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Mass. launches dashboard tracking Trump cuts to state funding
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The Celtics are still alive, thanks to big performances last night from Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and... Luke Kornet? The series heads back to New York tomorrow, with the Tatum-less defending champs hoping to force a Game 7 back in Boston.
But first, the news:
Tracking the Trump effect: Gov. Maura Healey says Massachusetts' state government has already lost about $350 million in direct federal support since President Trump took office — and now she's making those numbers more visible to the public. Healey's office launched an online dashboard yesterday to track the loss of federal funds and the "terrible impact" it's had on the state. "The federal cuts outlined in this dashboard are more than just numbers — they represent cuts to healthy food for babies, mental health care for students and disaster prevention for our communities," Healey said.
- What it includes: Healey's office says the state government got nearly $23 billion in federal dollars this fiscal year. That includes more than a quarter ($16.1 billion) of the state's nearly $58 billion operating budget, plus additional grants.
- The biggest cuts so far: The state's Department of Health and Human Services has lost the most federal money ($118 million). That's mostly due to the nearly $84 million that the feds are trying to claw back from the state's public health lab. However, the state's education department is a close second due to $106 million in canceled pandemic recovery grants. The state's office of public safety also lost $90 million in FEMA aid intended for making infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather.
- What it doesn't include: Direct cuts to municipalities and non-government organizations — for example, Harvard — are not part of the dashboard.
- What's next: The $350 million figure does come with an asterisk. Attorney General Andrea Campbell is suing to block certain cuts, like the $106 million grant for schools. Healey's office says it plans to keep the dashboard updated.
- The big picture: The timing of the dashboard also comes as congressional Republicans debate cuts to (by far) the state's biggest source of federal funding: Medicaid, aka MassHealth. Healey's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year expects more than $14 billion in federal reimbursements for the health insurance program, which covers over 2 million people in Massachusetts. But state health officials say the current federal proposals could "translate into billions of dollars" in cuts. "There's no way that state budgets can make up for the kinds of cuts that the Trump administration is trying to push through," Healey recently told WBUR's Tiziana Dearing. Listen to the full interview here.
In related news: Healey is tightening limits on state hiring, due to the aforementioned federal cuts and broader economic uncertainty. As WBUR's Anthony Brooks reports, a freeze on all Executive Branch hiring will begin on May 27 (though there will be exceptions for certain positions, like public safety officers and direct care providers).
- FYI: You may remember Healey also announced hiring limits last year, as state tax revenue appeared to be coming in short. However, unlike the new freeze, those "controls" (which expired in November) included a formal process for departments to keep hiring for positions if they got overhead approval.
Meanwhile: Harvard administrators are warning researchers that nearly all of their federal grants will be canceled soon, as the Trump administration continues to pressure the university into agreeing to its demands to limit pro-Palestinian activism and end diversity, equity and inclusion practices. WBUR's Martha Bebinger reports that doctors studying the impact of excessive heat on health, antibiotic resistance and treatment for lung diseases opened emails this week saying their grants were terminated. Harvard said yesterday it would make $250 million available to help sustain affected research, but acknowledged it won’t be able to cover the more than $2 billion in cuts imposed by the Trump administration.
At City Hall: The Boston City Council voted 8-4 yesterday to advance its own twist on ranked choice voting for local mayoral and council elections. However, the home rule petition still needs approval from Mayor Michelle Wu, State House lawmakers, Healey and Boston voters via a referendum. It's a long road ahead, but the Boston Herald reports that Wu does plan to sign the proposal.
Full speed ahead: The Lynn ferry is back to its normal schedule today. MBTA officials say the endangered right whales that forced the agency to significantly slow down ferries and cancel trips last month appear to have migrated out of the area.
P.S.— The Supreme Court is set to hear the legal challenge against President Trump's birthright citizenship order this morning. WBUR will have special on-air coverage of the oral arguments starting at 10 a.m. That means BBC NewsHour and On Point will likely be preempted. But loyal listeners can still find the podcast version of today's On Point episode on our website.
