Maine Senator Eric Brakey

After amendments are rejected, Senator Brakey opposes the Governor's spending bill, but thanks the Senate President for restoring legislative order. He quotes Harry Browne to illustrate that the bill is a crutch only necessary because the government broke our legs with COVID lockdowns.

Rejecting the years of legislature through Zoom during the COVID years, Senator Brakey argues for updating legislative reimbursements to restore the in-person legislature and ensure distant communities have representation.

Senator Brakey proposes an amendment to establish a sales tax holiday to provide immediate relief to Maine people, instead of Governor Mills proposal to mail out checks and set further precedent for a UBI welfare system.

On the first day of the 131st Maine Senate, after the swearing in of the new Legislature in December 2022, Governor Janet Mills commanded the passage of hundreds of millions in spending without a single public hearing or any legislative process. After years of governance by executive COVID mandates, Senator Brakey insisted the legislature re-assert its constitutional authority over law-making. Senate Republicans blocked the proposal and insisted on a public process.

After Democrats push through a partisan budget without tax relief, Senator Brakey decries how Maine has been transformed into "Taxationland" by out-of-control spending and propses an amendment to change the "Vacationland" license plate. He is interrupted repeatedly by Senator Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec) with points of order.

After cutting Republicans out of budget decisions with extraconstitutional maneuvers, Democrats say they will take Republican input on future spending decisions. Senator Brakey doubts that.

After Senator Lawrence (D-York) says Republicans in the minority should be content with only 10% of what they ask for making it into the budget, Senator Brakey notes that they are only asking for a measly 2% for tax cuts and he'd be happy to see that raise to 10%.

After Senator Lawrence (D-York) calls Republicans obstructionist as an excuse to ram through a partisan budget, Senator Brakey remembers things very differently.

In his most famous speech, viewed millions of times, Senator Brakey took to the floor of the Maine Senate in March 2023 to oppose a resolution calling the Russian invasion of Ukraine an "unprovoked" attack. Quoting Smedley Butler and President Eisenhower, Brakey warns against the dangers of the Washington war machine, which has transformed the republic into an empire. He goes on to explain how decades of NATO expansion, in violation of international agreements, has been one of many provocations by the U.S. federal government. Finally, he urged diplomacy talks, not sabre rattling and limitless spending, as the course of action the Maine Senate should be demanding.

In protest, Senator Brakey recommends you eat a lobster roll.

After Democrats criticized his amendment to change the license plate for being unserious, Senator Brakey notes that the entire budgeting process has been a joke.