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To put the focus on the topics and concerns that matter most to you, the BDN opinion section asked subscribers for their questions for the candidates for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House. Today, we’re sharing answers from the candidates for the U.S. House for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, Republican former Gov. Paul LePage and State Auditor Matt Dunlap, a Democrat. Visit bangordailynews.com/candidates-questions to see the responses in other races.
What measures would you vote for to ensure that all Mainers have access to affordable healthcare? Should all Americans have access to the same coverage, at the same cost, as members of Congress? Do you support Medicare-for-all or another form of universal health care? If so, how would you pay for it? If not, why not.
Matt Dunlap, Democrat
I will fight with every chance I get to fix our broken health care system and make it better for every Mainer, and that means taking every opportunity possible to vote to make sure Mainers have access to affordable health care. Healthcare is too expensive, but Paul LePage spent more time passing tax cuts for billionaires than doing anything to fix it. I will take on Big Pharma and the insurance companies that are making millions while too many families can’t afford lifesaving care.
LePage may call Medicare and Medicaid cuts “the greatest thing that can happen to the Maine people,” but as your representative, I will vote to restore the Medicaid cuts, expand tax credits to make health insurance premiums more affordable, and fight for Medicare for All (which would be $1 trillion dollars cheaper than our current system).
Paul LePage, Republican
Mainers deserve affordable care, more choices and the freedom to choose their doctors. Those with pre-existing conditions should have coverage. I support more competition in our insurance marketplace, transparent pricing and removing bureaucracy, which simply adds cost to patients without any beneficial health outcomes. Under Obamacare, insurance companies have gotten rich. Insurance companies should have to compete for your business and they should be forced to justify the prices they charge for premiums. Congress should live under the same rules as the people it represents. As governor, I signed Public Law (PL) 90, which expanded insurance options and lowered premiums for Mainers. This reform was touted by The Wall Street Journal because it actually lowered health insurance premiums.
I oppose completely government-run healthcare. First, it would force every Mainer to lose their health plans including union plans, employer plans, or other types of healthcare plans, which would be eliminated. Second, government-run healthcare will cost all Mainers as tens of trillions of dollars gets eaten by an inefficient system which would force across-the-board tax increases on Maine families, including the middle class. Very importantly, government-run healthcare would put bureaucrats in charge of your healthcare decisions and take those decisions away from you and your doctor.
What specific steps do you support to preserve the financial stability of Social Security? Would you support raising the payroll tax on higher incomes? Raising the full retirement age? Reducing benefits, particularly to those with high incomes? Should government spending be reduced in other areas?
LePage
First of all, I myself receive Social Security. I have always, always supported Social Security and Medicare. It is time we have an honest conversation about the Social Security cap, which shields wealthy individuals from having to pay more Social Security tax. Adjusting the cap so high-income earners pay more may help with solvency. People paid into this program throughout their working lives, and Washington must honor that commitment.
As governor, I lowered taxes for Maine seniors so they could keep more of their retirement income in their pockets. Washington should start by controlling spending elsewhere, cracking down on improper payments and strengthening an economy that supports more workers paying into Social Security. We need to eliminate fraud within the system because it undermines benefits for people who earned them. Lastly, any long-term reform must protect those already counting on it.
Dunlap
What’s best for our seniors is best for everyone, and that means I will work hard every single day to lower your costs and protect Social Security. LePage has called Social Security “welfare, pure and simple” but I know that when you’ve paid into the system your whole life, you’ve earned it.
When he was governor, LePage passed tax cuts for the wealthy and made seniors pay for it by slashing senior nutrition assistance like Meals on Wheels, blocking affordable housing for seniors, and even refusing federal funding for dementia and Alzheimer’s programs. As your congressman, I’ll remove the cap on Social Security contributions, a bipartisan proposal that will keep Social Security solvent for years to come, ensuring the system works for future generations.
Do you believe that climate change is real and made worse by burning fossil fuels? If not, why not? If so, what specific actions would you support to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to ensure the U.S. reengages with international partners to address climate change? How would you support the transition to cleaner energy sources? How would you stand up to the president to move a climate-focused agenda forward?
Dunlap
Climate change is real, and it’s affecting all of us here in Maine — warmer winters affect our hunting and fishing game and our winter sports tourism economy. Sea level rise from climate change has a big impact on our coastal communities, and even slight increases in ocean temperature can lead to more severe storms and fewer lobsters for our fisherman. I support greater efforts to use renewables to power our grid, including in partnership with international allies like our neighbors to the north.
LePage
My energy policy starts with what Mainers pay to heat their homes, fill their tanks and keep the lights on. Now is not the time to wage war on certain fuels or impose an expensive so-called Green New Deal that increases costs. I support any energy source that can reliably lower the cost of heating your home or lowers your electricity bill. Cleaner technology should earn its place by being affordable and dependable. We should unleash American energy production and remove unnecessary barriers to building energy infrastructure. I will judge proposals from any president or international organization by whether they serve Maine people and lower costs. Families deserve affordable energy and practical solutions. We will never strengthen or revitalize our economy without more affordable energy.
How will you make sure our laws, including the Constitution, are enforced equally for everyone, including members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the president? What laws should be enforced or changed to hold the president accountable and to ensure the survival of our democracy? Is this a top priority for you? What steps will you take to protect mail-in voting?
LePage
Upholding the Constitution is a fundamental responsibility. Everyone must be held to the law. Congress already has constitutional tools for oversight and accountability, and I would use them when the facts warrant it. Regarding law enforcement, we can support officers while demanding transparent investigations when something goes wrong.
While we’re on the topic of the rule of law, we should also hold fraudsters accountable. The same scrutiny should be held when it comes to credible allegations of government waste, fraud and abuse.
I believe we should restore confidence in our elections through widely supported, common-sense measures such as voter ID. We are asked for our IDs almost everywhere and there is no reason they should not be used to ensure we protect our elections. I support ensuring only citizens of the United States are voting. These positions are common-sense.
I support Maine’s absentee ballot system, especially because so many elderly people depend on it to cast their vote. Eligible citizen voters should have access to absentee voting and confidence that our elections are secure.
Dunlap
In America, no man is above the law. As state auditor, my job is to be politically neutral and ensure that government is working for you, and that taxpayer dollars are wisely spent. But that only works if you’re willing to look beyond partisan politics. There are times where both parties have been annoyed by my audit findings, but at the end of the day the job is about protecting taxpayers not appeasing politicians. I’ll approach my role in Congress the same way: Is this good for Mainers, or is it good for Washington, D.C.? That means enforcing the laws, no matter whether it’s about the president or a member of my own party.
In terms of ensuring the survival of our democracy, here are a few changes I support: a ban on congressional stock trading so that you know politicians are working for your best interest rather than their own; and getting money out of politics so that billionaires and corporate interests don’t control who wins. My campaign doesn’t take a cent of corporate PAC money.
As a former secretary of state, I strongly support Mainers’ right to vote. Fortunately, the Supreme Court recently ruled to support the right to vote by mail, and prevented federal overreach into what is ultimately a state process.
What are your top 3 accomplishments as a lawmaker?
Dunlap
I have dedicated my entire career in government service to the people of Maine, having led the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and putting people first as secretary of state and state auditor. My top accomplishment in the Legislature was helping to establish the Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License Endowment, which allowed us to make sure our outdoor heritage survived and thrived for future generations.
As secretary of state, I implemented the first-in-the-nation statewide ranked-choice voting election for the people of Maine.
I have never been beholden to a particular political party or its interests, and I’m proud to have called out fraud and corruption from both parties. In the Legislature, I also helped establish OPEGA (Office of Program Enforcement and Government Accountability) as the only Democrat to support that.
LePage
As governor, my proudest accomplishments include saving healthcare, especially rural healthcare, by paying off a massive $750 million debt owed to Maine’s hospitals when I became governor; lowering taxes for working Mainers including the working poor; and stopping automatic gas tax increases. I also am proud we brought accountability to Maine’s welfare system by ending illegal immigration sanctuary city policies and cracking down on fraud that saw EBT cards used at strip clubs, casinos, and liquor stores.
Why should we trust you?
LePage
Maine voters know me. Not every voter will agree with me all of the time but I will make the tough decisions needed to make life here more affordable and revitalize our economy. Maine built me, and I have spent my life giving back to the state that gave me everything.
Dunlap
I’m like you: Born on a farm near Bar Harbor and deeply proud of where I come from. I went to the University of Maine and have worked as a proofreader, dishwasher, bartender, and even a fur trapper. Like you, I respect hard work and am on the side of working people. I’m a Mainer and pay taxes here, which is more than my opponent can say. And I will fight for Maine because I myself am a Mainer.