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Conservative Advocacy Group Criticizes Mills For 'Orgy Of Spending'

Willis Ryder Arnold
/
Maine Public

The Maine Heritage Policy Center is criticizing Democratic Gov. Janet Mills for "a grotesque orgy of spending.”

The conservative advocacy organization held its largest annual fundraising event Thursday afternoon in South Portland, where CEO Matthew Gagnon said Mills proposed $8 billion spending plan was more than 11 percent bigger than the last enacted budget.

“The spending binge that she's been on will undoubtedly create a financial crisis during the next economic slowdown forcing future legislatures to raise taxes to cover costs,” Gagnon says. “The second, though, and in my mind more important problem is that level of spending and that amount of money artificially keeps taxes higher than they otherwise could or should be.”

Gagnon also targeted Mills for expanding Medicaid and moving away from work requirements for welfare recipients.

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.