Tea Party Maine Gov. Paul LePage is known for his support for far-right economic policies designed to hurt the poor over the years and his latest threats may be the most outrageous yet.
According to Bangor Daily News, LePage has threatened eliminate the food stamp program if the United States Department of Agriculture allows its recipients to use them to buy sugary food and drinks.
“It’s time for the federal government to wake up and smell the energy drinks,” wrote LePage in a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Doubtful that it will, I will be pursuing options to implement reforms unilaterally or cease Maine’s administration of the food stamp program altogether.”
LePage has spent years fighting against the state’s food stamp program and has caused a lot of damage during his tenure in office and this could be his greatest victory. He has bragged about cutting more than 40,000 people from benefits between 2014 and 2015, and would love to cut off more.