President Donald Trump has been promising to abolish the Education Department since the 2024 campaign. Here’s what to know about his effort to close it.
Politics
Political news and information from the Sun Journal.
House Republicans try but fail to remove censure of Laurel Libby
The move delayed debate over an $11.3 billion state budget on Thursday.
Gov. Mills signs budget bill into law, calls lawmakers back for special session
Gov. Janet Mills on Friday signed into law an $11.3 billion budget that was passed by Democrats early Friday over the objections of Republicans.
Julia Lipez confirmed as Maine’s newest state supreme court justice
The Senate’s confirmation of Lipez to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court fills a yearlong vacancy on the state’s highest court.
Trump plan will dismantle US Education Department
The department sends billions of dollars a year to schools and oversees $1.6 trillion in federal student loans.
A $3M boost to Maine’s public defense spurs objections on all sides
An emergency bill sought to compromise the demands of Gov. Janet Mills and the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services as the state faces a constitutional violation over a lack of court-appointed attorneys.
Maine bill would allow doctors to keep their names off prescription labels for abortion pill
The proposal comes as advocates have noted an increase in threats against abortion providers in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Maine lawmakers weigh property tax relief, even as Mills signals she won’t support most efforts
Inflation and a runaway hot real estate market have led to a spike in property taxes across Maine — an issue that came into focus last year when lawmakers repealed a new program that froze property taxes for older adults because it was financially unsustainable.
Maine lawmakers endorse nominees to state’s high, superior courts
The Senate will have a final vote on Julia Lipez’s nomination to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and Darcie McElwee’s to the Superior Court.
In second investigation, Trump again finds Maine in violation of Title IX over transgender policy
Meanwhile, the Maine Principals’ Association has challenged the Trump administration’s findings from a separate federal investigation into the body’s rules regarding transgender athletes.