BY RAMONA DU HOUX

November 2, 2012

“The governor and his Republican allies have given tax cuts to the wealthy, while pitting one group of vulnerable people against another. It’s shameful. In times like these, millionaires should be giving to charity not getting it. It is blatant hypocrisy for the governor to claim that he is protecting the safety net when he is clearly trying to dismantle it,” said Rep. Peggy Rotundo, who is the ranking House Democrat on the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee.

Rep. Rotundo was responding to a video that Gov. Paul LePage released to the media where LePage blasts the federal government for seeking more information about the administration’s proposed health care cuts, some of which are in violation of federal law. LePage and Republican lawmakers left a $10 million gap in the state budget after passing the illegal eligibility cuts last Spring.

Releasing a video instead of holding a traditional press conference where the Governor would be subject to press questions is highly unusual and is a measure taken in non democratic societies not in open societies.

“The governor and his Republican allies are in rush to take health care away from thousands of seniors, people with disabilities, and working parents. The governor has known since day one that these health care cuts were against federal law, yet he has pursued them anyway. They should’ve never been included in the state budget in the first place,” said Rep. Rotundo.

The LePage administration’s efforts to expedite cuts to health care for thousands of seniors, people with disabilities, and working families has been on his agenda since he ran for office.