Massachusetts governor stresses affordability, denounces federal immigration raids and pledges more food‑bank funding
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Summary
In a statewide address the governor criticized federal immigration enforcement and economic policy and pledged state action to lower costs, expand college access and boost support for food banks, noting the state raised $7,000,000 for food pantries after SNAP cuts.
The governor of Massachusetts used a statewide address to press a cost‑of‑living agenda and sharply criticize recent federal immigration enforcement, while pledging increased state support for food banks and social programs.
In the speech the governor framed rising household costs as the administration’s central concern: "Fixing that and lowering costs should be the focus of every elected official in America. It's certainly mine," he said, citing higher prices for groceries, utilities and everyday needs and invoking personal family experiences to underline the point.
The address put direct blame on federal policy for part of that economic pressure. The governor said Washington "is only making things worse," criticizing tariffs and healthcare cuts that he said are driving up costs. He also singled out federal immigration enforcement, saying the Trump administration "is sending masked agents by the thousands into cities and states across America" and asserting: "A woman is dead. Others have been shot. Innocent people detained." The governor, a former prosecutor and attorney general, said those tactics "do not make us safer" and called for them to stop.
Alongside criticism, the governor outlined state-level steps the administration says it has taken or will take. He said Massachusetts arranged broad insurance coverage for vaccines so people can get shots at no cost and pledged new state investment in science and medical research after federal cuts: "We're gonna put more dollars into science and research." He also listed measures intended to ease costs for families, including tax cuts for middle‑class households, free community college, universal school meals and efforts to lower housing, health‑care and energy costs.
The governor defended state support for reproductive health services after federal restrictions, saying Massachusetts "stepped in and made sure that Planned Parenthood had the funding to keep going" and described the commonwealth’s protections for patients and providers as among the strongest in the country.
On hunger and the social safety net, the governor said Massachusetts responded when federal SNAP benefits were reduced, raising $7,000,000 for food pantries through state and community efforts and crediting businesses and volunteers. He pledged that his upcoming budget "is gonna increase funding for local food banks" and that the state will "make sure that people get on the SNAP program" to enroll eligible residents; the speech did not specify an amount for the promised budget increase.
He closed by urging unity and resilience, invoking the state's revolutionary history and celebrating upcoming events — fireworks on the Fourth of July, the World Cup and a return of tall ships — as opportunities to showcase Massachusetts to visitors.
The address concluded with the governor offering a benediction for the commonwealth and the country.