PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The Latest on Sen. Susan Collins meeting with progressive organizers in Maine (all times local):
3:40 p.m.
Sen. Susan Collins says the majority of people who have flooded her offices with phone calls in recent weeks are from out of state.
Collins, a Republican who has criticized Trump, said during a meeting with progressive activists on Tuesday that her offices are struggling to keep up with call volume. Members of the group say their calls deserve the senator’s attention.
Collins clarified later in the day that her office was “flooded with calls from people from out of state” around the time the Senate was voting on some of Presidential Donald Trump’s cabinet confirmations. One such confirmation was of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, whom Collins voted against.
Collins says she always wants to hear from constituents, but she was concerned that some of the out of state calls were interfering with things like serving people who need help with Social Security and veterans benefits.
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1:15 p.m.
An organizer with a progressive group in Maine says she was let down by Sen. Susan Collins’ complaint about the volume of calls her office has received.
Mainers For Accountable Leadership organized a meeting with Collins, a Republican who has been critical of President Donald Trump, on Tuesday. Near the end of the meeting, the senator said the volume of calls she is receiving is overwhelming her office.
Co-founder Marie Follayttar Smith says if Collins’ office doesn’t have adequate staffing, “they need to provide it.”
Mainers For Accountable Leadership has been critical of Collins for being difficult to reach in recent days. The group is holding “open air town hall” events in Portland, Lewiston and Bangor on Wednesday to call for Collins to address members’ concerns.
Collins will be appearing in a public radio interview at the time.
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11:15 a.m.
A Republican senator known for speaking out against President Donald Trump says her office has been flooded with phone calls to the point where it’s difficult to serve constituents.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine visited with progressive group Mainers For Accountable Leadership on Tuesday in a livestreamed meeting. Toward the end of the meeting, Collins mentioned that her offices recently fielded thousands of calls on a variety of issues and it was difficult for her staff to keep up with the volume.
Collins mentioned she was worried that constituents having trouble accessing Social Security or veterans’ benefits were having trouble getting through to her amid all the calls.
Collins is also scheduled to make an appearance at a University of New England facility in Portland on Tuesday afternoon.
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