Maine Center for Economic Policy

Trump administration threatens food assistance for 170,000 Mainers - MECEP The Trump Administration is trying to break the stalemate in the ongoing federal shutdown over health care by threatening to cut assistance that helps 40 million Americans […]

How will YOUR county be impacted by ZERO federal #SNAP dollars arriving in November? We have the data.

The Trump admin and the #USDA need to follow the law and fund SNAP immediately. SNAP keeps food on shelves, workers on payrolls, and kids from going hungry. It shouldn't be up for debate.

Sovereignty Starts Here: Land, Economy, and Tribal Rights in Maine Maine has profited from centuries of Wabanaki land loss. Supporting land return and sovereignty reforms is both a moral responsibility and a smart economic investment.

Maine’s history with the Wabanaki Nations is not ancient history. It’s a living injustice that continues to shape our economy and politics. The path forward is clear: return land, repair trust, and reform laws that have kept the Wabanaki from full self-determination. www.mecep.org/maines-econo...

We asked Mainers at the Oxford Plains Speedway what they thought about cutting taxes for billionaires. Here’s what they told us. #mepolitics #BigBeautifulBill #TaxTheRich

Enhanced Premium Tax Credits protect 20M+ people from medical bills that drain savings & wreck credit. Congress had the chance to act—instead, they chose cuts.

Tell Maine's Congressional Delegation to make these tax credits permanent & repeal health care cuts: commcat.io/467vrRn

#CareNotCuts

Note: the 400 richest people in the U.S. are now worth a record $6.6 trillion, after getting $1.2 trillion richer over the past 12 months. #BigBeautifulBill #TaxTheRich

The White House slashes protections. Corporations hike prices. Families foot the bill. Unions keep raising wages, winning benefits, and fighting for dignity on the job.

This #LaborDay, stand with the folks who actually keep the economy running.

Working-class Trump voter vs. working-class progressive: Should the 1% get a tax break? #mepolitics #taxfairness #bigbeautifulbill #biguglybill

LD 1932: Maine direct care bill could raise pay, improve services - MECEP LD 1932 would raise wages, improve training, and secure federal funds — strengthening Maine’s direct care workforce and services.

LD 1932 gives Maine a big chance to keep caregivers, protect access to care, and bring in millions in federal funds. #mepolitics www.mecep.org/blog/ld-1932...

There's plenty Mainers disagree on. Billionaires are terrified we'll figure out what we have in common. #mepolitics #taxfairness #bigbeautifulbill #biguglybill

We’re told America is more divided than ever. But it turns out there’s one BIG thing we can all agree on: the ultra-wealthy have stacked the deck against us, and it’s about time our lawmakers did something about that. #mepolitics #taxfairness #bigbeautifulbill #biguglybill

No doubt about how big and ugly this bill really is.

#mepolitics #OBBBA #BigUglyBill

We asked rural Mainers what they thought about tax breaks for the 1%. Here's what they shared with us. #taxfairness #taxfairnessnow #mepolitics

Legislative Rundown: First regular session of the 132nd - MECEP MECEP presented 110 pieces of testimony before the Maine Legislature that affect the lives of everyday Mainers. These are highlights from the legislative session related to economic justice and tax fa...

In 2025, MECEP presented 110 pieces of testimony before the Maine Legislature that affect the lives of everyday Mainers. Here are highlights from the legislative session related to economic justice and tax fairness. #mepolitics www.mecep.org/blog/legisla...

We asked rural Trump voters and independents what they thought about cutting taxes for billionaires. Here's what they told us. #TaxFairness #TaxFairnessNow #MEPolitics

We see the bait-and-switch for what it is.

💰 $1 trillion for billionaires—permanently.
🩺 17 million lose health insurance—after the election.
🥫 Deepest SNAP cuts ever—after the cameras are gone.
📉 $4 trillion in debt—magically "paid for" with fairy dust.

🔗Read our statement: bit.ly/3TWxRLy

The Senate’s version of OBBBA hits poor families even harder than the initial version passed by the House — now the poorest Americans will lose 2.9% of their income while the richest gain 2.2%

The Big, Ugly Budget is now headed back to the House. The other day we talked with @pingree.house.gov about just how ugly it is.

Mainers deserve better: Corporate tax breaks win while care workers, students, reproductive health services, and families at risk of eviction get left behind - MECEP Lawmakers are poised to choose corporations over care workers, tax breaks over tenant protections, and profits over people.

Maine lawmakers are poised to choose corporations over care workers, tax breaks over tenant protections, and profits over people. mecep.org/blog/mainers-deserve-better-corporate-tax-breaks-win-while-care-workers-students-reproductive-health-services-and-families-at-risk-of-eviction-get-left-behind/

Progress for farmworkers — but full justice still denied - MECEP Last week, Maine took a historic step forward by extending the state’s minimum wage to include farmworkers. For too long, the people who grow and harvest the […]

Last week, Maine made history by extending minimum wage protections to farmworkers — a huge step toward justice for the people who grow our food. But this week, Governor Mills vetoed a bill that would’ve protected those same workers from retaliation for speaking up about unsafe or unfair conditions.

Federal budget plan puts Maine’s rural hospitals at grave risk, report shows - MECEP More than 300 rural hospitals, including two in Maine, could close if the federal budget includes proposed deep cuts to Medicaid, according to new analysis by the […]

Learn more here: www.mecep.org/blog/federal...

Wednesday Sit-Down: Medicaid cuts threaten rural hospitals Garrett Martin, CEO of the Maine Center of Economic Policy, sits down with CBS13 to talk about Medicaid cuts threatening rural hospitals.

"The giant sucking sound of mills closing from years ago is going to be replaced by the giant sucking sound of hospitals and rural health care centers closing."

Care about Maine's rural economy? Spend 4 minutes watching our own Garrett Martin lay out the looming threat.
#SaveMedicaid #mepolitics

New federal bill threatens immigrants and Maine’s progress - MECEP Immigrants are vital to Maine’s communities and economy. They work in health care, agriculture, hospitality, and education. They raise families, pay taxes, and help counter our state’s […]

Immigrant Mainers work our farms, provide direct care and support to older and disabled people, staff our hospitals and hotels, and fill critical workforce gaps in every sector of our economy. Attacking them harms us all.

#mepolitics #immigration

Federal budget plan puts Maine’s rural hospitals at grave risk, report shows - MECEP More than 300 rural hospitals, including two in Maine, could close if the federal budget includes proposed deep cuts to Medicaid, according to new analysis by the […]

Slashing #Medicaid will cause hundreds of rural hospitals to close, including 2 in #Maine.

🏥Northern Light in Presque Isle: 300,000+ patients, 1,100 jobs
🏥Maine Coast Memorial in Ellsworth: 20,000 patients, hundreds of workers
🏥12 more ME hospitals at high risk

www.mecep.org/blog/federal...

So far, part 2 budget avoids major cuts but falls short of meeting Maine’s needs - MECEP Maine’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee is close to finalizing a proposal for the second part of the biennial budget, building on the “part 1” budget the legislature passed in March.

What's going on with the "part 2" budget being considered by the Maine legislature today? Here's where things stand so far. This will be updated as things change today. www.mecep.org/blog/so-far-...

House Dems who voted against the millionaire tax: Hepler, Mitchell, O'Halloran, Roberts, Runte, Sargent. Any of them yours? Give them a call, too.

Tax bracket bill would raise taxes on the wealthy, cut bottom bracket - MECEP The Taxation Committee reported out an amended version of LD 229, a bill that creates two new top income tax brackets for higher earners and lowers the […]

Learn more about the tax bracket bill here: www.mecep.org/blog/tax-bra...

Learn more about the Millionaire Tax here: mainersfortaxfairness.org/wp-content/u...

Both the Millionaire Tax & new tax bracket bill are alive — and headed to the Senate! We need your help to pass them. Use our easy tool to tell your Senator: It’s time millionaires paid their fair share. 👇
www.mainersfortaxfairness.org/take-action?...
#taxtherich #mepolitics #taxfairness

Today was a historic day for farmworker rights in Maine.