February 25

White House details impact in Maine from budget cuts

Sunday’s state-by-state reports are the latest attempt by the Obama administration to pressure Republican leaders in Congress.

By Kevin Miller kmiller@mainetoday.com
Washington Bureau Chief

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Members of Maine's congressional delegation -- which consists of two Democrats, a Republican and an independent -- have been urging Congress and the president to take action.

"These kind of arbitrary and extreme cuts are going to be bad for Maine families and bad for the economy and it's why I voted against the bill that created them in the first place," U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, said a statement Sunday night.

"We can work toward a balanced approach to reducing the deficit, but drastic cuts to programs that help students struggling to pay for college or seniors trying to pay for their next meal isn't the way to do it."

Pingree is married to S. Donald Sussman, the majority share owner of MaineToday Media, which publishes the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and independent Sen. Angus King, meanwhile, visited Bath Iron Works and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard last week to call attention to their concerns over impacts on Maine's shipbuilding industry.

"We write today to express our specific commitment to a bipartisan and long-term deficit reduction solution to avoid damage to our national security, important domestic priorities, and our economy," King and Collins wrote in a letter to Obama last week. "It will require scrutiny and decreases in spending across all areas, including non-defense and defense discretionary and mandatory, as well as comprehensive tax reform. Less than two weeks remain before sequestration cuts go into effect, but there is still time for a better approach."

Kevin Miller can be contacted at 317-6256 or at:

kmiller@pressherald.com

On Twitter: @KevinMillerDC 

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