AUGUSTA — The legislative session got off to an inauspicious start on Wednesday, with an outsized show of partisan bickering suggesting that election-year politics could overshadow efforts to address the high cost of living — which polling suggests is the top issue for voters.

The first day of the session is usually ceremonial and procedural, but partisan tensions became immediately apparent in the House of Representatives, where Republicans raised concerns about a journalist for a conservative outlet allegedly being briefly barred from entering the chamber.

And Rep. Laurel Libby, an Auburn Republican who was censured last session over social media posts about a transgender high school athlete, attempted to address the chamber at the end of session, but was ruled out of order by House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford.

Then at a press conference, Republican leaders criticized Democrats and Gov. Janet Mills for what they said was a lack of transparency and fairness. Among other grievances, they renewed their concerns about possible Medicaid fraud by a Portland health services provider and Rep. Deqa Dhalac, D-South Portland, who once worked at an organization connected to the provider.

Republican leaders want Dhalac removed from the budget committee, noting that two of their members were removed from committees last session and a third was removed from the Housing and Economic Development Committee this week.

“I think it’s a really bad start to this session, and is a really bad sign for where things are going now in terms of partisanship that’s being promulgated by the Democrats here in Maine,” Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, R-Presque Isle, said at a news conference.

Democrats unveil affordability agenda

Democrats, meanwhile, tried to focus their legislative agenda on affordability and unveiled a slate of proposals aimed at reducing costs for families on Wednesday.

“Every Mainer deserves a roof over their head, food on the table and utility bills that don’t blow their budgets,” Fecteau said in a written statement. “These proposals will protect families and seniors from federal health care cuts, help build the housing we desperately need across Maine, bring down grocery costs, make sure Maine kids get high-quality early childhood education, and give working families some relief in the face of ever-rising energy costs.”

The focus on affordability comes with political challenges for the majority party, which last session passed a budget that included a slate of tax and fee increases. This session, Democrats have more on the agenda, including a millionaire’s tax for funding public education.

Still, the highlighted bills showed how affordability is the Democrats’ top concern in the shorter, second legislative session scheduled to adjourn by April 15. Democrats control both chambers and the governor’s office with a 20-14 lead over Republicans in the Senate and a 74-73 edge in the House.

There is one independent in the Senate, three independents in the House and one House vacancy scheduled to be filled in a special election Feb. 24.

The affordability measures include LD 995, which would provide one-time additional funding to help low-income families afford their electricity bills; LD 2077, which would create a grant program to reduce mortgage rates; and LD 1099, which would eliminate the sales tax on diapers.

Another bill, LD 2116, would make permanent a state tax credit for affordable housing projects that is set to expire in 2028.

Senate President Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, is sponsoring LD 1414, which aims to address staffing shortages in child care by increasing salary supplements for educators, and LD 1954, which would replace and expand an existing sales tax fairness credit to give low- and middle-income households up to $340 per year to help offset the cost of everyday expenses.

And Fecteau is sponsoring LD 2122, which aims to mitigate federal cuts and eligibility changes to food stamps with an $87 million contingency fund, as well as legislation aiming to soften the impact of federal cuts to Medicaid.

2026 election cycle could complicate work

Work toward those issues will likely be clouded by a contentious 2026 election cycle, which includes races for the Blaine House, all 186 legislative seats, a U.S. Senate seat and both seats in the U.S. House.

House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, again called for Dhalac’s removal from the budget committee. He alleged a double standard, noting that two House Republicans had been removed from committees over criminal allegations.

Faulkingham didn’t name the members, but Reps. Lucas Lanigan, R-Sanford, and Randall Hall, R-Wilton, were stripped of committee assignments last year. Lanigan faces criminal charges of felony aggravated domestic violence, while Hall has been accused of forging signatures on campaign forms.

Dhalac has not been formally accused of wrongdoing, or charged with a crime in the state’s ongoing fraud investigation into the Portland health care provider Gateway Community Services. Dhalac previously worked as assistant executive director at Gateway Community Services Maine, a nonprofit that is a sister organization to Gateway Community Services.

During the House session, Faulkingham first raised the concern that a reporter from the Maine Wire, a right-wing online news outlet, had been barred from entering the chambers.

Fecteau defended the reporter’s right to enter, but was repeatedly interrupted by Republicans pressing the issue. That prompted a firm response from the speaker.

“This is not an opportunity for argument,” Fecteau said. “We’re not going to start session this way. … I have responded to your inquiry.”

At the end of session, Libby, who gained national fame for her crusade against transgender athletes last session and is currently running a Super PAC in support of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, tried to address the chamber.

But the House had already taken up its adjournment order, limiting her ability to speak freely.

Libby, who is savvy with social media, immediately posted a video, saying Fecteau is “bound and determined to not let Laurel Libby speak on the House floor.”