President Donald Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, Todd Blanche, faces opposition from Republican Maine Senator Susan Collins, who announced on August 5, 2026, that she will vote against his confirmation. Collins cited several reasons for her opposition, including Blanche’s promise to an anti-abortion organization to seek prohibitions on mailing abortion medication nationwide.

Collins’ opposition follows Blanche’s reported commitment during a July 30 conference call with the White House Faith Office to make the 2022 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — which overturned Roe v. Wade — permanent in every state.

During Blanche’s confirmation hearing, a majority of GOP senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee pressed him on abortion drugs, expressing discomfort with the continuation of President Biden’s mail-order abortion drug policies and the Department of Justice’s opposition to pro-life states challenging these policies in court, according to SBA Pro-Life America.

SBA Pro-Life America stated that Blanche acknowledged the Biden administration’s rules were wrong and urged him to settle ongoing cases to remove abortion drugs from mail delivery while the FDA continues safety studies.

In addition to abortion-related concerns, Collins opposes Blanche’s confirmation due to his approval of an order shielding President Trump and his family from Internal Revenue Service audits, the creation of an approximately $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, and the Department of Justice’s attempt under his leadership to indict a Democratic Arizona senator.

The Republican-controlled Congress recently failed to extend a funding freeze for Planned Parenthood on July 4, 2026, which was part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, further intensifying the political context surrounding Blanche’s nomination.

Sources