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In Maine, federal decisions don't just stay in Washington, D.C. They land on kitchen tables, in doctor's offices and in the homes of parents who worry whether their children will have enough to eat, stay warm or get medical care. Across the state, we know that some Mainers are opening renewal notices and eviction warnings, learning that their health care premiums are doubling or tripling, and feeling the weight of choices no one should have to make. Families are forced to decide between prescriptions and groceries, rent and routine doctor visits. And the consequences aren't just immediate -- they will echo for years, shaping the next generation.
The health care crisis is front and center. Republicans in Congress have refused to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act, which will cause premium tax credits to expire. These credits aren't luxuries, they are lifelines for working families, older Americans and people in rural Maine who rely on affordable coverage to stay healthy.
Open enrollment for the state Affordable Care Act marketplace, called coverme.gov in Maine, is well underway. Unless Congress extends these subsidies, premiums will skyrocket next year. A couple in Bangor who paid $160 a month in 2025 could soon face a $1,400 monthly premium. A family in Lewiston may see nearly $33,000 in annual health insurance costs. These numbers are not abstract; they are life-altering decisions: skip a doctor visit, stretch a prescription or risk falling behind on rent. A mother in Searsport told me she's bracing to split one prescription of insulin between her husband and their three children. She said she lies awake at night trying to figure out how to keep all of them alive on a single dose. That is the weight these federal decisions place on the shoulders of American families.
And let's be honest, these increases aren't just unreasonable, they're absurd. No working household in Maine can absorb that kind of jump without something else giving way. You can't tell a family that their health insurance will now cost more than their mortgage and expect them to simply "figure it out." It's disconnected from reality, completely out of step with what everyday people face, and a stark reminder that the folks making the decisions in Washington have no clue what it's like to sit at the kitchen table and figure out which bills you can afford to pay that month.
What begins as a financial crisis in a household quickly becomes a health care crisis for entire communities. Rural hospitals that are already under strain will feel the impact first. Families losing coverage will turn to emergency rooms, driving up uncompensated care and making it harder for hospitals to stay open. Older Mainers and children who rely on preventive care may face long-term health consequences. They are our neighbors, grandparents, teachers and young parents struggling to keep their families afloat.
At the same time, federal cuts to housing programs are putting stability out of reach for many Mainers. The Trump administration's proposed changes to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's Continuum of Care program shifts funding away from permanent supportive housing and toward transitional programs with strict work requirements. Hundreds of Mainers could lose safe, stable homes. Seniors, people with disabilities and families with children face the very real possibility of homelessness. Gutting these programs now doesn't just stall the progress we have made as a state, it actively unravels it, putting Maine families one step closer to losing the stability they've worked so hard to hold onto.
Permanent housing with wrap-around support is not a luxury. It is a foundation. Without it, children are displaced, education is disrupted and families lose the stability that allows adults to work and care for one another. The effects ripple across generations. A child who moves frequently or loses housing security carries those challenges into adulthood. Adults who are sick and uninsured are more likely to lose employment or income, putting their children at risk and potentially making housing out of reach. The impact does not stay in one home; it makes entire towns and communities less resilient.
When federal support is pulled back, that cost doesn't vanish. Instead, it lands on municipalities, which are forced to pick up the tab through expanded General Assistance for families displaced from their homes. It shifts the burden from the federal government, with far greater resources, to local communities that can't absorb it without raising taxes.
Health care and housing are linked. Losing one makes the other more precarious. Families without coverage are more likely to fall into financial instability. Families without a home are more vulnerable when illness strikes. Across Maine, these are not theoretical problems -- they are real struggles for people who live, work and raise their children here.
And yet, the people making these decisions in Washington won't feel the consequences themselves. Their paychecks continue, their insurance stays secure and their homes are unaffected. The storm they are creating hits working Mainers first, hardest and longest. They are free to debate, delay and compromise -- while families in Maine balance bills against life itself.
This is what federal backsliding looks like: a state where families are forced to make impossible choices, where children grow up without the stability they need, and where many may have to choose between filling a prescription and keeping the heat on. Mainers will feel this in every corner of the state, from rural towns to small cities, from kitchen tables to hospital waiting rooms. The cost is not just financial. It is human and profound.