AUGUSTA – Top Republicans reacted to The Maine Wire’s exclusive report on the scope of welfare abuse in Maine with renewed calls for welfare reform in Augusta.
“I am disappointed but not surprised by this information,” said House Minority Leader Ken Fredette (R-Newport). “We hear about this kind of welfare fraud and abuse from our neighbors and constituents all the time, but it was always dismissed by many on the left as anecdotal.”
Fredette said he would like to think the revelation of widespread welfare abuse will finally convince Democrats to support reforms to our welfare system.
[RELATED: Maine Welfare Cash Spent in all 50 States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands…]
“But I’ve thought that too many times before only to see them defend the status quo,” he said. “I hope that my Democratic colleagues will prove me wrong and join us in enacting commonsense reforms on a bipartisan basis.”
Assistant House Minority Leader Alex Willette (R-Mapelton) echoed Fredette’s call for reform.
“We’ve made many improvements to our welfare system under Republican leadership in recent years,” said Willette. “But this data proves that we still have a long way to go.”
On Tuesday, a Maine Wire investigative report revealed that Maine cash welfare has been spent in all fifty states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Also on Tuesday, Republican Gov. Paul LePage announced that his own investigation into Maine’s cash welfare program, known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), has revealed welfare spending at bars, liquor stores, smoke shops and strip clubs.
The Maine Wire has obtained a massive collection of public records related to Maine’s TANF program and will be reporting further details in the coming days. Stay tuned for updates.
Steve Robinson
Maine Wire, Editor
[email protected]
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="7996 http://www.themainewire.com/?p=7996">3 Comments
This data proves what many of us have known for years, that welfare fraud is a rampant problem in Maine, costing Maine taxpayers millions of dollars per year.
Not surprisingly, Maine Democrats, the liberal media and social service providers who have their head in the sand are already howling in protest. Perhaps they should start living in the real world with the rest of us.
Maybe these “leaders” and the Guv’nah could contact their buddies at the NSA so the fraudsters may be revealed…
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