A new rule proposed by the Dept of Homeland Security uses a broad definition of who is a "public charge" (person likely to become dependent on gov assistance) to determine citizenship eligibility. This will punish families with an immigrant in their household for using services they pay taxes for.

Health care advocates say Republican lawmakers are deliberately dismantling the health care system to protect tax breaks for their ultra-wealthy donors. After more than $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts and the loss of ACA subsidies, over 30,000 Mainers could lose coverage.

2026 is going to be a busy year with lots of challenges and opportunities, which is why we're offering trainings so we can all be better equipped with the skills needed to drive social change. Trainings are open to everyone! Learn more and apply here: mainepeoplesalliance.org/events/categ...

We're hosting a Town Hall with Graham Platner tomorrow from 5-6 pm! MPA’s board (which is led by our members) has been discussing whether to endorse Graham in the primary—and before they make their decision, they want to hear from you. Come prepared with questions for Graham! RSVP at the link below.

Maine is set to limit local police involvement in federal immigration enforcement with a new law sponsored by Rep. Deqa Dhalac. The law won’t take effect until the summer of 2026, but advocates say it’s a crucial step to protect immigrant communities.

This is great news!! Now let's make sure Scott wins on Feb. 24!

BREAKING: Gov. Mills announced she will allow LD 1971 to become law, limiting the use of Maine resources to support the president's mass deportation agenda. She also repealed a 2011 executive order that required all state officials to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Graham Platner joins the podcast to talk populist politics, movement-driven organizing, and how his campaign differs from Gov. Janet Mills in the Democratic Senate primary. Click the link below to listen to the full episode!

Corporations like AT&T are making millions off of the agencies running Trump’s deportation machine. We’re pushing back. Sign the national pledge demanding #DropTheContractsATT at the link below! #ATTLovesICE #StopTheRaids

The U.S. Senate on Thursday failed to reach an agreement on two competing plans to tackle rising health insurance costs. Sen. Susan Collins voted to advance both plans, including the GOP's bill, which would have raised costs and imposed new abortion restrictions.

Have you been following Graham Platner’s campaign? We sure have, and for the past several weeks, MPA’s board (led by our members) has been discussing whether to endorse him in the primary—and they want to hear from you! Join us on Dec. 17 at 5 p.m. for a virtual town hall with Graham Platner! RSVP ⬇️

Susan Collins votes for the GOP plan to kill the very ACA subsidies she keeps telling us she supports. The bill, which would push millions into expensive high deductible plans, would also make abortion coverage unattainable for millions of women. All fine by Collins, apparently. #MEpolitics

A new investigation found that Genesis HealthCare (which owns 11 nursing homes in Maine from Kennebunkport to Orono) spent years delaying or avoiding payments to families who sued over severe neglect and deaths, even as regulators repeatedly cited safety and staffing problems.

Have you been curious about lobbying with MPA at the State House? Join us Monday 12/15 at 6pm for an info session about our lobby team and what we'll be doing this year, from meeting with lawmakers and sharing campaign updates to joining trainings that help everyone feel confident and prepared!

🔥 Here’s what you can do this week to make real impact: AT&T is profiting from ICE’s harm — and we’re pushing back. We’re building toward 100 canvasses at AT&T stores nationwide to expose their contracts with ICE, DHS, and CBP. Your voice strengthens the bigger “we.” https://ppls.ac/whatyoucando

Trump and Republicans' attacks on Somali Americans (and all immigrants) are not ok. Reps. Mana Abdi, Deqa Dhalac, and Yusuf Yusuf wrote a powerful op-ed in today's Bangor Daily News pushing back on Trump's hateful rhetoric.

In his last column of 2025, Ethan Strimling suggests three things Gov. Janet Mills could spend Maine's surplus budget on: housing, education or health care. "Whatever Mills does, she should make it bold. Use it to confront our growing income disparity." Read the full column at the link below.

"Unfortunately, the Trump administration and its allies in Congress aren’t doing anything to help us get to a cleaner, more affordable, more reliable energy system for Maine." www.bangordailynews.com/2025/12/05/o...

MPA is proud to announce that our member-led board has endorsed Scott Harriman for House District 94! The Lewiston Democrats are holding a caucus this Saturday, so if you live in District 94, please show up at the Lewiston Armory at 4 pm on Dec. 13 to vote for Scott!

The member‐led board of Maine People’s Alliance (of which Beacon is a project) has announced its endorsement of Scott Harriman in the special election for House District 94. The special election will be held on Feb. 24, and the Democratic Caucus will be this Saturday, Dec. 13 at the Lewiston Armory.

Republicans are talking about "affordability" a lot more lately. But without action to give Americans some relief from skyrocketing bills, that's just a word. Republicans could act TODAY to cut costs for working families, boost the economy, and improve public health. So far, they're doing nothing.

Mainers deserve a childcare system that everyone can access, that serves as the well-funded cornerstone of our communities. We invite you to help us imagine that system and to join us as we fight to make it a reality! RSVP for our statewide virtual childcare house party on Dec. 9 at 7 pm ⬇️

There are likely to be moments when we need to organize tens of thousands of Mainers to defend democracy next year. And we can’t do it without you. When you support MPA during this critical time, you’ll be helping us take our power—people power—back. Thank you! mainepeoplesalliance.org/donate/

Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Street, says some 1,200 Mainers, including seniors, veterans and people with disabilities, are at risk of losing their homes after the Trump administration announced it will cut funding for the Continuum of Care program. Read the story at the link below.

With Maine having the oldest median age in the country, you'd think Susan Collins would be doing more to protect seniors, right? Nope. Instead, she recently accepted an award from a group that tries to make it harder for older people to access health care and assistance programs.

We strongly oppose the attempt to put a question on the 2026 ballot that, if passed, would force Maine schools to ban trans and nonbinary students from playing on sports teams and using bathrooms/locker rooms aligned w/ their gender identity. If you see petitioners for this, please decline to sign!

A new report from Defend America Action warns that Pres. Donald Trump’s budget and economic policies are making Maine’s affordability crisis worse. Lawmakers point to rising prices for groceries, energy, housing and health care, while wages in Maine grow more slowly than the national average.

#Maine: My partner and I are joining a team of fellow members of @mainepeople.bsky.social to help pack and distribute locally-sourced meal baskets to our community at Food and Medicine’s Solidarity Harvest this afternoon. If you would also like to volunteer and/or donate, click the link below.

Mainers visited all six of Sen. Collins’ offices today urging her to restore ACA premium tax credits before they expire in January. Jonathan Haines, a retired nurse, had a message for Collins: "Anything that blocks people from getting health care when they need it could cost them their lives.”

For more than two decades, Republican-led referendums — from voter ID to attempts to restrict abortion rights — have largely failed, while progressive initiatives have repeatedly passed at both the state and local levels. Read why below. ⬇️ Column by @strim.bsky.social.

This morning, our members visited Sen. Susan Collins’ district offices in Augusta, Bangor, Biddeford, Caribou, Lewiston and Portland to urge her to vote yes on reinstating ACA tax credits. Allowing them to expire would increase premiums by an average of 77%. Read our press release at the link below.

Reminder that the phone bank for Shenna Bellows for Governor is today at 5 pm and can be done virtually from your home! Sign up at the link below!

Central Maine Power’s proposal to raise rates by $420 a year over five years has been thrown out by the Maine Public Utilities Commission — the first time the agency has ever fully dismissed such a request. Read the full story below.

Nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital have begun a two-day strike, saying chronic understaffing and stalled contract talks are putting patients at risk. The strike follows the shutdown of the hospital’s labor and delivery unit earlier this year.

MPA is hiring! We're currently accepting applications for part-time, temporary Organizing Fellows to work for a period of up to six months. Learn more and apply here: mpatime.bamboohr.com/careers/49

This Thursday, 11/20, at 5 p.m., join the Shenna Bellows for Governor team to make calls to voters to identify supporters and volunteers ahead of the June primary! Learn more and RSVP at the link below ⬇️

Gov. Janet Mills is losing support inside her own party, @strim.bsky.social writes. Democrats’ approval of her has fallen over 20 points since June, as folks are unhappy with ICE raids in Maine and her resistance to tougher gun laws after Lewiston. Click below to read Ethan's full column!

A new poll finds Democrat Graham Platner narrowly leading Sen. Susan Collins in Maine’s U.S. Senate race, whereas Gov. Janet Mills would trail Collins in a head-to-head matchup. The Democratic primary remains close, but Platner’s lead grows once second-choice preferences are factored in. More below.

New polling: 51% of Mainers say they disapprove of Sen. Susan Collins’ “handling of the federal government shutdown and her stance on health care subsidies,” while only 28.4% approve. 52% say they disapprove of “the way ICE is doing its job,” with 41% approving. See full results at the link below!

From defeating the voter suppression initiative to passing gun safety reform and raising Portland’s minimum wage, @strim.bsky.social says this election proves Mainers want bold, progressive action — and leaders who aren’t afraid to deliver it. Click the link below to read his full column!

Maine voters rejected a proposal to change voting processes and approved new gun safety legislation. Portland voters also backed raising the city’s minimum wage to $19 an hour by 2028. Nationally, Bowdoin alum Zohran Mamdani made history as New York City’s youngest mayor in more than a century.

“It’s really unacceptable that after 25 years since the closure of this plant and the DEP’s order to close the site, that there’s still lots of contaminated soils on site." - Jesse Graham, MPA Co-Director

Conservative radio host and Maine Policy Institute CEO Matthew Gagnon called concerns about hunger increasing as SNAP funding was being threatened "bullshit". His comments came before the Trump administration announced today that it would pay 50% of the normal SNAP benefits in November.

The no side of Question 1 had 60.2% of votes to 39.8% for the yes side when the Bangor Daily News and its national partner, Decision Desk HQ, called the race at 9:26 p.m. Tuesday.

Election Day is tomorrow! On the podcast, our hosts discuss why they are voting "No" on 1 to protect absentee voting and "Yes" on 2 for stronger firearm safety laws. Plus, new Senate race polling and the Trump admin’s illegal move to withhold SNAP benefits. Listen to the full episode below!

💸 Healthcare costs are already out of control. We need Congress to lower them, not raise them by taking away Affordable Care Act credits that help 22 million people afford coverage. The GOP created this #HealthcareHeist, and they can end the shutdown now by fixing their mistake.

“That barrier to health care makes people suffer. They have worse health care outcomes, and they’re going to die," said Dr. Patrick Connolly, who joined Mainers calling on Congress to restore Medicaid and ACA funding. Click here to read more.

Great coverage of our press conference on rising ACA premium costs from WMTW! Mainers who have health insurance through the marketplace are expected to see their premiums increase an average of nearly 24% unless Congress takes action and extends the tax credits.

As Question 1 threatens to restrict absentee voting, Graham Platner is continuing his campaign to protect Maine voters. Platner will be hosting a “Save Absentee Voting” concert & rally in Portland this Sunday at 1 p.m. at the State Theatre, featuring Griffin William Sherry and The Ballroom Thieves.

This morning, we held a press conference with a group of Mainers to call on the four members of Maine’s congressional delegation to work to bring back funding for Medicaid and ACA tax credits that make it possible for many Americans to afford insurance.