Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is set to head up the Senate Appropriations Committee as Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell steps down as Senate Republican Leader.

The committee controls discretionary spending throughout the federal government and is widely regarded as the most powerful committee in the senate.

Collins currently serves as vice-chair of the committee. McConnell announced on Thursday that he was planning to run the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. 

While the committee has not officially announced that Collins will become the new chair, McConnell said in his statement, “I look forward to working closely with incoming Chair Susan Collins to accomplish our shared goal.” 

In response, Collins issued a statement Friday, saying in part, “As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, my priorities will remain helping Maine’s communities, funding biomedical research to save and improve lives, improving our infrastructure, supporting rural economic development, and helping to strengthen our workforce by supporting education, job training, and child care programs.”

Collins, in her statement, noted she had worked over the past three years to secure more than $1 billion “for hundreds of projects throughout Maine.”

This article has been corrected to clarify McConnell's relationship wtih the committee.