[OPEN – LEADER FAULKINGHAM]
Maine people work hard.
They pay their taxes.
And they expect a voice in how their money is spent.
But once again, Democrats in Augusta have passed a partisan budget—
written behind closed doors,
shutting out Republicans,
and shutting out nearly half the people of Maine.
[SMITH]
Let’s be clear about what this means.
Even after eight years of record-breaking revenues,
Democrats raised taxes on working families last year
to cover massive MaineCare shortfalls.
Now—they’re doing it again.
[FAULKINGHAM]
One-third of Maine—
over 400,000 people—are now on MaineCare.
That’s double the number in neighboring New Hampshire—
a state with roughly the same population.
This isn’t sustainable.
And it’s not fair to the people footing the bill.
[SMITH]
And instead of fixing the problem,
this new budget spends every single dollar—
and then goes even further.
It violates Maine law
by pulling money from the Budget Stabilization Fund—
a fund that is supposed to be used only for emergencies or revenue shortfalls.
[FAULKINGHAM]]
There is no emergency.
There is no shortfall.
So what do they do?
They rewrite the rules with word games
to justify taking money they’re not supposed to touch.
That’s not budgeting.
That’s manipulation.
[SMITH]
And it doesn’t stop there.
After targeting low-income earners, now
They’re raising taxes again—
this time targeting high earners.
But here’s the reality:
those taxpayers are the most mobile.
They can leave.
And when they do,
Maine loses jobs, investment, and future revenue.
[FAULKINGHAM]
Then, instead of living within their means,
Democrats tried to borrow even more money—
Because with another $500 million spent of this Supplemental, they didn’t prioritize
roads.
bridges.
or farms and our forest products industry.
All things that should be funded
through a responsible state budget.
[SMITH]
Meanwhile, what are Maine people seeing?
Higher costs.
Worsening services.
And a system that increasingly rewards those who choose not to work
over those who do.
Programs meant to protect the vulnerable
are being stretched beyond their purpose—
and taxpayers are paying the price.
[FAULKINGHAM]
And while all of this is happening,
the Mills Administration continues to downplay or ignore fraud—
Even as major cases come to light.
The federal government is now stepping in,
investigating,
and demanding that Maine repay
tens or —likely hundreds—of millions of dollars
lost to fraudulent providers.
[SMITH]
That is your money.
Wasted.
Misspent.
And now—potentially owed back to the feds.
[FAULKINGHAM]
For years, Republicans have offered solutions:
Transparency.
Accountability.
Fiscal responsibility.
We’ve called for reforms.
We’ve pushed for oversight.
And every time—
we’ve been ignored.
[SMITH]
Democrats control every branch of state government.
And they are using that power
to push through reckless spending
at the expense of Maine taxpayers.
[FAULKINGHAM – closing]
But time is running out.
Federal investigators are watching.
And the people of Maine are paying attention.
Maine can do better.
And with the right leadership—
we will.
[BOTH]
This has been House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham
and Assistant House Republican Leader Katrina Smith
with the Weekly Republican Address.
###
