Congressman Mike Michaud, the Democratic candidate for governor, is defending his record and that of the House Veterans Affairs Committee that he has served on during his dozen years in Congress.
Michaud says many problems raised over the years by the Veterans Affairs' Office of the Inspector General have been addressed, despite allegations by Gov. Paul LePage that they have not.
"We have been acting aggressively, and that is something the governor really doesn't understand," Michaud says. "It's more than just words and doing reports and finding fault. It is to act on those faults, unlike the governor, who keeps talking about the enforcement for waste, fraud and abuse in the system. As governor, I am not going to tolerate that. This governor has tolerated it."
Independent candidate Eliot Cutler has also criticized Michaud's record on veteran's affairs. Michaud dismisses the criticism, saying Cutler has no record on the issue. And he says Maine veterans know that the problems that have plagued the VA health system in other states have not happened in Maine.
