Gov. Janet Mills has already established a record of reckless spending, unnecessary tax hikes and blatant fiscal irresponsibility.

State General Fund spending increased from $3.4 billion in 2018, the year before she took office, to $5 billion in 2024 – a 47% increase. To call the governor fiscally responsible is laughable, especially compared to her predecessor, former Gov. Paul LePage, under whom General Fund spending only increased by approximately 21%.

Mills has consistently fought against all but the most minor tax relief, while expanding the scope and breadth of government in an unprecedented way. She used parliamentary gimmicks to ram through a party-line budget just so that she could further this unfortunate legacy – gimmicks so outlandish they’re being rightly challenged in court.

It’s ridiculous to accuse her of imposing austerity; austerity is cutting spending, not restraining increases. Even LePage didn’t really impose austerity budgeting. Mills is only fiscally responsible in comparison to other members of her party, who want to raise taxes for no reason and spend even more. Still, it’s always nice to see her take at least some stance against the fiscal insanity that seems to be running rampant amongst Maine Democrats these days.

In the case of the additional funding passed by Maine Democrats recently, what we saw was more of an eleventh-hour charade of a champion of fiscal responsibility than it was a real stance. Having established the reality of her record, it’s clear that being seen as being fiscally responsible is more important to Mills than actually being fiscally responsible. That’s her legacy: being fiscally reckless while feigning the opposite.

In the grand scheme of things, the additional spending that legislative Democrats are seeking isn’t a huge amount. It’s not as if they’re trying to slap on an additional $500 million, or even $100 million, of spending on to the General Fund: It’s less than $15 million. Although any additional spending ought to be eyed skeptically, regardless of the exact figure, their proposals amount to less than half of 1% of the General Fund. That’s not going to break the bank, nor is opposing that additional money suddenly going to make Mills fiscally responsible.

That’s not to say the money doesn’t matter. Whether one views it positively or negatively, every single dime that the state spends ought to be carefully examined. That’s not really what’s happening here, though. It’s also not really a serious example of the rift between the slightly more moderate Mills and the more progressive legislative leadership. The piddling amount at stake confirms that.

Rather than acting on the controversial spending bills, the Legislature – specifically, the House under the leadership of Rachel Talbot-Ross – didn’t even vote on them. This is the exact same approach that they took to a sweeping reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services earlier in the session that would have created a new, separate department for child welfare. In the case of the additional spending bills, House leadership claimed that adjourning the Legislature was the only option because the governor opposed them.

To be clear, that’s not the case. Regardless of Mills’ positions on the bills, they could have voted on them. If they’d been passed, Gov. Mills would have had to sign them, veto them or refuse to do either, killing them, as she did with the few bills that were passed. They should have been brought to the floor for a vote; that would have been honest.

Indeed, all legislation that’s voted on in one chamber should have to be taken up by the other. It’s undemocratic, secretive and cowardly to simply ignore legislation; that’s not the sort of government Mainers deserve. While it may be politically convenient for leadership to be able to circumvent controversy, it’s not leadership; when legislators do so, they’re abandoning their responsibilities and their constituents. Not only should there have been votes on the bills in the House, Republicans in the Senate should have taken a firm position on them.

Right now, the people of Maine have a Legislature that is refusing to stand up for them and actually do their jobs; instead, members play political games to avoid accountability. Hopefully we take the opportunity to replace them this November with people who actually want to do their job. Perhaps then the Legislature will find leaders who are transparent and respect democracy, rather than trying to avoid responsibility at all cost.

Jim Fossel, a conservative activist from Gardiner, worked for Sen. Susan Collins. He can be contacted at:
jwfossel@gmail.com
Twitter: @jimfossel