Golden and Pingree funneled $500,000 from the Inflation Reduction Act to Democratic activists

Maine Democratic Congressmen Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree supported a $500,000 taxpayer-funded “environmental justice” grant to a left-leaning activist group — the same group that is now paying left-leaning activists $21 an hour to canvass in the state’s 2nd Congressional District from now until the Nov. 5 election.

On October 25, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $3.5 million in grants to benefit six projects in Maine that promote “environmental justice.”

Funding for the grants comes from President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which authorized more than $400 billion in spending on a wide range of activities related to energy and climate change initiatives.

The EPA said the six projects were selected to “ensure that disadvantaged communities that have historically suffered from underinvestment have access to clean air and water and climate resilience solutions, consistent with the Biden-Harris administration's Justice40 initiative.”

The Justice40 initiative stems from an executive order signed by President Biden shortly after taking office that sets a goal of directing 40 percent of certain federal investments to “disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.”

Among the organizations that received funding from the EPA was the Maine People's Resource Center, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the Maine People's Alliance, a progressive activist and advocacy organization that supports left-wing causes in Maine.

Although the two groups appear separate on paper, they share staff, office space, and support progressive policies and Democratic politicians.

Through the joint 501(c)3/501(c)4 arrangement, the activist group benefits from (c)3 status, such as by accepting government grants and tax-deductible donations, but at the same time retains the freedom to spend large sums of money to directly influence policy through the (c)4 branch.

State Senator Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot), a longtime employee of the organization, even acknowledged in his campaign finance filings that there was no distinction between the Maine People's Alliance and the Maine People's Resource Center when he listed a single entry for “MPA/MPRC” on his income statement.

The half-million-dollar taxpayer subsidy to the organization means that taxpayers are now de facto subsidizing the left-wing activists who are working to elect Democrats like Golden and Pingree to office in the 2024 election.

The Maine People's Alliance is actively placing ads on Craigslist seeking paid poll workers for the 2nd Congressional District surrounding Bangor.

“MPA will have thousands of conversations in our communities leading up to Election Day about the issues that matter most to Maine residents,” the job posting states. “If you want to make a difference in a critical election year, this is the team for you!”

At an hourly rate of $21, the EPA's $500,000 will go a long way toward sending activists throughout northern and central Maine to drum up support for the Democratic candidates.

[RELATED: Shadowy Left-Wing Group Spends Big on Maine Politics…]

The Maine People's Alliance network has also received millions of dollars in funding from the progressive dark money network run by Washington, DC-based firm Arabella Advisors.

Funding from the left-wing billionaires behind Arabella has fueled the Maine People's Alliance's lobbying efforts for a range of progressive measures, including providing driver's licenses and Medicaid to illegal immigrants in Maine, decriminalizing possession of hard drugs and expanding taxpayer-funded welfare benefits for immigrants. The organization has also long advocated for higher taxes in Maine, even though the state ranks as the fourth-highest-taxed state in the union.

According to federal spending records, the EPA has provided $500,000 to the Maine People's Resource Center to lead a workforce development program aimed at attracting “marginalized populations in underserved communities” to “careers in clean energy.”[s].”

Pingree and Golden joined Senator Angus King (I) in supporting the spending bill, while Republican Senator Susan Collins voted against it.

While it is unclear to what extent Golden and Pingree were involved in awarding the taxpayer-funded grant to the same political activists who support Democratic causes and candidates in Maine, both politicians praised the EPA for awarding the “environmental justice” grant to the progressive activist group in October.

“A healthy environment in Maine not only benefits our great outdoors, but also strengthens our local communities and businesses,” Congressman Golden said of the EPA grants.

Golden said the federal spending would “increase severe weather resilience, reduce pollution and improve food security for families across the Second District.”

Even before the controversial subsidy of the Maine People's Alliance's (c)3 program came to light, the Inflation Reduction Act had become a point of contention in the race for the seat in the 2nd Congressional District.

Golden's Republican challenger, state Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent), argues that Golden's vote for the budget bill is an example of the Democrat taking both sides on several important issues, particularly the government's role in promoting “green” energy.

While Golden, like Theriault, opposed a state program mandating the sale of electric vehicles in Maine, Golden also supported the Inflation Reduction Act's generous subsidies for electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations. A large portion of the bill provided substantial tax breaks for consumers who purchased battery-powered vehicles.

“Wrynecker Jared Golden has supported the Biden/Harris economic agenda for years, and the people of Maine are worse off because of it,” Theriault said in a statement earlier this month.

“Instead of ending the election giveaways and closing the border to end Washington's spending spree, Golden is failing the people of Maine by voting for more 'Green New Scam' policies and the ridiculously named 'Inflation Reduction Act' that are hurting the people of Maine and destroying our economy,” Theriault said.

Golden appears unwilling to back down from his support for the budget bill, preferring instead to focus on the package's smaller provisions related to prescription drug pricing under Medicare Part D.

Just last week, on the second anniversary of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, Golden reiterated his support for the legislation, writing on X that the bill would “make a difference to the people of Maine” and reduce the cost of prescription drugs.

Many of the Medicare-related items included in the law, including price caps on prescription drugs for seniors, have not yet taken effect.

[RELATED: With Inflation Reduction Act Poised to Spike Medicare Drug Costs, White House Preps Election Eve Bailout…]

This summer, Medicare insurers even proposed premium increases in response to the law's costly provisions. The Biden-Harris administration then took an unorthodox step to prevent notices of those price increases from landing in seniors' mailboxes too close to the election.

As part of this maneuver, the White House is expected to transfer $5 billion in taxpayer money to insurers to prevent the delivery of these reminders.

Congresswoman Pingree, ranking chair of the House Appropriations Committee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, also praised the grants, saying, “The people of Maine, from the coast to the mountains, are already feeling the impacts of climate change.”

[RELATED: Maine Congresswoman Who Once Paid FEC Fines for Undisclosed Private Jet Trips Mends Staffer’s Jeans to Stop Global Warming…]

“As the Gulf of Maine warms and more frequent extreme weather events impact our fisheries, agriculture and businesses, federal investments are critical to not only curb the climate crisis but also make our communities more resilient to its impacts,” Pingree said.

“From strengthening port areas and developing a clean energy workforce to improving environmental health and advancing environmental justice, these significant investments made possible by the historic Inflation Reduction Act will go a long way in supporting our overburdened communities and will also help Maine meet its climate goals,” Pingree added.

Democrats at the state level have enthusiastically supported the inflation reduction law and the flood of taxpayer money that has flowed into the state to finance a variety of climate change-related initiatives.

In April, Maine Governor Janet Mills' (D) Department of Energy announced that it had requested nearly $72 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds, primarily to provide rebates to homeowners in the state for installing heat pumps.

Efficiency Maine, a quasi-governmental organization that oversees several climate change-related tax incentives and rebate programs, such as subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles, has said funds from the Inflation Reduction Act are not yet available but are expected in the fall.