SKOWHEGAN, Maine \u2014 U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Monday she is seeking more details on how a proposed $300 billion fund for Iran could be used and that she will review a new Pentagon request for tens of billions of dollars tied to President Donald Trump\u2019s war.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters after an event at the Sappi paper mill in Skowhegan, Collins said she is worried that money laid out in a memorandum of understanding signed last week by the Republican president could undercut U.S. goals if it goes toward Iran\u2019s military capacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been very concerned that the memorandum of understanding says that Iran would receive $300 billion and it\u2019s not clear who or what country that money would come from,\u201d Collins said. \u201cIf it can be used to rebuild the ballistic missiles, or to enrich more uranium, or restore Iran\u2019s navy, then the progress that has been made through this conflict would be done away with.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Maine Republican\u2019s stance has put her under fire from both directions. Last week, Trump branded her as being among a group of \u201closers\u201d<\/a>\u00a0within the party for backing an effort to curb his authority. Democrat Graham Platner has made the conflict a centerpiece of his campaign<\/a>\u00a0against her in one of the nation\u2019s biggest 2026 elections with Senate control up for grabs.<\/p>\n Collins said a briefing earlier in the day from Secretary of State Marco Rubio allayed one concern: He \u201cmade very clear that there would be no American taxpayer dollars involved in that $300 billion,\u201d she said. Officials have said the money would largely come from private investment<\/a>\u00a0led by Gulf nations.<\/p>\n The price tag of the war and the deal to end it face growing pushback in both parties. The fund is far larger than the $1.7 billion that President Barack Obama returned to Iran under a 2015 nuclear agreement. The Pentagon is now seeking roughly $80 billion in supplemental funding, mostly for the Iran war, on top of a request for $1.5 trillion in total defense spending this year.<\/p>\n Collins, the top Senate appropriator, said she is not ready to endorse that supplemental package. She said the request she is reviewing is \u201ca different amount of money than I was originally told a couple of months ago\u201d and now includes disaster relief and assistance for specialty crops such as Maine\u2019s wild blueberry industry alongside war-related costs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still going through it with a fine-tooth [comb],\u201d Collins said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have all the details yet, so I do anticipate that I will hold a public hearing on this supplemental.\u201d<\/p>\n