Augusta, MAINE – With the U.S. Senate expected to vote as early as this week on the Republican plan to “reform” the tax code, Governor Paul LePage continues to be shamefully silent, refusing to tell the people of Maine where he stands on a bill that would line the pockets of millionaires, billionaires, and big corporations at the expense of middle-class Mainers.
In fact, Governor LePage is the only governor in New England not to have publicly stated a position on the plan. Maine’s Republican gubernatorial candidates – Ken Fredette, Mary Mayhew, Shawn Moody, Garrett Mason and Mike Thibodeau – have also not voiced their positions on the bill, which is expected to raise taxes on middle class Maine families and blow a $1.5 trillion hole in the deficit.
Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett released the following statement calling on Governor LePage and the Republican gubernatorial candidates to tell the people of Maine where they stand:
“Governor Paul LePage wasted no time throwing his weight behind the failed GOP attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but when it comes to Republicans trying to ram through the most substantial tax rewrite in decades, we’ve heard nothing.
“Is that because, like Republican Governor Charlie Baker, he knows the GOP plan wouldn’t actually help working people and he just doesn’t have the courage to say it? Or does he think, like Congressman Bruce Poliquin, that money will just simply trickle down to Maine people from the wealthy and giant corporations?
“The stakes are too high for the people of Maine for Governor LePage to be silent on this issue. They deserve to hear where he stands, and they also deserve to hear from the candidates who want to be Maine’s next Governor stand. The Maine Democratic Party calls on them to stop hiding and stand up and tell Maine people what they think.”
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