Governor Janet Mills lashed out at Vice President JD Vance on Monday, calling him a “neutered lapdog for Donald Trump” after Vance returned to Maine and accused the state’s political leadership of allowing Maine to become a national hot spot for healthcare fraud.
The governor apparently had no trouble finding words for Vance.
Getting her to answer questions about fraud in her own administration has proven considerably more difficult.
Over the past several months, this Maine Wire reporter has visited the governor’s office at the State House 10 separate times seeking answers from Mills about allegations of fraud, waste and improper billing involving MaineCare and taxpayer-funded programs.
Those efforts have yet to produce a substantive conversation with the governor.
Last week, that effort produced an especially unusual scene.
While this reporter was at the governor’s office once again seeking answers about fraud, Mills was observed remaining in a side office rather than coming out to address the questions.
Whether the governor was deliberately avoiding The Maine Wire is something only Mills and her staff can answer.
But after 10 visits seeking answers about potentially enormous losses of taxpayer money, the episode raised an obvious question: Why is Maine’s governor willing to launch a blistering personal attack against the vice president, but unwilling to walk out of her own office and answer questions about fraud?
That question became even more relevant Monday.
Vance returned to Maine for an appearance at Compotech, a defense technology manufacturer in Brewer, where he promoted the Trump administration’s manufacturing agenda and appeared alongside former Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who is seeking Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat.
But Vance also returned to a subject that has followed the Mills administration throughout the summer.
Fraud.
“Unfortunately, Maine has become one of the capitals of healthcare fraud,” Vance said following his appearance.
He also questioned whether Mills and Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey could be trusted to cooperate fully with federal efforts to uncover fraud involving taxpayer-funded healthcare programs.
Mills responded quickly, and personally.
In a statement provided to multiple Maine media outlets, the Democratic governor called Vance a “neutered lapdog for Donald Trump” and suggested that if the vice president really wanted to investigate fraud, he should investigate the president.
Mills also accused Trump of using the presidency for personal enrichment and attacked administration policies she says are damaging Maine, including tariffs affecting trade with Canada.
It was a remarkably aggressive response from a governor who has been considerably less willing to discuss questions surrounding MaineCare with The Maine Wire.
Ten Trips Looking for Answers
The Maine Wire’s attempts to question Mills did not begin with Vance’s Monday visit.
This reporter has repeatedly traveled to the State House seeking answers about MaineCare oversight, providers accused of improper billing and questions surrounding taxpayer-funded services for Mainers with autism and intellectual disabilities.
Ten visits.
Still no substantive interview with the governor about the issue.
The questions have only become more pressing as federal scrutiny of Maine’s Medicaid system has intensified.
Earlier this month, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz traveled to Maine and met with LePage and this reporter in Portland to discuss MaineCare-funded services, including programs serving people with autism and intellectual disabilities.
Oz raised serious concerns about whether services billed to taxpayers were adequately supported by documentation.
Those concerns followed a federal audit that identified approximately $45.6 million in MaineCare payments for certain children’s autism and rehabilitative services that were improperly claimed or lacked required documentation.
That finding should not be overstated: an improper payment or missing documentation is not automatically evidence of criminal fraud.
But $45.6 million is also not an accounting error that Maine taxpayers should simply shrug off.
And the concerns extend beyond one audit.
The Mills administration itself has suspended MaineCare payments to providers amid credible allegations of fraud and has pointed to provider terminations, investigations and referrals to law enforcement as evidence that the state is taking the issue seriously.
Those actions are an important part of the story.
They also raise additional questions.
How long were questionable payments being made before they were identified? What safeguards failed? How much taxpayer money can be recovered? Were state officials warned earlier? And, perhaps most importantly, how widespread is the problem?
Those are precisely the kinds of questions The Maine Wire has been attempting to ask Mills.
Vance Returns to Maine
Monday marked Vance’s second visit to Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in roughly three months, underscoring the growing national attention surrounding Maine ahead of the November midterm elections.
His May appearance in Bangor also centered heavily on government fraud.
This time, Vance stood alongside LePage at a Maine defense manufacturer while making the argument that Republican leadership is needed not only to rebuild American manufacturing, but to restore accountability in government.
LePage has made welfare and government fraud central issues throughout his political career, and Vance’s appearance offered Republicans another opportunity to tie the former governor’s congressional campaign to the Trump administration’s broader anti-fraud push.
Mills clearly rejects that characterization of her administration.
And she has every right to challenge Vance’s claims, defend her record and criticize the Trump administration.
But eventually, defending that record requires answering questions about it.
After 10 trips to the governor’s office, The Maine Wire is still waiting.
Last week, the governor was only feet away.
Monday, when the target was JD Vance, she found her voice.
We need more ICE in Maine. Tell us about the drivers licence issue in Biddeford. who owned the car the illegal was driving? who is being protected?
“He also questioned whether Mills and Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey could be trusted to cooperate fully with federal efforts to uncover fraud involving taxpayer-funded healthcare programs.”*************** That’s a stupid question. NO!
Trump is actually HELPING Maine —
Maine used to make paper — copier paper, newsprint and toilet paper — it’s now all imported from Canada, with Maine trees exported to Canada and then re-imported as paper.
Same thing with lobsters, they are exported to Canada and then re-imported as frozen lobster meat.
These are jobs that should be in Maine!