BANGOR, Maine — Former Congressmen Bruce Poliquin and the second highest ranking Republican in the United States House of Representatives, Steve Scalise joined supporters at the Bangor Waterfront to discuss political issues in the country.
The discussion began with addressing inflation in the United States.
“We have the highest inflation in 40 years. Two bags of groceries costs $120. When you spend four, five trillion dollars more than you need to fund the government, it drives up inflation," Poliquin said. "We have so many seniors Steve, in the state of Maine, living on fixed incomes. How in the heck are they going to pay for groceries and stay warm this year while looking at five dollars a gallon of gasoline? Heating oil is almost six dollars a gallon. It is just horrific.”
The former Congressmen went on to name government spending, shutting down energy supplies, and tax increases as causes for inflation.
Poliquin also addressed issues of illegal immigration and fentanyl distribution across the Mexico–United States border.
“We’ve had an open border with Mexico for a year and a half. We have millions of people here in this country illegally that we need to take care of. We have a half a million people that are homeless in our country now, three thousand in the state of Maine, veterans sleeping in the woods, Steve," Poliquin said. "There is no need of it, and 90% of this fentanyl, that is setting overdoes death records in the state of Maine, 90% comes from the Mexico border.”
According to a Maine study conducted by Marcella H. Sorg, Rural Drug & Alcohol Research Program, Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, and the University of Maine, fentanyl is manufactured in China and shipped to drug cartels in Mexico for distribution.
Poliquin was also asked about the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which passed in the House last week. He said there are parts of the bill he likes, but there is one component he would have been against.
“I would have voted against that bill because what it does – it starts us down the path of a red flag law. We have a yellow flag law that works, and we would start whittling away our due process.”
According to the Republican United States Senator from Alaska, Lisa Murkowski’s website, the bill “does not create a national, federal red flag law” and goes on to claim, “This measure forces states who choose to use grant funding for red flag laws to comply with strict and comprehensive due process requirements.”
“Once you start going down this path, and once the federal government starts putting money in front of states noses, and municipalities, nothing good happens," Poliquin went on. "So I have stated my opposition, I am all for these other pieces of the bill. I love it, and what I would have done is work with Steve and other folks to take out that red flag law component of this bill such that due process would be protected and focus on these other pieces, which I think are just fine.”
Poliquin also addressed his opposition’s record, claiming that Jared Golden has voted with the Democratic party 80% of the time.
Golden’s staff released a statement the morning of Poliquin's discussion claiming, “Golden is far and away the most independent Democrat in the House, breaking with the party more than any other member and ranking among the top 1.6% of all House lawmakers in terms of bipartisanship.”
Poliquin and Scalise were also asked about the Supreme Court’s recent decision on Roe v. Wade. Poliquin's response can be found in our statewide coverage of Roe v. Wade.
Representative Steve Scalise traveled to Bangor to support Poliquin and join the discussion two weeks after the 5-year anniversary of a gunman targeting Scalise during a charity Congressional baseball game practice.