The Squeeze
Maine families are paying more for nearly everything including gas, heating oil, groceries, health care, housing. Some of that is the cost of living in 2026. But a lot of it traces back to specific choices made in Washington: a war with no end in sight, tariffs that raise prices at checkout, a tax code that favors the wealthy, corporations consolidating their way out of competition, and a federal budget that doesn’t reflect what Maine households actually need.
The Squeeze is a five-part series pulling apart each of those threads: what’s driving the cost, how it shows up in a Maine household budget, and what it says about who Washington is really working for.
Part 1: How the war in Iran is draining Maine’s wallets
Gas, heating oil, and mortgage costs are all climbing with no end in sight.
Click here for The Squeeze (Part 1): How the war in Iran is draining Maine’s wallets.
Part 2: What tariffs are really costing Maine families
They were sold as protection. The bill landed at checkout instead.
Click here for The Squeeze (Part 2): What tariffs are really costing Maine families.
Part 3: A tax code built for billionaires
Maine families pay more so the wealthiest can pay less.
Click here for The Squeeze (Part 3): A tax code built for billionaires.
Part 4: Who corporate greed and consolidation really serves
When a handful of companies control your grocery bill and your power bill, and private equity firms are buying hospitals and housing, “the market” isn’t setting the price. Corporations are.
Click here for The Squeeze (Part 4): Who corporate greed and consolidation really serves.
Part 5: Washington’s priorities vs. yours
What your tax dollars are funding — and what they could be funding instead.
Click here for The Squeeze (Part 5): Washington’s priorities vs. yours.
