NEWS CENTER Maine on Wednesday, July 31, Sen. Susan Collins touched on a series of local and national issues of concern to a number of Mainers.
FAA's Oversight of Boeing 737-MAX
Sen. Susan Collins told NEWS CENTER Maine she is "very concerned" about whether the Federal Aviation Administration is doing enough sufficient and independent work to make sure new aircraft that come onto the market are safe.
Earlier on Wednesday, Collins joined Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) in holding a hearing to examine the FAA's role in certifying Boeing aircraft. The hearing comes as a continuation of the Senators' efforts to hold the administration accountable after the recent 737-MAX crashes from this past year that killed 346 people.
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Collins said there is a lot of tension and pressure between prioritizing safety of the aircraft and helping the manufacturer meet its timeline for production.
"For me, safety always has to be the very first priority," Collins told NEWS CENTER Maine. "And yet, there are some documents that suggest -- we don’t know for sure yet -- but that strongly suggest that when it came to the 737-MAX, sometimes safety took a backseat to the desire of the manufacturer to meet its timetable for production, and that just can’t be."
Collins said possible solutions to this issue may involve providing more resources, engineers, and test pilots to the FAA to make sure not too many of the safety decisions are delegated to the manufacturer. With the extra staff, Collins says the FAA wouldn't have to be as dependent on assertions and certifications from the manufacturer.
Money for and noise of Maine airports
On Tuesday, Sen. Susan Collins announced that more than $2.5 million had been awarded to six Maine airports, including:
- Knox County Regional Airport
- Dewitt Field, Old Town Municipal Airport
- Princeton Municipal Airport
- Brunswick Executive Airport
- Pittsfield Municipal Airport
- Newton Field in Jackman
These funds came from the FAA's Airport Improvement Program.
Last week, Collins also announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation had awarded nearly $6.8 million to Portland International Jetport to expand its central deicing pad.
But on Wednesday, Collins addressed another issue -- noise concerns from South Portland who live near the Jetport -- but she says she's pleased with the result of the work being done so far.
"The jetport director has asked for permission from the FAA for a new approach that could be used by some of the major airplanes that are landing at night -- and I pressed the FAA hard on that issue to approve that new landing approach or come up with another solution that will address the increasing noise problem," Collins said. "And I did get that commitment from him."
Support for prescription drug importation
Sen. Susan Collins said she is standing by Gov. Janet Mills in support of the announcement President Donald Trump's administration made Wednesday that it is looking into ways to import certain drugs into the United States to help lower the costs of prescription drugs.
Collins said she is "very much in favor" of the plan outlined by United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and added that Azar had called her to say he had spoken with Mills about how Maine's prescription drug reform package may work with the proposed federal policy change.
Collins noted, however, that she thinks there is still work to be done.
"I do think that we need to continue to work on the root causes for why prescription drugs are so expensive in our country -- and I’ve introduced a variety of bills, including one that would prevent a brand-name pharmaceutical company from playing games with the patent systems, simply to prevent a lower-priced generic from coming to the market."
Reporting foreign contacts during campaigns
After President Donald Trump made a remark in June that he would 'want to hear' dirt about his 2020 opponents if offered to him by a foreign power, some legislators are reacting.
On Tuesday, Sen. Susan Collins signed on as a cosponsor to the "Foreign Influence Reporting in Elections" Act, which would require presidential campaigns to report attempts at foreign elections influence to authorities at the Federal Election Commission and FBI.
"I think if we can get a vote on this bill, that it will indeed pass," said Collins, adding, "I think that’s just common sense, since it’s already illegal for a foreign government to make a contribution or give anything of value to an American presidential candidate -- or to any of us who are candidates for federal office."
Collins said she's pleased with the work that the Senate Intelligence Committee has done so far, adding she doesn't believe this should be a partisan issue. She said the Committee has already invested $380 million of federal funds to foster a more cooperative relationship between the Federal Department of Homeland Security and state and local election officials.
"We’re going to put out another report in September that’s going to look at the role of social media," Collins emphasized. "This is an issue every American should care about."