LePage: Budget proposal 'full of gimmicks'
Gov. Paul LePage has criticized lawmakers involved in the budget process for a revised proposal that he says is "full of gimmicks and built on false savings." Meanwhile, members of the appropriations committee continued to meet to find a way to cut millions from the Department of Health and Human Services' budget.
In a statement released yesterday, LePage said he told committee chairs he would neither sign nor veto a proposal presented to him last Thursday. Since then, he said the plan has "drastically changed" and "eliminates nearly all of the structural changes that are necessary to make our welfare system affordable and sustainable." He cited in particular the removal of a measure to eliminate all coverage for childless adults, and said the proposal will not fix the long-term problem. "Quite frankly, I believe this represents an abdication of their responsibility to the Maine people," he said in the release.
Details of the proposal presented Thursday were not made available, but lawmakers said it would cut $120 million and still allow DHHS to make MaineCare payments through the end of this fiscal year. LePage last week chided lawmakers, especially Democrats, for stalling the process.
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