Vice President JD Vance came to Bangor to talk about his leadership of a federal effort to crack down on healthcare fraud and to pin alleged problems here on Gov. Janet Mills.
Speaking to a packed hangar at the city’s airport on Thursday, Vance blamed the term-limited Democrat for what he called a failure to crack down on fraud in the state’s Medicaid program and used the appearance to boost former Gov. Paul LePage’s bid for the 2nd Congressional District, which voted for Trump three times and is being vacated by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden.
“Do you like having a state governor who doesn’t work with the federal government to fight against fraud?” Vance asked the crowd. “So let’s kick Janet Mills to the curb, and let’s send Paul LePage to Washington to help us fight the fraudsters and protect all of you.”
Vance is leading a task force on fraud, and his visit to Maine came one day after President Donald Trump’s administration froze new home healthcare and hospice providers from enrolling in Medicare for six months. His visit gave LePage a platform to address the issue and handed Democrats an opportunity to blame high costs on Trump’s Iran war.
The vice president mostly spoke in generalities about fraud. He referenced a federal audit finding Maine made at least $45.6 million in improper Medicaid payments for services provided to children with autism in 2023, though similar findings had been made in Indiana and Wisconsin as part of an effort that started under former President Joe Biden.
The only specific Maine case Vance cited involved Lewiston provider Bright Future Healthier You, which ensnared in a federal criminal case first reported by the Bangor Daily News in January. It alleges a scheme that used Medicaid money to commit tax fraud. Rakiya Mohamed of Auburn pleaded guilty in March to filing a false tax return.
In response to a question on what else the task force is examining in Maine, Vance predicted that the scrutiny was just getting started.
“I can’t promise but I suspect we’re going to find hundreds of millions of more dollars every single month that we look in the state of Maine, because this is not a state that takes it seriously,” he said.
Mills did not immediately respond to Vance’s remarks. Her administration moved in December to suspend an immigrant health care provider from Medicaid over alleged interpreter fraud. That followed months of scrutiny from the conservative Maine Wire. A BDN investigation shortly after that found police had been warning of potential interpreter fraud for five years.
Vance nodded to Maine’s biggest 2026 race by praising U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who was in Washington for scheduled Senate votes and skipped the event. Her campaign is looking to keep some distance from Trump while trying to win a Democratic-leaning state against likely party nominee Graham Platner following Mills’ exit from the race last month.
“Sometimes I get frustrated with Susan Collins. I almost wish that she was more partisan,” Vance said. “But the thing I love about Susan is she is independent, because Maine is an independent state.”
The hangar was full, with hundreds having lined up before 8 a.m. Several attendees complained of waiting hours only to find standing room only inside the hangar, where signs reading “Protecting Taxpayer Dollars” and “Fighting Fraudsters” hung from the ceiling.
Outside, Democratic protesters lined up across the street, including Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a gubernatorial candidate. The Democratic National Committee sent a memo to reporters hitting Trump and Vance on costs. One survey released this week found just 30% approval for Trump on the economy.
