SIDE by SIDE
LePage vs. Mills
.jpg)
-
Turned away almost $2 billion in federal funding
-
Slashed public services, gave towns less for local services & failed to fully fund schools
-
Gutted public health system, leaving Maine vulnerable to the pandemic
-
Rural communities saw 7 straight years of economic decline
-
10 years after the recession, Maine was 1 of only 5 states without net GDP growth
-
Prioritized lowering taxes for wealthiest 1% who already paid less than 80% of Maine households
-
Income tax breaks cost Maine $895 million annually, resulting in greater reliance on sales & property taxes
-
Shifted budget shortfalls to towns, causing property taxes to rise
-
Eliminated "circuit breaker" property tax refund that benefitted older Mainers and people with low income
-
Forfeited almost $2 billion in taxpayer-funded federal resources
-
Tried to block voter-approved minimum wage increase for 1 in 3 workers
-
Laid off 1,800 state workers and slashed pensions for retirees
-
Forfeited 4,000 jobs by refusing to expand Medicaid
-
Cut supports for out-of-work Mainers
-
Recession job recovery took 9 years, among the slowest in the nation
-
Slashed food assistance and safety net access in the middle of a recession
-
Policy changes resulted in 58,000 Mainers losing food assistance
-
Children fell into deep poverty at 8 times the national average
-
Maine was 3rd hungriest state in the nation and 1 in 6 households was food insecure between 2013 and 2015
-
Rejected, hoarded, and misspent millions intended to help people in poverty
-
Cut funding for family planning services
-
Increased drug costs for older and disabled Mainers by cutting medication assistance programs
-
Blocked Medicaid expansion and cut eligibility for Mainers with low income
-
Positioned Maine as the only state that didn't increase its share of people with health insurance, including 3,600 fewer children with coverage.
-
Maine dropped from 10th best health ranking to 21st
-
Defying voter-approved mandates, never fully funded schools
-
Prioritized tax breaks for the rich at the expense of public schools
-
Shortchanged schools by more than $1.3 billion, leaving towns to make up the difference
-
Blocked school meal expansion while Maine kids were among hungriest in the nation
-
Vetoed Student Loan Bill of Rights that would have protected Maine students
-
Forfeited an estimated $240 million in federal funding for older Mainers by refusing to expand Medicaid
-
Blocked $37 million in funding for affordable senior housing
-
Forfeited $4 million for Alzheimer’s, dementia, & preventative cancer care
-
Cut Drugs for the Elderly program and tried to eliminate Meals on Wheels
-
Ignored evidence of looming PFAS “forever chemical” pollution crisis
-
Blocked clean energy initiatives, investment, and innovation
-
Opposition to clean energy initiatives cost Maine thousands of high-quality jobs
-
Appointed oil industry lobbyist to lead Dept. of Environmental Protection
-
Tried to expand offshore oil drilling in Maine waters
-
Leveraging $2.25 billion in federal funding to build stronger economy and help Maine recover from pandemic
-
Recovered 95,000 jobs lost in the pandemic in just 2 years
-
Fulfilled state obligation for funding education for the first time in Maine history
-
GDP growth better than national average
-
Quadrupled the state's "rainy day" fund
-
Policies resulted in bottom 40% of households paying a lower tax rate than the wealthiest 1% for the first time
-
Stabilized property taxes by fully funding schools & municipal revenue sharing
-
Closed corporate tax loopholes
-
Raised homestead exemption reimbursement rate, saving homeowners money
-
Enacted a five fold increase of the Earned Income Tax Credit
-
Recovered 99% of jobs lost during the pandemic in just two years
-
Directed $2.25 billion in federal funds to boost economy and launch sweeping Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan
-
Raised pay for teachers and care workers, and boosted pensions for public servants
-
Enacted first-in-the-nation paid leave law that benefits 85% of Maine workers
-
High rate of in-migration and the only state to grow younger in 2021
-
Restored and expanded access to social safety net programs
-
Committed to ending hunger by 2030 with sweeping plan
-
Continued free school meal program for all Maine children even after federal program ended
-
Targeted critical funding to child care and supports for working families
-
Boosted pay for low-wage workers
-
Protected and expanded reproductive care and abortion access
-
Reduced medication costs for older and disabled Mainers by restoring funding for medication assistance programs
-
Implemented Medicaid expansion, giving 95,000 Mainers access to affordable health care, and increased coverage eligibility for 40,000 children
-
Top-rated pandemic response among states
-
Maine rose from 21st best health ranking to 8th
-
Fulfilled the state's commitment to cover 55% of the cost of K-12 education for the first time
-
Increased base pay and fast-tracked certification for teachers
-
Provided free community college for pandemic-impacted graduates
-
Made school meals free for all Maine children
-
Signed Student Loan Bill of Rights to combat predatory lending
-
Expanded Medicaid, resulting in affordable health care for 22,000 older Mainers
-
Authorized senior housing bonds and new housing tax credits
-
Restored safety net access and expanded food and fuel assistance programs
-
Increased funding for nursing homes and direct care to address workforce shortages
-
Established a new Cabinet on Aging
-
Formed PFAS Task Force and targeted $90M to address “forever chemical” pollution
-
Launched Maine’s Climate Action Plan with aggressive climate and energy goals
-
On track to reach 80% renewable electricity by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2045
-
Policies resulted in 300% solar capacity surge in just 2 years
-
Greenhouse gas emissions reduced to 25% below 1990 levels