The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Ryan Fecteau is the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.
Lawmakers have returned to Augusta to begin the second — also known as the “short”— session of the 132nd Legislature. Since we adjourned in June, federal chaos worsened, causing worry and fear for families and businesses all over Maine.
We have a storm of Trump policies now on Maine’s shores and it’s impacting people’s ability to pay for health care plans, their mortgage, their rent, their property taxes, and exceedingly costly electricity and heating oil. Instead of seizing this moment to address the biggest issues facing Americans, the so-called leaders in D.C. gave the richest, most powerful enterprises and individuals more tax breaks and giveaways in what I call the “One Big Bad Bill.”
Mainers like Diane, who lives in my neighborhood, are left wondering how they’ll get by, let alone get ahead.
How will they afford health insurance this year? How will they afford rent or the mortgage and groceries this month? What about the light bill and child care?
Maine Democrats are fighting back. We’re heading into the legislative session with proposals to cut costs for Mainers. To make sure folks can get the health care they need at a price they can afford. To make sure kids and seniors don’t go hungry. To build more housing and to bring down energy costs.
And addressing these issues shouldn’t be partisan. Every Mainer deserves a roof over their head, food on their table and utility bills that don’t blow their budgets.
It’s easy to think that politicians are totally out of touch with what really matters to Maine people. And maybe some politicians have lost the plot when it comes to the challenges everyday Mainers are facing. But Maine’s Democratic legislators reflect what our communities look like: moms and dads, small-business owners, farmers, nurses, teachers, an electrician, retirees on fixed incomes, and even an oysterman, you name it. We’re all facing the same rising costs as our constituents. And instead of complaining about it or stirring up Facebook click bait, we are actually doing something.
My Democratic colleagues and I are championing a suite of bills this session that will make a real impact on the rising costs for the basics of life: housing, health care, child care and energy. These proposals will protect families and seniors from federal cuts, help build the housing we desperately need across Maine, bring down grocery costs, make it easier for moms and dads to afford child care, and give working families some relief in the face of ever-rising energy costs.
This policy package represents real progress on the issues facing Mainers. The things we think about when we’re checking our bank balance or making a grocery list or scheduling our annual check-up. As federal dollars remain in limbo at the whim of a president whose cuts, which I see as cruel and reckless, push the boundaries of executive power, we won’t be able to make up the difference in every area of the budget. But I promise you that Maine Democrats will continue to put working families first.
We know there are too many people, like my neighbor Diane, who risk not having health insurance because the costs are too high. It breaks my heart knowing some of our neighbors won’t get the care they need or the food assistance to feed their families because D.C. politicians essentially put them last. And while it breaks my heart, I know that alongside my colleagues in Augusta, we can do something about it.
As we bring forward these policy proposals, I hope you’ll consider sharing your own experiences by submitting testimony. And I ask my Republican colleagues to set aside the partisan rancor of an election year and spend the legislative session doing the jobs we were elected to do. Let’s dig into these pressing issues and work toward solutions that will allow Maine families to not just get by, but to get ahead.