President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey is distracting from work in the Senate on repealing and replacing ObamaCare, says Sen. Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsThe Hill's Campaign Report: Biden asks if public can trust vaccine from Trump ahead of Election Day | Oklahoma health officials raised red flags before Trump rally Gideon leads Collins by 12 points in Maine Senate race: poll Senate leaders quash talk of rank-and-file COVID-19 deal MORE (R-Maine).

“I think he already has,” Collins told reporters in response to a question about whether Comey could become a distraction.

The Senate has begun working on a healthcare bill separate from the legislation passed by the House last week intended to replace parts of the Affordable Care Act.

Senators have said they are starting from scratch and will take as much time as they need.

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Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn John CornynSenate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll Republican Senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal MORE (R-Texas) has said he expects the bill to be finished before the end of the year. But time is limited, especially with a summer recess and government funding deadlines looming in the fall.

Collins, one of the Senate's moderates and the author of her own separate healthcare bill, could be a major player as discussions move forward.