Maine taxpayers’ money sent to foreign nationals in Mills’ attempt to influence her election bid

AUGUSTA – The revelation this week that Gov. Janet Mills and her administration sent $300 checks to foreign nationals who are no longer in the country and people who have died shocked many taxpayers across the state. In violation of the legislation that enabled the checks to be sent to full-year residents only, many of the checks may end up uncashed and relegated to the unclaimed property list to sit there forever.

“This simply cements the fact that the ability of Maine Democrats to properly govern the

state is nonexistent,” said Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart, R-Aroostook. “To send resident taxpayer funds to nonresidents who aren’t even in the country or those who are no longer living on this earth to help them ‘live’ affordably have made Gov. Mills and legislative Democrats the laughingstock of the nation.”

The description on the stubs of the state-issued checks says the “payment is being provided to eligible Maine residents to assist with the cost of living.” Aside from the obvious fact that those who are deceased no longer need such assistance, the checks could have gone out to more than 5,000 foreign workers holding a J-1 visa who typically work in Maine each summer, including students who arrive through the federal government’s Summer Work Travel Program.

“Over the last two sessions of the legislature Republicans have made a simple request to Democrats in the budget process and that was for fiscal responsibility,” said House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor. “Instead, they chose a path full of waste, fraud, and abuse and in this case, they didn’t even make the fraudsters work for it. It’s easy to see why the State needs to find $1.3 billion just to stay in operation with spending habits like this.”

That means Mills and her administration could have sent up to $5 million to foreign workers who do not call Maine home. The program cost the state $155.2 million, all of which came from the state’s Budget Stabilization Fund that is meant to cover state expenditures in emergencies only.

“Yet another example of fraud, waste, and abuse as Maine faces a staggering $1.3 billion structural budget shortfall,” said Assistant Senate Republican Leader Matt Harrington, R-York. “Mainers are struggling to make ends meet, while state government shows little regard for the taxpayers footing the bill. Mainers have every right to be outraged.”

“Democrats over-spending and tax increases during the last 8-years of one-party control have made Maine unaffordable,” said Assistant House Republican Leader Katrina Smith, R-Palermo. “Now all of the sudden, Democrats are talking about affordability and wasting even more money on foreign nationals while Maine citizens are struggling to pay bills.”