Vice President JD Vance greets a capacity crowd before making his remarks during an appearance at the Bangor International Airport on Thursday. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
BANGOR — Vice President JD Vance told about 400 people who attended a rally Thursday that Medicaid fraud is costing taxpayers and threatening the future of safety net programs.
Vance repeatedly blamed immigrants who are in the country illegally for widespread fraud schemes in places like Minnesota. The Republican also blasted Democratic Gov. Janet Mills for not working more cooperatively to root out suspected fraud or enforce immigration laws.
“(Mills) has actually fought back against our efforts to identify fraud in the Medicaid and Medicare programs, which, by the way, not only does it steal from you, but it means that those programs are gonna go bankrupt, because all the money’s going to the fraudsters,” Vance said during his appearance at Bangor International Airport.
Medicaid is a joint program of the federal government and the 50 states. A 2024 federal report found a 5% improper payment rate over a recent multiyear sample; about $31.1 billion of the $579.7 billion in analyzed payments were improper.
In a statement, Mills defended her record, saying the state has prosecuted fraud under her watch.
“The remarks by the Vice President today are nothing but a weak attempt to distract from the Trump Administration’s failing agenda, endless war in Iran, and failure to control crushing costs — including sky high gas prices — that Maine families and businesses are struggling with every day.”
The vice president’s visit put Maine in the national spotlight of the Trump administration’s fraud fighting effort. Vance was tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the administration’s efforts to combat Medicaid fraud in Maine, Minnesota, Massachusetts, California and other states, most of which are led by Democrats.
During his State of the Union address in February, Trump said the Somali community in Minnesota has “pillaged” $19 billion from taxpayers, and that other states, including Maine, “are even worse.”
The trip came a day after Vance announced several new antifraud proposals, including freezing $1.3 billion in Medicaid funding for California. The administration is threatening to withhold federal funding from states that don’t move aggressively to fight fraud. Officials also instituted a six-month moratorium on new home health providers and hospices.
However, neither Vance nor other administration officials mentioned Maine at Wednesday’s news conference, pointing instead to California, Minnesota, Hawaii, New York and Maryland. And on Thursday, Vance mostly spoke generally about the fraud problem in Maine without delving into the specifics of the administration’s findings.
The visit comes amid an important election season in Maine. Five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins is facing another tough reelection battle, and former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage is seeking the 2nd District seat in Congress currently held by Democrat Jared Golden, who is not seeking reelection.
Collins did not attend the event because she was in Washington, D.C., where the Senate is in session. She’s approaching her 10,000 straight vote — a streak she doesn’t want to break.
Former Maine governor Paul LaPage makes remarks before Vice President JD Vance spoke at the Bangor International Airport in Bangor on Thursday. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
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LePage spoke before Vance, highlighting their difficult childhoods, marred by poverty and addiction. He also took aim at Mills, saying she refused to prosecute welfare fraud as attorney general during his time as governor.
“JD Vance being here today is a warning shot to every fraudster, scam artist and corrupt bureaucrat protecting our broken system,” LePage said. “It’s time to squash it.”
Maine voters will also choose a new governor this year. Although Vance spoke in support of both LePage and Collins, he declined to weigh in on the Republican field of gubernatorial candidates. Seven men are vying for their party’s nomination on June 9.
“Whenever you replace Janet Mills with somebody, I hope you replace her with somebody who’s gonna help us fight fraud, protect you, and protect the programs that the people of Maine rely on,” Vance said.
The Mills administration has defended the state’s antifraud efforts amid a report from the U.S. Office of Inspector General alleging at least $45.6 million in improper payments for autism services.
Vance called that report the “tip of the iceberg.”
“We’re gonna find out just how deep that iceberg is,” Vance said. “I suspect we’re gonna find hundreds of millions of more dollars every single month that we look at the state of Maine, because this is not a state that takes it seriously.”
In response to the inspector general’s report, the Mills administration said the findings didn’t include “any findings or allegations of fraud” or accuse any providers of “intentional wrongdoing.” The report only flagged “potential documentation and compliance issues,” state officials noted.
Maine officials have contended that they investigate fraud and take it seriously. The state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit had 22 cases referred to it from 2021-25. One case resulted in a guilty plea, 12 are open and five have been dismissed.
In December, the state suspended payments to Gateway Community Services and referred “credible allegations of fraud” to the Office of the Maine Attorney General.
Earlier this year, Mills sparred with Dr. Mehmet Oz, director of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, after he linked what he described as a “rapid growth” in Maine autism payments — more than 50% over four years — to alleged fraud in Minnesota.
Sara Gagné-Holmes, Mills’ top health official, has said the increase in Maine stems from higher reimbursement rates approved by the federal government.
Vance did not seem impressed with Maine’s efforts to date.
“I see local and state politicians who don’t care about policing that fraud,” Vance said in Bangor.
Outside the event, protesters gathered, including Democratic candidates for governor and Congress.
Lassandra Von Appen, a 54-year-old retired environmental chemist from Winslow, was among those voicing their displeasure with Vance. The three signs she brought included one saying, “Trump sent Vance for revenge to target only blue states.”
The protest, organized by the progressive group Indivisible Bangor, also included Bryan Winter, an Army veteran from Methuen, Massachusetts, who brought a banner of Vance looking like a baby — a nod to a popular internet meme.
Winter said he served in Iraq and is a Republican, but views the vice president as “feckless” for describing himself in 2016 as a “Never Trump guy.”
“His association with the Trump administration is an absolute betrayal of his oath as a Marine and to the U.S. Constitution,” Winter, 46, said.
But most at the event were enthusiastic supporters of Trump and his administration. The venue was filled to capacity, and the raucous crowd cheered Vance — and at times, shouted down journalists attempting to ask him questions.
After the event, Wendy Wright, 65, of Bath, said she was pleased to hear about the administration’s efforts to fight fraud.
“I thought it was very inspiring to know that the vice president knows that there’s fraud going on,” said Wright, who serves as secretary for her local Republican committee. “It’s all about just being American … and keep our money where it’s supposed to be.”
Staff Writer Billy Kobin contributed to this story.
