Is welfare fraud really a problem?

This week, Governor Paul LePage announced he’ll be sending bills to the legislature to curb what he says is rampant abuse of Maine’s welfare system, primarily government issued money cards.

LePage says he wants to see stricter controls on who is able to use the cards and what they can buy with them. He says some “Food Stamps” recipients are using the cards to buy things like liquor, cigarettes and lottery tickets.

The governor also wants people on temporary assistance to verify they’ve applied for at least three jobs before they can enter the program.

Does the governor have a chance with either? We talk about it with political analysts Phil Harriman and Ethan Strimling.