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Healey talks federal funding cuts, immigration crackdown in GBH segment
Gov. Maura Healey said in a Friday interview that federal actions in President Donald Trump’s first 120 days in office are “deeply troubling.”
Gov. Maura Healey said in a Friday interview that federal actions in President Donald Trump’s first 120 days in office are “deeply troubling,” especially concerning budget cuts.
On the May 9 “Ask the Governor” segment on WGBH, Healey spoke on the Trump administration’s “total failure” of the economy, from imposing controversial tariffs on prominent global partners to cutting funds from overarching services such as the National Institute of Health.
Healey remarked that what’s been alarming is “the way that President Trump and the administration have sought to weaponize the Department of Justice, weaponize the IRS, do everything to silence critics and those that don’t agree with him.”
Most market indexes showed rates plummeted last month when the administration deployed its tariffs. Healey said the uncertainty around the market is driving students, companies, and developers to seek opportunities elsewhere.
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Healey mentioned that many people are experiencing “fear and anxiety” around these changes and that the state is managing what it can.
Addressing the uncertainty, the House passed a budget for fiscal year 2026 that proposed over $61 billion and a growth rate of over 6%, which is much higher than last year’s final budget. With Senate consensus, Healey is expected to sign later this summer.
“The economy is dominating everything and every day he just continues to do things that seem more adverse to lowering the cost of living and making life easier for Americans across the board,” Healey said.
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Co-host Margery Eagan asked Healey if she believes that certain states are getting “picked on” because of their opposition to the administration, to which Healey said that “all states are getting hurt.”
Schools in traditionally “red states” have prepared for impact. Last month, the Big Ten Academic Alliance passed a mutual defense compact to ensure legal counsel is instated in the event one of the 18 schools — which include universities from Ohio, Indiana, and Nebraska — is targeted by the administration.
Locally, Harvard University began a legal battle with the White House since the school refused Trump’s demands to change governing and hiring structures and audit academic programs and departments. Since then, $2 billion in grants have been frozen.
“When you got a president who is taking away research funding, which means that studies are being shut down, that’s devastating,” Healey said.
According to The Boston Globe, over 78,000 students in Massachusetts hold visas, ranking third in its international student population. Healey said she wants the state to continue to be a “global hub for education.”
The same article showed that 40 student visas have been revoked as of mid-April, which is scaring away many prospective international students, Healey said.
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“As governor, I am trying to stand strong and say Massachusetts is a place to come and study, is a place to continue to do research, is a place where we want innovation and I’m going to do everything I can to support that and support our communities,” Healey said.
Later in the segment, Healey touched on the ICE detention of a Worcester mother this week, the age-friendly executive order she signed Thursday to better support older adults in the Commonwealth, and her efforts to alleviate the state’s housing crisis.
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