Republican State Senate candidate John Andrews announced a plan on Monday to create a new executive branch office dedicated to combating waste, fraud, and abuse in state programs, focusing particularly on MaineCare fraud.

“Hardworking Maine families are tired of watching their tax dollars disappear into waste, fraud, and abuse, especially in critical programs like MaineCare,” said Andrews.

“There is a Medicaid Fraud Unit in the Attorney General’s Office, but under Attorney General Aaron Frey, there has been no sense of urgency to root out and prosecute Maine’s vast networks of fraud. We need a dedicated, independent watchdog that answers to the people, not to partisan officers or interests. This new Office of Inspector General will save taxpayers money, restore accountability in government, and send a clear message that fraud will not be tolerated in Maine,” he added.

Andrews proposed an independent Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that would operate as part of the executive branch.

It would be fully independent from the Attorney General’s Office and would be empowered to directly investigate fraud and refer cases to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

That would allow the office to bypass a left-wing attorney general like Aaron Frey and allow for federal fraud prosecution, even if the state-level attorney general was unwilling to bring charges or investigate.

The Office of New Americans (ONA) would be abolished, and funding for the new office would be drawn from its resources and supplemented by allocations from the General Fund.

The cost would then be offset by the millions Andrews expects the fraud crackdown would recover.

Andrews’ model legislation to create the office would make the Inspector General (IG) a position appointed by the governor and grant the IG authority to hire staff and conduct independent investigations and audits with subpoena power.

The office would prioritize federal prosecutions and target the largest fraud networks first.

Andrews is urging all gubernatorial candidates to adopt the proposal as part of their platforms, and he urged all Maine House and Senate candidates, regardless of party, to support the creation of the new office.

“This isn’t about politics; it’s about protecting our tax dollars and ensuring that programs meant to help Mainers actually work to help Maine families. I challenge every candidate running for statewide or legislative office to join me in supporting real, structural, and independent reform to fight fraud and save taxpayer money,” he said.

Andrews previously served in the Maine House from 2018 to 2024 and is currently running as a Republican to fill the seat currently held by Sen. Rick Bennett (I-Oxford).

Sen. Bennett is running as an independent for governor and will not seek reelection for his Senate seat. He previously served as a Republican before switching his party affiliation and adopting progressive views.