WHEREAS, Maine’s agricultural community is a cornerstone of our great state and provides numerous benefits to Maine’s residents and visitors; and

WHEREAS, Maine’s agricultural sector fuels the state’s economy, contributing more than $3.6 billion and employing tens of thousands of people, with over 1 million acres in agricultural use; and

WHEREAS, Senior Games are an integral part of communities throughout Maine and the United States that offer Olympic-style multi-sport competitions for adults aged 45 and up and engage over 100,000 people nationally each year; and

WHEREAS, the Maine Senior Games were first established in 1986, and today, the organization offers 20 competitive sports to both men and women with events throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, March 29th, 2025 marks the 52nd anniversary of when the last United States Military unit left Vietnam and the final group of American prisoners of war were freed; and

WHEREAS, 48,000 men and women from the State of Maine served in Vietnam, while an additional 16,000 Mainers were serving worldwide during the Vietnam War era; and

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

On February 1, the president signed executive orders to impose a new 25% tariff on most imports from Canada. At the time of this recording, the president has indicated those tariffs will take effect on March 4.

Well, his reasons for punishing Canada are pretty unclear to me, and his reasons for punishing consumers even more unclear. You know, we share a 600-mile boundary with Canada. Canada is our largest trading partner. They come here on vacation, spend money in our resorts. Our economies and populations are deeply intertwined.

Last year alone, we traded more than $6 billion worth of goods and materials with Canada – most of that coming from Canada into Maine. That trade supports many small businesses across Maine, many of whom produce things like potatoes, blueberries, lobsters, forest products, aircraft parts, housing, machinery. Businesses like Wyman's, Twin Rivers, Eimskip, Luke's Lobster, for example, are all deeply connected to Canada.

Maine businesses and Maine people rely on Canada as well for a major source of energy – heating fuel, gasoline, natural gas, electricity. More than 80% of Maine's heating fuel and gasoline is imported from Canada, and 50% of our homes rely on oil for home heat. And of course, we don't have fossil fuel reserves of our own. Irving Oil from New Brunswick warned customers across New England that if the president's tariffs on Canada are enacted, they will have to increase prices, and that means higher prices at the pump, higher prices to heat our homes.

Although our economy is deeply entwined with Canada's, we also will be significantly impacted by tariffs on China and Mexico as well. Maine trades more than $315 million worth of goods and materials with China and more than $165 million worth of goods and materials with Mexico every year. We don't think about this too often, but it's true. The president has claimed that these other countries will somehow pay the tariffs and that's it, but the reality is the increased costs will clearly be passed on to us.

When Maine businesses have to pay higher tariffs to import materials they need, building supplies or other things, or pay to export their finished products, they will be forced to pass those costs along to Maine consumers at a time when we can least afford it. These tariffs clearly will result in higher prices on everything from fruits and vegetables, flat screen TVs, and auto parts and building supplies. This will cost more than $1,200 annually in purchase power for the typical United States household. I would estimate more for Maine households given our interrelationship with Canada.

I can't be clear enough: the president's broad tariffs on Canada as well as China and Mexico will increase costs on Maine families and Maine businesses who can ill afford them, and they will cause great harm to our state's economy.

Remember the president campaign on a commitment to lower the price of eggs, bread, heat, housing, cars, all the everyday goods that we all rely on?

Well, the president is now doing the opposite and Maine people, businesses, and communities will pay the price.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, on July 26, 1819, the citizens of Maine voted decisively in support of Maine separating from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and becoming an independent state; and

WHEREAS, the United States Congress received Maine’s petition for statehood and voted affirmatively to accept Maine as the 23rd State of the United States; and

WHEREAS, U.S. Secretary of State James Monroe notified Maine that it would formally and legally be an independent state beginning on March 15, 1820; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine has long been a haven for writers, musicians, painters, sculptors, poets, dancers, folk artists, culinary artists, and creative thinkers of all kinds; and

WHEREAS, Maine enjoys a worldwide reputation for the quality, quantity, and variety of its cultural community; and

WHEREAS, Maine features a broad and significant array of historic and architecturally significant structures; and

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

For six years I have introduced balanced budget proposals, and with the support of the Legislature, those budgets have sent historic amounts of money back to Maine schools, and to communities, and to Maine people to create the conditions for strong economic growth.

We’ve always ended every fiscal year in the black, but this year some higher costs and the leveling off of revenues have come together to produce a tougher than usual budget environment. Maine is not alone — many states, red and blue, across the country are facing the same budget challenges.

And like other states, our budget for Medicaid, which we call MaineCare, has a gap and it’s caused by four things: 1) the Federal government required us to keep people on MaineCare during and after the pandemic; 2) there’s been an uptick in the use of health care services as more people went back to the doctor after the pandemic; 3) there’s been an increase in the cost of those medical services because of inflation; and 4) there’s a practice called “cost reimbursement” which doesn’t allow the State to control costs – something we are trying to change.

So, last month, I introduced a supplemental budget to close the MaineCare budget gap quickly, using one-time funds that we’ve got on hand to fulfill our obligation to hospitals, nursing homes, and other providers. This proposal also included funding to spray forests in northern Maine to protect against spruce budworm. As you know, spruce budworm can destroy vast swaths of our forests if not addressed.

And the budget included much-needed reforms to General Assistance or GA.

You know GA was meant to be a short-term program of last resort – something to help people pay for food and basic necessities for a limited period of time. Something to help people when they fell on hard times while they got themselves back on their feet.

But right now, GA has consistently been over budget year after year by tens of millions of dollars, most of that money going to Portland. And it has turned into long-term housing support – something it was not meant to be.

Well, when the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee took up my supplemental budget, they made a couple changes to it. They always do.

They kept the emergency funding for MaineCare and spruce budworm spraying, but they removed the reform to GA, saying that those reforms could be discussed during the biennial budget discussions.

That’s not what I would have preferred, but I was okay with the changes because, most importantly, we need to make sure hospitals, nursing homes and others get paid as we keep the GA discussion going on.

After the Appropriations Committee made those changes, they advanced the supplemental budget with the support of three Republicans who were there.

But then Republicans changed their minds, saying that those reforms to General Assistance should be included now.

Some say they’ve moved the goalposts.

Well I agree we’ve got to return General Assistance back to its original purpose, but at the same time, putting the budgets, and the patients, of many health care providers in jeopardy by holding up the supplemental budget is not the way to do it.

If the supplemental budget doesn’t pass with bipartisan, two-thirds support, which would allow it to take effect immediately, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services will be forced to cap payments owed to health care providers next month.

We must provide stability for Maine’s hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care providers, and their patients who cannot afford disruptions and delays. We must also protect our forests.

Next week, lawmakers will return to Augusta to vote again on the supplemental budget. Both sides need to enact it with 2/3 support, bipartisan support, as an emergency bill so that it can take effect immediately upon my signature. I urge them all to get together and come to agreement on the supplemental budget.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, the social work profession is dedicated to enhancing the lives and well-being of all people, including the most vulnerable among us; and

WHEREAS, this year’s Social Work Month theme, “Social Work: Compassion + Action,” embodies the fact that social workers go through years of education and training, so they have the skills and expertise to transform their care for others into action that brings positive results; and

WHEREAS, Maine’s maple sugarbush provides recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, pulp and firewood, and forest management for the communities where they are located; and

WHEREAS, Maine produces more than 575,000 gallons of maple syrup annually, contributing an estimated $55 million to Maine’s economy; and

WHEREAS, this industry provides a sustainable source of income, over 800 full- and part-time jobs in rural Maine, and nearly $27 million in salaries; and

WHEREAS, the speaking of French is an expression and affirmation of a people's cultural identity; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine is named after the Province of Maine in France, and the towns of Paris and Calais owe their names to the capital city of France and the French port city of Calais, respectively; and

WHEREAS, more than one third of the population of Maine is of French and Canadian descent and Franco-Americans in Maine have contributed much to the beauty and quality of this State; and