Brewer speaks with Maine Public about lobstermen aid, politics
Mark Brewer, professor of political science at the University of Maine, spoke with Maine Public for a story titled “Lobster Dealers, Processors Say They Were Left Out Of Federal Aid Deal — And Some Blame Politics.” According to the story, the federal government awarded Maine lobstermen $50 million to compensate for financial losses that resulted from trade disputes between the U.S. and China, but dealers and processors cannot access the funds. Brewer said the award follows other actions from President Donald J. Trump’s administration, such as negotiating a deal with the European Union to lower tariffs on U.S. lobster. Trump won Maine’s 2nd Congressional District by 10 points in 2016, Brewer said. “Doing better than that is going to be very difficult for him to do under any circumstances,” he said. “The bigger question is: Does it help him to hang on to that Electoral College vote in the 2nd CD (Congressional District) and there I think the answer is ‘yes.'”