Preparing for transition, Mills and Pingree hope new Congress will reverse federal cuts

As Gov. Janet Mills and Gov.-elect Hannah Pingree partner to ensure a smooth transition of power, they said Friday they are also hoping the newly elected Democratic majority in Congress will reverse federal cuts that are expected to have severe consequences for the state.

Many of the cuts to Medicaid that are expected to have severe consequences for the state will take effect in January as the new Congress is sworn in and Pingree takes office. 

The handover marks the first time since the 1950s that Maine voters have elected consecutive chief executives from the same party.

“This is quite different than eight years ago, and we’re going to make sure that the state of Maine runs smoothly through a transition,” Mills said, referring to her experience following former Gov. Paul LePage in 2019.

“I’ve pledged my administration’s full cooperation in providing the smooth and effective transition that many people expect and deserve.”

The two Democrats have extensive experience working together, first in the Maine Legislature and more recently when Pingee served as head of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. The transition will include collaborating on details such as crafting the state budget and determining how many department leaders from the Mills administration will continue in their roles.

“I’m enormously proud of what we have accomplished over the past eight years, and I feel good about the state we will be handing over to the governor-elect in January,” Mills said.

“I believe Maine people selected Hannah Pingree for the very same reasons that I asked her to serve in my administration eight years ago: her deep experience, her sound judgment, leadership qualities, her relentless optimism for Maine’s future.”

Earlier this week, Pingree announced that her transition committee will be led by former Republican state Sen. Roger Katz and former Penobscot Ambassador Maulian Bryant. In coming weeks, she said her team will conduct interviews for all cabinet positions, although she acknowledged some Mills administration commissioners may want to be considered to continue their current roles. 

“We want the most talented team of people in the state government who are diverse, who are experienced, and ready to hit the ground running,” she said.

Cuts to healthcare and food assistance

Both Mills and Pingree on Friday celebrated the nationwide sweep of Democratic victories, saying it would help Congress undo some cuts that the Republican-led Congress approved, particularly to food assistance and healthcare. 

The state is preparing for cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid, Pingree said. But state funding is not enough to make up for the millions in lost federal funding, she said, nor can the state alter the new requirements that are expected to make thousands of low-income Mainers ineligible for Medicaid.

“I’m very deeply concerned about the Medicaid cuts, the SNAP cuts,” Pingree said. 

However, Pingree said she’s hopeful that members of Congress “come to their senses and realize just how devastating this will be for healthcare for people all across the country. But no matter what, we have to plan for where we’ll be in January, and that does mean planning for these cuts.”

In conversations with other governors, Pingree said she is aware of lobbying efforts urging Congress to postpone the Medicaid cuts, in particular, a majority of which take effect next year.

Mills added that postponing Medicaid cuts should be an “easy thing for them to do.” She also said she hopes the new Congress will  reverse changes made to the Affordable Care Act. After Congress allowed the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, more than 60,000 Mainers who purchase health insurance through the marketplace saw steep increases in monthly premiums. Almost 10,000 canceled their health insurance plans, according to data from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Those costs are set to increase by some 20% again next year.

“They can reverse that with a stroke of pen,” Mills said.