Maine voters send our elected officials to Washington to solve problems — not make them worse. But Congress is moving forward with budget proposals that would harm the health, stability and well-being of Maine’s families, aging residents and immigrant communities. Fortunately, Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and our representatives have the opportunity to reject these dangerous proposals and fund real solutions.

The proposals being advanced by lawmakers close to President Trump would slash funding for health care and food assistance that Mainers rely on and funnel billions into expanding the Trump administration’s capacity to separate families and put immigrants in detention, severely compromising our communities’ health, safety and stability.

As the oldest state in the country, Maine communities rely on Medicaid and a strong health care system to stay healthy. More than 400,000 Mainers rely on Medicaid, which faces billions in budget cuts under these proposals. These cuts could cause devastating damage to our health care economy. Community health centers — serving 204,000 patients at 174 clinics across the state — would likely have to close their doors, costing over 2,200 jobs.

Our families also depend on food assistance, but the current budget proposals threaten to take it away. On top of the U.S. Department of Agriculture cuts that pull food from the shelves of distributors like Good Shepherd Food Bank, Congress’ proposals would sharply cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding, which feeds over 172,200 — or one in eight — Maine residents.

To make matters worse, these budget proposals make devastating cuts to programs that Maine’s young and old depend on to drastically expand the Trump administration’s ability to detain and deport our immigrant neighbors — to separate families and uproot workers who call Maine home.

Immigrants are integral members of our state’s communities, but Congress’ budget proposals include up to $350 billion to drastically expand the Trump administration’s ability to detain and deport our immigrant neighbors. The administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency just put out a request for proposals for new detention centers — potential contracts totaling up to $45 billion. The funding to pay for them would come directly from Congress’ budget.

The devastation from this inhumane investment would be felt most acutely by families and our economy. Over 20,500 children in Maine have at least one immigrant parent. As of 2023, more than 56,000 immigrants live in Maine — and though they make up only 3.8% of the state’s population, immigrant workers account for nearly 5% of the state’s labor force, filling critical gaps as older generations retire. In 2023 alone, Maine’s immigrant residents paid $625.8 million in taxes, contributing to Medicare, Social Security and other programs that Mainers depend on.

Instead of taking taxpayers’ dollars away from health care and nutrition to fund tax breaks for the wealthy and family separation, Congress must invest in solutions that enhance the health, stability and family unity of all Mainers. They should invest in less costly, more supportive services like legal representation that uphold the right to due process and help people navigate the immigration process without taking them away from their families, communities and jobs. And they should maintain and support our nation’s longstanding investment in food assistance and health care.

The stakes for our communities couldn’t be higher, and the budget decisions made by Congress this spring will have long-lasting consequences. As Sens. Collins and King move forward with their debates on budget reconciliation, we urge them to remember this: the health and stability of our communities is in your hands. We send you to Washington to solve problems and deliver solutions that give every Mainer a fair shot at building a safe, healthy and meaningful life.