Recent investigations into the Department of Homeland Security and the companies entrusted with our hard-earned taxpayer dollars reveal a troubling — and potentially systemic — pattern of Medicare overbilling. The full scope remains unknown, but let’s be clear: even one improperly taken dollar is one too many. These funds are meant for our most vulnerable citizens, yet they may have been siphoned away through negligence, mismanagement or worse.

As a former director at a major defense contractor in Maine, I have seen what true accountability with taxpayer money looks like. Federal contracts require exhaustive documentation: funding is tracked end to end, labor hours justified, materials disclosed and progress measured against clearly defined objectives through quarterly reviews. There is no room for guesswork, and nothing is allowed to slip through the cracks.

In stark contrast, our state government appears either unable or unwilling to trace these massive funding streams, failing to verify how money is spent — or whether services were even delivered.

This breakdown occurred under the current administration. Evidence suggests that what has been uncovered so far may represent only a fraction of the problem: a bureaucracy operating without fiscal guardrails, treating the tax base as limitless. That should concern every taxpayer.

Accountability can no longer be delayed or diluted. Leadership must be held responsible, and fundamental reforms are urgently needed to restore transparency, protect taxpayer dollars and ensure funds are used exactly as intended.

Robert Dundas Jr.
Bath