Maine’s Gov. Janet Mills (D) announced Tuesday that she intends to recommend that the state spend $2.25 million in support of “Maine-based reproductive health care providers.”
This proposal, the governor explained, is intended to “offset the impacts of Federal funding cuts implemented by the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans.”
The $2.25 million in funding for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) and Maine Family Planning (MFP) is set to be included as part of Gov. Mills’ upcoming proposed supplemental budget.
In the biennial budget approved by lawmakers last year, $6 million in state funds were allocated for reproductive health care providers.
Most commonly known for their abortion services, Mills highlighted in her Tuesday press release that the named organizations also “primary care services, such as cancer screenings, birth control and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.”
As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) last year, facilities associated with Planned Parenthood, one of the nation’s most prominent abortion providers, were blocked from receiving Medicaid reimbursements for any of their services.
Last summer, Maine’s Attorney General Aaron Frey joined a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over this provision, arguing that the policy represented a constitutional violation.
A federal judge in Boston agreed with this interpretation and temporarily blocked enforcement of the measure.
According to the judge’s interpretation, preventing clinics associated with Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding represents a violation of their First Amendment rights and denies them equal protection under the law.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement to Reuters at the time that the ruling was “not only absurd but illogical and incorrect.”
“It is orders like these that underscore the audacity of the lower courts as well as the chaos within the judicial branch,” said Fields. “We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”
Separately, a federal judge in Portland declined to force the federal government to temporarily allow Planned Parenthood affiliates to receive Medicaid funding.
In a 19-page decision, the judge explained that the plaintiffs in this case failed to convincingly argue that their constitutional rights had been violated “due to several severe jurisprudential headwinds that I am bound to observe.”
The judge suggested in his ruling that the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health eliminated “the thermal lift that used to be available to Plaintiff and other abortion providers when abortion was considered a constitutional right.”
In a statement shared Tuesday, Mills accused the Trump Administration and Republican politicians in Washington D.C. of attempting to make it harder for Mainers to access services provided by PPNNE and MFP.
“President Trump and Republicans have made clear that they do not care about the health of Maine people,” said Mills. “While I have fought to expand health care to people, they are ripping it away — and they have cruelly targeted reproductive health care providers in Maine by slashing funding for vital services that have nothing to do with abortion.”
“I won’t stand idly by,” Mills continued. “We will deliver here what the Federal government has taken away, and we will continue to stand up for health care for Maine people.”
Click Here to Read Gov. Janet Mills’ Full Statement
This past week, Mills announced that she also plans to include a $4.3 million line item in her proposed budget for “enhanced safety measures” for Maine school buses following last year’s two deadly school bus accidents.
If approved by lawmakers, this funding would cover the cost of retrofitting nearly 1,700 buses that are not currently equipped with crossing arms or anti-pinch door sensors.
At the same time, the governor signed an executive order establishing the Maine School Transportation Safety Commission, which will be responsible for reviewing statutes and rules regarding school bus safety and identifying potential improvements.
Serving on this Commission will be representatives of the Maine Department of Education, Department of Public Safety, Department of Transportation, Maine School Safety Center, and local school districts, among others.
The Commission will need to make recommendations to the Governor and Maine State Legislature by April 30 of this year.
