The numbers are staggering. The proposed federal budget cuts would strip trillions of dollars from programs that have served as lifelines for Black and Brown communities across America — from Medicaid and food assistance to education funding and affordable housing subsidies.
As a State Senator representing communities in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, and beyond, I cannot stand by silently. The residents of the Second Suffolk District — many of whom already live on the margins — would bear the brunt of these devastating cuts.
What's At Stake
Federal funding isn't abstract. It's the WIC program that helps a new mother feed her infant. It's the Pell Grant that allows a first-generation college student to pursue their dream. It's the Medicaid coverage that means a diabetic elder doesn't have to choose between insulin and groceries.
For communities that have already experienced centuries of disinvestment, redlining, and systemic exclusion, these cuts don't just hurt — they erase decades of hard-won progress.
Massachusetts Must Act
While we cannot control what happens in Washington, we can control how Massachusetts responds. I am calling on my colleagues in the State Senate to:
- Protect state funding for Medicaid, housing, and food assistance programs
- Create a federal cuts mitigation fund to backstop critical services
- Pass legislation that decouples Massachusetts' most essential safety-net programs from federal funding fluctuations
- Hold the line on racial equity in all budget decisions
The Second Suffolk District has always been a community of resilience. But resilience should not mean having to survive cuts that should never have come in the first place.
I will fight — every day, in every hearing, at every vote — to make sure that our communities are protected, invested in, and seen.
Senator Liz Miranda represents the Second Suffolk District in the Massachusetts State Senate.