Sen. Susan Collins, a key swing vote on the tax package, accused reporters of ignoring her influence over the final legislation and unfairly criticizing her efforts to pass a pair of Obamacare stabilization bills. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Collins decries coverage of her tax bill support as 'unbelievably sexist' The Maine Republican decried the media coverage as premature and unfair.

Sen. Susan Collins on Tuesday blasted coverage of her support for the GOP tax bill as “extremely discouraging” and “unbelievably sexist."

The Maine Republican, a key swing vote on the tax package, accused reporters of ignoring her influence over the final legislation and unfairly criticizing her efforts to pass a pair of Obamacare stabilization bills.


“I believe that the coverage has been unbelievably sexist, and I cannot believe that the press would have treated another senator with 20 years of experience as they have treated me,” she told reporters in the Capitol. “They’ve ignored everything that I’ve gotten and written story after story about how I’m duped. How am I duped when all your amendments get accepted?”

Collins, whom Obamacare supporters earlier this year hailed as a hero for blocking GOP repeal legislation, has faced intense criticism from those same voices for supporting the repeal of the law’s individual mandate as part of the tax bill.

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She’s also been criticized for conditioning her support for the Senate’s tax bill on passage of a pair of bills aimed at stabilizing Obamacare markets. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has pledged to her they will pass — but House Republicans have balked at any "bailout" for insurers. That prompted speculation that her demands won't be met, as it's still not certain that the House will accept the insurance measures in a year-end spending bill.

But Collins, who has maintained throughout the tax debate that GOP leaders will follow through on their pledge, decried the media coverage as premature and unfair. She pointed out that she's already secured a series of changes to the tax bill itself, including the preservation of the deduction for large medical expenses, a capped state and local tax deduction, and hospitals’ access to tax-exempt private activity bonds.

“The list goes on and on,” Collins said. “[Ohio Sen.] Rob Portman would tell you that I’ve had more impact than anybody who was not a conferee.”

Collins also singled out a report that she said included a line about how she “didn’t cry” during a recent meeting with protesters, many of whom suffer from grave medical conditions. That line was later removed after Collins complained, but not before the story posted online.

“I can’t imagine a reporter writing that about a male senator meeting with the same group, and, in fact, I have proof because they met with [Arizona Sen.] Jeff Flake,” she said. “So it’s been extremely discouraging to see the press coverage on this given the significant impact that I’ve had on this bill.”

Collins said the reaction to her support for the tax overhaul has been mixed.

“We’ve had a lot of protesters, including those that have staked out my home on Sunday mornings,” Collins said. “But we’ve also had a great deal of support, from small business," for example.