Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, responds to reporters' questions at the Capitol in Washington on July 14 about the shooting of a Colombian man by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Biddeford the previous day. (J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press)

Sen. Susan Collins on Tuesday set aside concerns about the legality of the military conflict with Iran during a budget hearing on the Trump administration’s request for $33 billion in additional funding for the 5-month-old war.

Instead, the Republican likened the administration’s request, which is part of a proposed $87.6 billion supplemental budget that includes $67 billion in additional funding for the Department of Defense, as a way to support active duty troops, who are deployed in a war zone and are fighting with a dwindling stockpile of munitions.

“Our men, women in uniform, do not decide where they are sent or the missions to which they are assigned,” Collins said. “Congress has the responsibility to ensure that they have the tools, the training, and the support that they need to accomplish their mission.”

Collins’ comments came during a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which she chairs, and which has massive sway over how federal money is spent. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, testified on behalf of the administration. So did Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Tuesday’s hearing came as the Trump administration is requesting the roughly $87.6 billion in supplemental funding for defense, national security, agriculture and other initiatives.

Hegeth said the war funding and President Donald Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense budget represent a “generational investment” in the U.S. military after what he said was years of neglect by former President Joe Biden.

The war — and Collins’ handling of it — could reverberate through the midterms elections. The conflict has driven up the price of food and gas, and remains unpopular with voters in both parties.

Collins is facing another tough reelection battle this fall. Democrats need to flip four seats to regain control of the Senate, and Collins is the only Senate Republican running in a state won by Democrats in the 2024 presidential elections.

Collins has said she agrees with the administration’s goal of ensuring that Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon. But she has also voted in support of war powers resolutions that would require Trump to get congressional approval to continue his military campaign.

Both chambers passed a concurrent resolution to that effect last month, but it was only symbolic and didn’t carry the force of law. Collins was among four Republicans to support it.

Appropriations Vice Chair Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., blasted the administration’s request for additional funding for the Iran war, saying “Trump wants Congress to cut him a blank check for a war that no one wants.”

A New York Times/Press Herald/Siena poll from last month found that likely Maine voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Iran war by a 2-to-1 margin.

Collins, however, sought to separate questions about the legality of the war and its ill-defined goals from questions about defense funding. She focused on ensuring that service members have the resources needed to protect themselves and the country by replenishing the nation’s dwindling stockpile of munitions.

“There are certainly divergent views on this committee about the decision to use military force against Iran,” Collins said in her opening statement. “The Senate as a body has already taken numerous votes on these issues and will likely continue to do so.

“But irrespective of our differing views about the military operations,” she continued, “the fact remains that there are must-pay bills and urgent requirements facing the department that affect the ability of our troops to be well-trained, and more broadly, of the U.S. military to deter and defend against potential aggressors worldwide.”

Eighteen service members have been killed since the war began in late February, including two service members killed over the weekend in an Iranian drone attack on a U.S. base in Jordan. A third soldier was reportedly killed in Iraq, CBS News reported.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported on Monday that nearly 100 service members have been injured and several helicopters have been damaged since hostilities resumed on July 7, when a negotiated ceasefire fell apart.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a social media post that “the vast majority” of service members received “mild concussions” and that 96% of them have returned to active duty.

Collins asked Hegseth what would happen if the funding was not approved and what message it might send to America’s enemies.

“There is training — training right now and training in the future — that would have to be curtailed if we do not get our budget needs met and met urgently,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth blamed Biden for providing munitions to Ukraine without quickly replenishing supplies. He also blamed the previous administration for ignoring other global threats.

“You’re looking at a lot of negligence and a lot of deferred maintenance that this department is having to catch up on,” he said. “And so that’s why I call this a generational investment. It truly is.”

In her opening statement, Collins also said reports of the administration blocking promotions for women and minorities were “deeply troubling” — a notable moment of public pushback against an administration official.

“Reports that women and people of color are disproportionately fired or sidelined, create the impression that their service is not valued,” she said. “This is likely to discourage well-qualified women and individuals of color from joining our armed forces, thus depriving us of their talent, dedication and patriotism.”

Collins used a subsequent question to ask about whether the administration would be willing to talk about including more natural disaster funding for 2025, including for Maine’s blueberry and apple growers.

Rollins said she looked forward to working with Collins on that.