Maine Republicans Blast Mills Administration Over Proposed $400 Million Transportation Cuts

AUGUSTA, Maine – Republican lawmakers are sharply criticizing the Mills administration after Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner Bruce Van Note informed Gov. Janet Mills that the state may need to cut roughly $400 million in road and bridge projects over the next three years, a move Republicans say exposes years of poor budgeting and misplaced priorities in Augusta.

The warning sent shockwaves through Maine’s construction and transportation industries after details of the looming cuts became public last week. Republicans said the development was not unexpected, pointing to an April letter from Transportation Committee Commissioner Dale Doughty that outlined growing funding concerns within the state’s Highway Fund.

In that April 16 letter, sent the day after the Legislature’s statutory adjournment, Doughty detailed measures MaineDOT was considering in response to a $130 million structural funding gap that had not been resolved in the supplemental budget. According to the letter, the proposal would cut $65 million in state spending, which, when combined with the loss of federal matching funds, would result in approximately $182 million in lost transportation investment.

By May 18, however, the projected shortfall had grown dramatically. In a memo sent to Gov. Mills, the administration warned the figure could rise to $400 million.

Republicans argue the funding crisis comes despite lawmakers approving a major budget package that included only an additional $13 million for the Department of Transportation from the state’s Budget Stabilization Fund. At the same time, the budget allocated roughly $155 million toward “affordability checks” for eligible Mainers as part of a nearly $300 million withdrawal from the Rainy Day Fund.

For Republicans, the contrast underscores what they describe as a failure by Democratic leadership to prioritize core infrastructure needs.

“Mainers have every right to ask how we arrived at a transportation funding crisis after years of unprecedented spending and tax increases,” said House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor. “Families were told they needed to pay more. Seniors were told they needed to sacrifice more. Working people were asked to shoulder higher costs. Yet now we’re being told the state cannot afford to maintain critical roads and bridges.”

Assistant Senate Republican Leader Matthew Harrington, R-York, said taxpayers are paying more while seeing fewer results.

“Legislative Democrats claimed their higher taxes were supposed to solve funding problems,” Harrington said. “Instead, we’re seeing delayed road projects, growing program shortfalls and increasing demands on taxpayers.”

Assistant House Republican Leader Katrina Smith, R-Palermo, argued the situation reflects deeper problems within the administration’s fiscal planning.

“Just months ago, Mainers were assured the state’s finances were strong,” Smith said. “Now we are learning that major infrastructure projects are being delayed because the money isn’t there. That’s not just a funding problem. It’s a planning problem.”

Republicans also pointed to past legislative efforts to stabilize transportation funding. In 2023, lawmakers approved LD 259, legislation originally proposed by Sen. Brad Farrin, R-Somerset, which created a dedicated funding source for the Highway Fund.

Farrin said lawmakers had already identified and addressed a smaller transportation deficit earlier this year, but accused the administration of choosing political spending over long-term infrastructure investment.

“In April, the Highway Fund had a $13 million deficit we were able to address in the supplemental budget,” Farrin said. “If the administration really cares about addressing this shortfall, the solution is simple. Instead of sending out $300 election-year checks to certain eligible residents, that money should be used to provide the critical support needed for our state’s transportation infrastructure.”

Farrin warned the consequences could extend far beyond delayed roadwork.

“This shortfall doesn’t just put our state’s infrastructure at risk,” he said. “It means thousands of jobs could be lost and contractors’ investments in materials could be wasted.”

The dispute adds to growing concerns over the long-term sustainability of Maine’s transportation funding as construction costs continue to rise and lawmakers face mounting pressure over state spending priorities.