AUGUSTA — Republican Gov. Paul LePage says the Trump administration is blocking his latest effort to prevent the use of food stamps to buy soda and candy.
LePage spokeswoman Julie Rabinowitz said Thursday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture informed Maine of the news this week in a phone call.
The governor plans to revise and resubmit his request.
The USDA didn’t respond to request for comment Thursday evening.
The fiscally conservative governor has pointed to Maine’s high rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease as justification for his efforts.
But former Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration blocked LePage’s plan and said it lacked needed details and follow-up plans.
Rabinowitz said the administration hasn’t received a letter from the USDA regarding its latest decision.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.