Maine’s state auditor, Matt Dunlap, is seeking to represent the 2nd Congressional District. Earlier this year, Dunlap released a report highlighting significant gaps in the state’s MaineCare program oversight.
The report said the Program Integrity Unit (PIU), tasked with overseeing Medicaid services, lacked documentation on methodologies used for selecting projects and performing reviews. The PIU failed to document why specific cases were chosen, potentially ignoring misuse by patients or providers.
The watchdog “does not document consideration of misutilization practices of beneficiaries or providers,” which could result in noncompliance with federal regulations.
Dunlap’s report marked the first recognition of these issues, with previous audits not highlighting them. Despite this, Dunlap’s efforts in identifying liabilities have received bipartisan praise. His campaign argues that the responsibility for implementing changes lies with individual departments, not the auditor.
“The auditor’s job is to be a fire alarm: identify the problems so that state agencies can act,” said Dunlap’s spokesperson, Harry Burke. He noted that past recommendations led to arrests and prosecutions for procurement fraud.
Critics, particularly from the Republican side, argue Dunlap has failed to prevent fraud schemes that have caught national attention. Vice President JD Vance criticized Dunlap’s qualifications and track record, citing a need for qualified individuals to manage taxpayer money.
“If you want somebody managing your money, maybe they ought to actually meet the constitutional requirements to do the job,” said Vance.
Previous audits before Dunlap’s tenure indicated a decline in the office’s effectiveness in tackling fraud. Reports from 2016 suggested that the office took on more cases than it could handle, compromising individual case monitoring.
Dunlap, having won his party’s nomination, will compete against former Governor Paul LePage in the upcoming general election.