PORTLAND, Maine — Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Monday she feels "confident" President Donald Trump will sign a government shutdown-ending package of bills that swayed eight Democrats in the U.S. Senate .

Collins said she helped negotiate two important changes to break the more than 40-day stalemate . One included provisions to make sure federal employees who were laid off or furloughed are brought back to work and that they receive back pay. The other was three appropriations bills that fund programs for veterans and low-income Americans, including SNAP benefits, Collins told NEWS CENTER Maine.

Collins said those bills would fund programs through the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30, 2026. She said that if the President signs this package, it would prevent disruptions of those b

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