Rising to leadership of the U.S. Senate appropriations committee this year positioned Republican Sen. Susan Collins to bring home a lot of federal money for projects across Maine.

But the stopgap budget bill drafted by Republicans and approved Friday by the Senate removes millions of dollars in possible funding for projects and nonprofit programs throughout the state and nation. The continuing resolution takes the place of a traditional budget and eliminates earmarks requested by members of the House and Senate.

Both Collins and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, voted for the spending bill to avert a government shutdown at midnight Friday.

Collins was joined by all of her Republican colleagues. King, who caucuses with Democrats, was one of a handful to cross the aisle and provide the necessary votes to fund the government.

King called it “the least worst option,” saying that shutting down the federal government would have opened up the potential for more damage than the Republican budget bill will do.

While Collins urged the Senate to pass the bill, which will fund the government through Sept. 30, its passage essentially gives away a primary perk of her new position — to use earmarks to steer funding to priorities back home.

Collins did not address the loss of earmarks in her floor speech urging passage of the Republican’s long-term continuing resolution. But her Democratic counterpart, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington lamented that the stopgap spending plan includes “$18 billion less for our domestic priorities.”

Collins spokesperson Phoebe Ferraiolo said Maine will still receive funding in other ways, including through programmatic funding and formula grants included in the continuing resolution, and will continue to have the opportunity to apply for competitive grants. Maine nonprofits and state and local governments will be eligible to apply for what’s formally known as Congressionally Directed Spending in next year’s budget.

Collins was successful in securing funding for Maine projects even before her ascent to committee leadership, securing over $1 billion for 514 projects since earmarks were restored in 2021.

She had secured nearly $361 million in earmarks this year — second only to former Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s nearly $499 million, according to an analysis by Roll Call, which found that 15 of the top 20 earmarkers were Senate appropriations members.

King had requested funding for more than 100 projects, totaling more than $250 million.

The projects that would have been funded if the budget went through the usual appropriations process affect all parts of state and primarily include construction and upgrades to roadways, bridges, housing and educational, medical, military, public safety, aviation and community facilities and equipment, including libraries.

Collins’ earmarks included $50 million for a new hangar at the Maine Air National Guard base in Bangor, $9.5 million for a parking structure at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, $8 million to expand the University of Maine’s Gulf of Maine Ocean Observatory System, and more than $2 million for protective gear and public safety equipment in Lewiston.

They also included millions for new fire stations in Belgrade ($4.8 million), Easton ($3 million), North Berwick ($3.4 million) and St. Albans ($2 million), and for drinking and wastewater upgrades in Biddeford, Canton, Caribou, Clinton, Fort Kent, Gorham, Limerick, Machias, Monmouth, Newport, Richmond, South Berwick, Vassalboro, Veazie and Wells.

King’s earmarks covered similar projects across the state, including $4 million for a regional emergency operations center in York, $5.7 million to build a behavioral health center in Androscoggin County, $2 million to convert a Portland church and parish house into affordable housing, $3.5 million to upgrade and expand the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine facilities, and $20 million to support the aerospace industry at the Presque Isle International Airport.