Last week, while driving toward the peninsula on Outer Congress Street around Craigie Street, I passed a seemingly able-bodied woman…
Browsing: Welfare
Two bills to increase taxes on hardworking Mainers failed to pass at the end of the Maine Legislature’s hectic, marathon…
State government spending has rapidly outpaced population growth in Maine over the last decade, according to a new report published…
As I dig deeper into the recent supplemental and biennial budget proposals from Governor Janet Mills, the truth about her…
The announcement of an early conclusion to Maine’s legislative session amid public health concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak could stop…
Laura Catevenis, a resident of Lewiston, was close to rock bottom. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and, two years…
Karl Marx said that “Religion is the opium of the people.” Marx should have said “Government dependence is the opium…
It is time to rein in the taxaholic phalanx of lawmakers in Augusta who believe there is no problem too…
Liberals in Augusta are likely elated with the latest communication from Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services. The department’s…
The biggest flaw in most social assistance programs — including TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, and WIC — is that they undermine…
Last month, the Maine Center for Economic Policy posted an article on its website chastising Governor LePage and other Republican…
Milton Friedman, the Nobel-prize winning economist, once said, “It is just obvious you can’t have open borders and a welfare…
Obesity is a problem in our nation, and it’s a problem in Maine. But the USDA refuses to prohibit the…
Medicaid: Is it welfare or insurance? Those who have actually read the legal definition of insurance are baffled at how…
Maine Democrats want welfare dollars, collected from the hardworking taxpayers of Maine, to be spent outside of our state. Maine…
In the course of his tenure, Gov. Paul LePage and conservatives in Augusta have implemented reforms to Maine’s welfare system…
Speaker of the House Sara Gideon is trying to pull a fast one on Mainers. She is pushing a bill…
In the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency, the American political left has disconnected itself from hard-working American voters…
Winners of $5,000 or more will be removed from SNAP when they win AUGUSTA— Under a new rule established by…
As many may have seen, this week the Cato Institute published their 13th biennial report on fiscal policy of US…
Every two years liberals in Maine unveil an economic plan with a new catchy name. They plan a ‘listening tour’…
Last month, Governor Paul LePage received a letter from the U.S. Department of Commerce requesting his cooperation in turning over…
Madawaska has unfortunately decided to postpone its common-sense proposal to randomly drug test welfare recipients and ensure our tax dollars…
The town of Madawaska is considering bold changes to its General Assistance program that would ensure every last tax payer…
“Maine taxpayers see it every day at the grocery store and they are sick and tired of watching their hard-earned…
This is a comment I received from an 81-year old widow in Penobscot County in response to a constituent survey…
I love it when liberals are wrong. Especially the self-indulgent keyboard warrior types who make it a priority to go…
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has implemented a new rule to detect and deter EBT card…
Today, Mary Mayhew, commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services, was a guest on The Daily Signal to…
The 127th Maine Legislature has now adjourned for good and House Republicans are proud to say we have led the…
In a BDN column earlier this month, David Farmer attacked the LePage administration and the Department of Health and Human Services…
I must say, as a conservative, I found parts of Rep. Archie Verow’s April 11 BDN OpEd on the Democrats’…
AUGUSTA – The Maine Senate passed legislation to ban the use of welfare benefits for the purchase of lottery, alcohol…
This week, the Maine Department of Health and Human Service announced that they are on track to break last year’s…
America’s $700 billion per year welfare system is actually doing more harm than good, and is hurting the very people…
Augusta – Following a committee vote today on the welfare proposals brought forward by legislative Democrats, Senator Eric Brakey (R-Androscoggin),…
Amidst the chaos under the dome yesterday surrounding the Democrat’s new “welfare reform that works” proposal, the Health and Human…
It’s an election year, so Democrats in the State Legislature are again feigning support for welfare reform. They’ve rolled a…
For a number of years, Maine law has been more lenient than federal law in regard to work readiness requirements…
Thanks to continued efforts by Governor Paul LePage, the amount of Maine welfare funds spent outside of Maine have decreased to…
Investigators with The Department of Health and Human Services’ Fraud Investigation and Recovery Unit has reported a record 105 welfare…
The Maine Republican Party is pushing a two-part ballot initiative for the next election cycle that aims to reduce the…
After a thoroughly objective evaluation of the many aspects and implications surrounding state TANF drug-testing programs, this series has reached…
Following the first phase of screenings in Maine’s new drug-testing program for TANF recipients with prior felony drug convictions, state…
This is the first installment of a weekly series focused on discussing how drug-testing programs for TANF recipients benefit the…
According to recently released data from the U.S.D.A, Maine is leading the nation with its reduction in the number of…
On Tuesday, Superior Court Justice Thomas Warren ruled that the State of Maine does not have to reimburse Portland and…
Governor LePage promised the people of Maine while campaigning for both of his gubernatorial elections that he would do his…
In a state where nearly half of its population is enrolled in some form of government assistance program, welfare reform…
The fight over welfare reform took a new twist last week, as Democrats in the Health and Human Services Committee…
Freshman Senator Eric Brakey (R-Auburn) is continuing the effort to mandate that new Maine citizens live in the state for…
Late last October, a political pundit turned to me and said “You know the Democrats are struggling when they start…
According to Governor LePage’s administration, 9,000 fewer Mainers have been using SNAP benefits, commonly called food stamps, since last year…
Checkmate, Mr. Mayor. With the revelation that Portland’s homeless shelters have knowingly been giving shelter to frequent stayers who have…
Maine might just be the most lavish state in the U.S. – at least when it comes to General Assistance.…
On Friday, Governor Paul R. LePage released his biennial budget. The highly anticipated budget includes significant changes to the state’s…
Every election year Mainers can count on a handful of desperate political campaigns that rely on confusion and deception in…
As we mark the 50th anniversary of Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, the U.S. Census Bureau is set to…
Greetings from Amherst to all readers of the Maine Wire: With fewer than 90 days to Election Day, it’s time…
AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday it will require nearly 12,000 able-bodied Food Stamp recipients…
At a campaign event in Saco on Monday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Michael Michaud joined York County Democrats in giving a…
The LePage administration’s decision to crackdown on municipalities that give General Assistance (GA) to undocumented immigrants has created a firestorm…
Maine GOP Communications Director David Sorensen clashed with former Democratic Gov. John Baldacci over welfare reform Wednesday morning. A clearly…
Maine Attorney General Janet Mills makes no attempt to conceal her contempt for Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage or her wish…
By Jonathan McKane — Maine Democrats and the Maine press are fed up. They are demanding action. And for the…
A York County grand jury has indicted four individuals – including a New Hampshire woman – on charges that they…
A new report released Thursday has identified numerous problems with Maine’s various welfare programs and identified several potential avenues for…
AUGUSTA – The state of Maine will begin putting photo identification on the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards used to…
The United States had just 86 million full-time private-sector workers in 2012, compared with 148 million recipient of welfare benefits,…
The following is a speech prepared by Rep. Sharri MacDonald (R-Old Orchard Beach) to be given on the floor of…
From House Communications Director David Sorensen AUGUSTA – House Republican Leader Ken Fredette (R-Newport) and Assistant Leader Alex Willette (R-Mapelton)…
From House Communications Director David Sorensen: AUGUSTA – The Maine House of Representatives late Monday afternoon voted 77-57 in favor…
AUGUSTA – Democrats on the Health and Human Services Committee gutted two of Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s welfare reform proposals…
On Tuesday the usual cast of welfare industry characters came out to attack the bipartisan effort to fix Maine’s Temporary…
AUGUSTA – The talk was all about welfare Tuesday as the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee debated four bills…
AUGUSTA – After heavy resistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last year, the Maine Department of Health and…
AUGUSTA – Republican leaders gathered at the State House on Monday to call on Democrats to support an effort to…
AUGUSTA – Public hearings have been scheduled for a full slate of welfare reform proposals introduced by House Republican Leader…
Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart blasted Fox News for reporting on welfare abuse. For Stewart, it is beyond the pale to…
AUGUSTA – The Augusta-based Maine Health Access Foundation announced Wednesday it has given awards worth nearly $670,000 to liberal political…
Following The Maine Wire’s exclusive investigation into Maine’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash welfare program, liberal media pundits…
Robyn Merrill of the Maine Equal Justice Partners attacked the LePage administration on Sunday, accusing the Republican governor of supporting…
“It is amazing that people who think we cannot afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, and medication somehow think that…
Maine Wire Editor Steve Robinson joined Howie Carr on Monday to recap his investigation into welfare abuse in Maine. Listen…
They may be on welfare, but that doesn’t stop them from vacationing. According to an analysis of the Temporary Assistance…
Maine’s welfare system is supposed to provide a social safety net for poor families, but an analysis of the Temporary…
Cash welfare recipients in Maine may have spent portions of their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) allotment at bowling…
AUGUSTA – For the second time in the 126th Legislature, the Health and Human Services Committee held a public hearing…
AUGUSTA – Gary Alexander, founder and president of The Alexander Group, on Tuesday presented his report on a proposal to…
Maine Wire readers should be well aware that the most controversial policy issue at the State level this year is…
Are Maine’s cash welfare recipients gambling with taxpayer money? According to The Maine Wire’s investigation into the Temporary Assistance for…
Maine welfare cash has been used at two amusement parks in Saco, according to Department of Health and Human Services…
On Thursday, The Maine Heritage Policy Center, which owns and operates The Maine Wire, made public three years’ worth of…
AUGUSTA – Top Republicans reacted to The Maine Wire’s exclusive report on the scope of welfare abuse in Maine with…
The battle lines have been drawn for the coming session of the Maine Legislature. In one corner stands the reigning…
Would expanding medical welfare reduce visits to the emergency room? A new study from Oregon says, No. The study, released…
Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage will introduce welfare reform legislation in January that bears resemblance to sweeping reforms enacted in…
AUGUSTA – Fixing Maine’s sprawling Department of Health and Human Services programs will fall on Gov. Paul LePage’s shoulders once…
The LePage administration announced Tuesday that it has contracted with an outside consulting firm to audit Maine’s welfare programs, including…
AUGUSTA – In a shocking display of partisanship, the Democrat-controlled Legislative Council on Wednesday killed two Republican-backed bills – one…