Limits of ‘affordability checks’ surface as payments begin to arrive in mailboxes

There are […] many low income people who don’t apply for assistance programs even though they are eligible, said James Myall, policy analyst for the progressive Maine Center for Economic Policy. … As the checks have begun to get mailed out, Myall has also heard some complaints about people just missing the threshold of eligibility, which lawmakers had lowered to reduce the cost, though he noted that the $300 is likely to go farther with people who have the least.

Click here to read the full story, first published August 31, 2026 in Maine Morning Star.