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 a nationwide prohibition on mailing abortion medication to women.

Collins’ opposition follows reports that Blanche pledged 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 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 the Biden administration’s mail-order abortion drug policy and the Department of Justice’s opposition to pro-life states challenging it 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 a case with Louisiana and abortion drug coercion survivor Rosalie Markezich to stop abortion drugs from being mailed while the FDA’s safety study continues.

In addition to abortion-related concerns, Collins opposes Blanche’s confirmation due to his approval of an order to shield President Trump and his family from Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 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, as previously reported by the DCNF.

Senator Collins stated, “I have carefully reviewed Todd Blanche’s qualifications to be Attorney General … I will vote against this nomination.”

Sources