Maine Democrats Vote to Continue Free

Welfare Ride with No Work Requirement

By:  David Deschesne

Fort Fairfield Journal, April 2, 2014

AUGUSTA, Maine—Along straight party lines, Democrats on the Health and Human Services Committee recently voted to quash two of Governor Paul LePage’s bills that would have required welfare recipients to actively look for work in order to continue receiving confiscated tax money from Maine taxpayers.  The Governor’s proposals would have also prevented fraud and abuse of Maine’s EBT card system.

   “It is incomprehensible that Democrats on the Health and Human Services Committee would vote to reject these common-sense proposals,” said Governor LePage. “I am the first one in line to help someone in need, but I don’t want to be taken advantage of and neither do hard-working Mainers. These liberal politicians would rather see welfare cash benefits, which are provided by struggling Maine taxpayers, go out of state than to keep that money in Maine.”  

   “They prefer to automatically hand out welfare benefits to anyone who applies, instead of simply asking them to look for work first. This is outrageous. Mainers don’t mind providing a hand up, but they expect applicants to try to get a job before asking the taxpayers for welfare.”