Dear Senator Collins,
Thank you for your response to my email concerning the president’s cabinet appointments. I’ve taken the liberty to quote your summary on your “advise and consent” role in these appointments.
One factor I do not consider, however, is whether the nominee is the person whom I would have selected. That is a presidential prerogative and one of the reasons that presidential elections are so important. For instance, I disagree with many policy positions expressed by Russell Vought, whom President Trump nominated to serve as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), but I supported Mr. Vought’s nomination because I found him to be well-qualified for this position, having previously served as both the Director and Deputy Director of OMB. I have applied this standard to nominations from both Republican and Democratic Presidents, and I will continue to follow this approach and cast my votes on the Senate floor based on the merits of each nominee.
I would agree with you, in many ways, that the whether the nominee would be your selection is not the critical criteria. However, their respect for the institutions of the government, for your authority as the legislative branch, the authority of the judicial branch and their adherence to the constitution are key elements to consider. In Vought’s case, though he served in the first Trump administration, his views on all of these key elements have continued to radicalize and he has not been shy in public speeches, written comments and his work on Project 2025 to make clear his disdain for civil servants, his desire to prevent legal and institutional challenges in a second Trump term, his refusal to acknowledge Trump’s defeat in 2020 and his commitment to an imperial view of the presidency. He has spoken of those convicted for crimes committed on January 6th as political prisoners. He describes himself as a Christian nationalist on a crusade against the status quo and has nothing but scorn for “checks and balances”. Watch his 2023, 2024 speeches available on ProPublica.
If these statements and beliefs are not enough to make you seriously question his appointment to the cabinet, it strikes me that you are not living up to your responsibilities as our representative in Congress. Please, reclaim your responsibility to serve your constituents. Speak out, question, vote.
