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The latest news from Main House Republicans


*WATCH HERE [ [link removed] ]*



Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart talks about Maine Democrats' control of Augusta the past six years and what that has meant for Maine's working families

 

*We do not have to live like this*

"Republicans offer hope and a common sense approach that puts Maine citizens first"

 

This is Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart of Aroostook County. Thank you for joining me for this week’s Republican Address, which will be our last before Maine’s residents have a choice to make next Tuesday.

And my message is simple: We need to Make Maine Affordable Again. But first, let’s look at where we are now.

Since Democrats took control of Augusta in 2019 and the federal government in 2021, Maine’s families have suffered ever since. We have the highest property tax burden in the country, the fourth highest tax burden overall and the sixth-highest electric rates in the nation. This is not hyperbole – these facts are real from Wallet Hub and the federal Energy Information Administration.

Over that time, inflation spiraled out of control, businesses were hit with government-forced shutdowns and many, like the recent wave of restaurants, continue to close. And let’s not forget about the sky-high energy and gas prices we had to endure.

How easy it is to forget that gas was over $5 a gallon in 2022 and electric bills more than doubled last year.

Rents have gone up. Interest rates are through the roof and for those of us who are lucky to own a home, the cost of staying in it is getting harder and harder to manage because of rising property taxes. In fact, in September we said property taxes are becoming an existential threat to Mainers.

Look no further than the story of Portland residents Steven Small and his wife, and their dog Henry, who are being forced from their West End home of 26 years because they can no longer afford to live there. At the age of 71 and on fixed incomes, what choice do they have but to move from a place they have called home for over two decades.

It’s like Democrats are creating economic refugees right here in our own state, despite record revenue sharing by the state and funding our local school budgets at 55 percent. All that extra money, and yet our student performance ranks dead last in the country.

Between superheated property values, a broken revaluation process and an insatiable appetite for more money, there’s no doubt that municipalities are taking in record revenues right now. That’s happening at the state level too.

To make matters worse, legislative Democrats raised property taxes last session by repealing property relief for seniors and Maine homeowners that I sponsored. And in the midst of rapid property tax increases, Democrats removed a bipartisan limitation on raising property taxes that has been protecting Maine homeowners for almost 20 years.

So despite billions and billions in new spending, virtually all of Maine’s problems have gotten worse. Billions in new spending that could have gone to help struggling families was given instead to “new Mainers” and the political constituency groups that keep Democrats in power.

Living in Maine is now becoming unaffordable for all but our most wealthy citizens. And rather than focusing on providing relief to Maine citizens, majority Democrats have turned record surpluses into what is now a projected $1 billion shortfall.

And let’s talk about the lack of housing. Since 2020, Democrats have pursued a radical agenda that encourages up to 75,000 noncitizens to come here at taxpayers’ expense. Migrants that entered the country illegally have been shipped from the border and disbursed throughout Maine, often in the middle of the night.

The result is a housing and humanitarian crisis. An already tight housing shortage got worse and statewide homelessness has grown with migrants getting free housing at the expense of displaced Maine citizens.

It is no wonder that a recent poll showed only 37% of Mainers trust state government. State government has grown larger while the rights, freedoms and household budgets of working citizens have gotten smaller.

We do not have to live like this. We can do better. Maine deserves better.

Maine Republicans have common sense solutions to many of the problems that have only gotten worse these last four years. And now government overspending has put Maine on track for a billion-dollar budget deficit.

Help us put Maine back on track before the Maine we love is lost forever. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to vote next Tuesday and vote for change in Augusta.

Again, this is Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart of Aroostook. Please join me next Tuesday to set Maine on a new path to prosperity; and thank you for listening.

 

"Senator Trey Stewart is the Senate Republican Leader and represents District 2, which includes communities in Aroostook and Penobscot counties. He is a member of the Legislative Council."

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State of Maine Seal [ [link removed] ]

*  Distributed by the House Republican Office *
*  2 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0002*
*  Office: (207) 287-1440*






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