Vice President JD Vance is visiting Maine on Thursday and will discuss the White House’s efforts to combat fraud during an appearance at Bangor International Airport.On Monday, the Maine Republican Party announced that Vance would be speaking at the Bangor International Airport at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.On Tuesday, the White House revealed that during Vance’s visit to Bangor, he will deliver remarks on the Trump administration’s efforts to combat fraud.Maine Gov. Janet Mills and her administration have been at odds with the federal government on the issue of fraud over the last few months.”We’d love to have a better conversation, a better relationship, and work very deliberately on this question of fraud and certainly have an open hand, have an open heart in this White House to working with anybody, including the governor of Maine,” Vance said Wednesday.Vance also said he would be campaigning with former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican who is running for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.The vice president’s visit also comes one day after the Trump administration announced a six-month freeze on any new Medicare enrollments by hospice and home health agencies.Trump administration’s allegations of fraud in MaineOn Jan. 23, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that an audit revealed Maine made at least $45.6 million in improper fee-for-service Medicaid payments for rehabilitative and community support (RCS) services provided to children diagnosed with autism.Two weeks later, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in a social media post that Maine needed to “clean up its act” when it came to Medicaid fraud. CMS also sent a letter to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, in which it asked Gov. Janet Mills to explain how MaineCare — the state’s Medicaid program — prevents fraud, identifies when fraud happens, bans providers from billing the system and recovers misspent funds. Mills responded to that letter by saying Maine was facing “a political attack” from President Donald Trump.During his State of the Union address on Feb. 24, Trump accused Maine of fraud and announced a “war on fraud” that would be led by Vance. In a statement responding to Trump’s claim, a spokesperson for Mills said Maine would “not be intimidated by the president’s threats” and said addressing fraud allegations should be a joint effort between the state and federal government.On March 6, Mills announced that her administration had responded to the CMS request for information about MaineCare and said the state was conducting oversight to ensure MaineCare providers are held to high standards, adding that the state has robust enforcement mechanisms to identify fraud.MaineCare overpayments to nonprofitIn December 2025, 8 Investigates received documents showing Gateway Community Services, a nonprofit organization that works with Somali immigrants in Maine, was overpaid $662,608 by the state between 2015 and 2018. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said the overpayment finding was the result of two multiyear audits that were conducted as a result of complaints.Less than a month later, a DHHS spokesperson informed 8 Investigates that the Office of MaineCare Services’ Program Integrity Unit had launched a third audit in January 2023 in response to internal data analytics. The review found Gateway Community Services was overpaid $1,068,598 from March 2021 through December 2022.An attorney representing Gateway Community Services confirmed in an email to 8 Investigates that the organization received a new notice from the Program Integrity Unit indicating that the nonprofit’s MaineCare reimbursements were paused over assertions of improper billing for interpreter services.In a statement issued in January, Mills said she supports a full investigation into Gateway Community Services amid the fraud allegations.How Democrats are respondingMaine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democratic candidate for governor, is set to appear at a rally hosted by Indivisible Bangor and Activate Maine to push back against Vance’s appearance.Former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Nirav Shah, also Democratic gubernatorial candidate, issued a statement ahead of Vance’s visit that criticized the Trump administration’s policies that he says are driving up prices across the state.”Everything costs more in Maine than it did a year ago, and there is one reason for that: the Trump administration. Heating oil is up. Gas is up because Donald Trump dragged us into a war in Iran. Groceries are up while this administration takes food off the table for hungry kids. Health care is about to cost more because of Medicaid cuts that are pushing our rural hospitals to the brink. And the tariffs coming out of Washington are hurting Maine small businesses every single day. That is the record JD Vance is bringing to Maine on Thursday. That is the record the Maine Republicans hosting him are ‘honored’ to celebrate,” Shah said in his statement.Maine Democratic Party Chairman Charlie Dingman also issued a statement ahead of Vance’s visit, saying that Mainers are feeling the consequences of the Trump administration every day.” Costs are rising and working families are being left behind while Maine Republicans cheer on the Trump administration’s disastrous policies. By welcoming and celebrating JD Vance’s visit, Republican candidates up and down the ballot are tying themselves to the MAGA agenda that’s driving up costs and hurting Maine families,” Dingman said in his statement. “Maine voters won’t forget it in November.”Maine’s Total Coverage political reporter Jackie Mundry contributed to this report.
BANGOR, Maine —
Vice President JD Vance is visiting Maine on Thursday and will discuss the White House’s efforts to combat fraud during an appearance at Bangor International Airport.
On Monday, the Maine Republican Party announced that Vance would be speaking at the Bangor International Airport at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
On Tuesday, the White House revealed that during Vance’s visit to Bangor, he will deliver remarks on the Trump administration’s efforts to combat fraud.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills and her administration have been at odds with the federal government on the issue of fraud over the last few months.
“We’d love to have a better conversation, a better relationship, and work very deliberately on this question of fraud and certainly have an open hand, have an open heart in this White House to working with anybody, including the governor of Maine,” Vance said Wednesday.
Vance also said he would be campaigning with former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican who is running for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The vice president’s visit also comes one day after the Trump administration announced a six-month freeze on any new Medicare enrollments by hospice and home health agencies.
Trump administration’s allegations of fraud in Maine
On Jan. 23, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that an audit revealed Maine made at least $45.6 million in improper fee-for-service Medicaid payments for rehabilitative and community support (RCS) services provided to children diagnosed with autism.
Two weeks later, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in a social media post that Maine needed to “clean up its act” when it came to Medicaid fraud. CMS also sent a letter to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, in which it asked Gov. Janet Mills to explain how MaineCare — the state’s Medicaid program — prevents fraud, identifies when fraud happens, bans providers from billing the system and recovers misspent funds. Mills responded to that letter by saying Maine was facing “a political attack” from President Donald Trump.
During his State of the Union address on Feb. 24, Trump accused Maine of fraud and announced a “war on fraud” that would be led by Vance. In a statement responding to Trump’s claim, a spokesperson for Mills said Maine would “not be intimidated by the president’s threats” and said addressing fraud allegations should be a joint effort between the state and federal government.
On March 6, Mills announced that her administration had responded to the CMS request for information about MaineCare and said the state was conducting oversight to ensure MaineCare providers are held to high standards, adding that the state has robust enforcement mechanisms to identify fraud.
MaineCare overpayments to nonprofit
In December 2025, 8 Investigates received documents showing Gateway Community Services, a nonprofit organization that works with Somali immigrants in Maine, was overpaid $662,608 by the state between 2015 and 2018. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said the overpayment finding was the result of two multiyear audits that were conducted as a result of complaints.
Less than a month later, a DHHS spokesperson informed 8 Investigates that the Office of MaineCare Services’ Program Integrity Unit had launched a third audit in January 2023 in response to internal data analytics. The review found Gateway Community Services was overpaid $1,068,598 from March 2021 through December 2022.
An attorney representing Gateway Community Services confirmed in an email to 8 Investigates that the organization received a new notice from the Program Integrity Unit indicating that the nonprofit’s MaineCare reimbursements were paused over assertions of improper billing for interpreter services.
In a statement issued in January, Mills said she supports a full investigation into Gateway Community Services amid the fraud allegations.
How Democrats are responding
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democratic candidate for governor, is set to appear at a rally hosted by Indivisible Bangor and Activate Maine to push back against Vance’s appearance.
Former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Nirav Shah, also Democratic gubernatorial candidate, issued a statement ahead of Vance’s visit that criticized the Trump administration’s policies that he says are driving up prices across the state.
“Everything costs more in Maine than it did a year ago, and there is one reason for that: the Trump administration. Heating oil is up. Gas is up because Donald Trump dragged us into a war in Iran. Groceries are up while this administration takes food off the table for hungry kids. Health care is about to cost more because of Medicaid cuts that are pushing our rural hospitals to the brink. And the tariffs coming out of Washington are hurting Maine small businesses every single day. That is the record JD Vance is bringing to Maine on Thursday. That is the record the Maine Republicans hosting him are ‘honored’ to celebrate,” Shah said in his statement.
Maine Democratic Party Chairman Charlie Dingman also issued a statement ahead of Vance’s visit, saying that Mainers are feeling the consequences of the Trump administration every day.
” Costs are rising and working families are being left behind while Maine Republicans cheer on the Trump administration’s disastrous policies. By welcoming and celebrating JD Vance’s visit, Republican candidates up and down the ballot are tying themselves to the MAGA agenda that’s driving up costs and hurting Maine families,” Dingman said in his statement. “Maine voters won’t forget it in November.”
Maine’s Total Coverage political reporter Jackie Mundry contributed to this report.