OpEds & LTEs

Editorial: Countering Trump-era Policies in Massachusetts and Beyond

Jennifer Debin, “Countering Trump-era Policies in Massachusetts and Beyond,” Dover-Sherborn Hometown Weekly, September 18, 2025.

Dear Editor,

Massachusetts could be doing more to counter the Trump administration’s destructive and chaotic policies.

As Trump escalates, we must too.

All people throughout the country will be harmed by Florida’s troubling decision to eliminate vaccine requirements for schoolchildren following Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine agenda. We need as many people vaccinated as possible to develop herd immunity. While I appreciate that Massachusetts and Governor Maura Healey are standing up and solidifying our own vaccine policy, a piecemeal state by state approach does not work for public health issues like communicable diseases.

The governor’s new standing order enables pharmacists to administer the boosters to “all eligible persons” without CDC approval; this is a start, but not enough. We need our Massachusetts local and federal representatives to step up and take action on the national level. We cannot let anything the Trump administration does be easy. They are acting fast and without regard for the law and are governing for the benefit of a very small fraction of our country.

Women’s health is another area where Massachusetts should lead. We need to continue to bring the fight at every opportunity, challenging both other state governments and federal policies that aim to limit women’s rights to decide on their own health. How does it make sense to say vaccines are a personal choice but a woman’s own healthcare decisions are not?

Additionally, while federal protections for immigrant students and students with disabilities are in jeopardy, Massachusetts has taken a strong stand to make sure that those rights continue to be protected here. The Commonwealth is a continual leader in public education – our representatives could be bolder, standing up against harmful educational policies on the federal level.

Massachusetts has established the Protect Education Equity Bill which is an impressive step that allows Massachusetts state law to explicitly affirm the right to a public education for students of all immigration statuses and students with disabilities at a time of rising federal threats to civil rights. This bill is just one example that can be shared with other states. Joining

forces with other states and providing support and sharing of ideas can build a strong coalition against Trump policies.

On immigration, Massachusetts must continue to lead by example as a welcoming place against the hateful and violent actions of this administration, recently exacerbated by ICE’s increased budget and horrific round up quotas, ignoring due process and upending

families. Non-cooperation with ICE at the local level to make safe places for people to be able to work, play, learn, and live is key but the Massachusetts delegation need to increase challenges at the national level. None of this is normal or okay and we cannot acquiesce.

Lastly, the piecemeal approach to environmental protections will not work and requires a national strategy to be most effective in combating climate change. The Trump administration

halting impactful projects like wind energy are an overreach that will harm us and future generations.

How can we best support our Massachusetts representatives to think bigger and go beyond our

home state to improve overall quality of life and protect the democracy we love at this tumultuous moment in our country? There is not a simple answer and it can become exhausting addressing so many issues at once, but it is worth challenging Trump-era policies at

every turn not only for life here in Massachusetts but for the good of the United States.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Debin

Sherborn, MA

education immigration

LTE: “LETTER: Mass. Deserves Better — Support the Corporate Fair Share Act & Close the Tax Loophole”

Rita Colafella, “LETTER: Mass. Deserves Better — Support the Corporate Fair Share Act & Close the Tax Loophole,” Watertown News,” September 22, 2025.

Dear Editor,

Massachusetts is facing a critical moment. Federal budget cuts are threatening to devastate essential services — Medicaid, SNAP, education, mental health care, and more. These cuts could strip healthcare and food assistance from up to 350,000 residents, blow a $3.5 billion hole in our state budget, and harm over 1 million students. We must act now to protect our communities.

A powerful solution is the Corporate Fair Share Act (An Act Combating Offshore Tax Avoidance, H.3110/S.2033), a proposal that would raise over $400 million in new annual revenue by closing a loophole that allows billionaire global corporations to hide profits offshore and avoid paying their fair share in Massachusetts taxes.

Right now, Massachusetts only taxes 5 percent of these offshored profits — far less than neighboring states like Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine, which tax 50–60 percent. The Commonwealth even taxes a smaller share of offshored corporate profits than New Hampshire does. The Corporate Fair Share Act would simply bring us in line with these states and the federal government, increasing our share from 5 percent to 50 percent.

This isn’t a tax hike on small businesses. In fact, only 0.5 percent of all C Corporations report any offshore profits. Most small businesses — LLCs, S-Corps, sole proprietorships — aren’t affected at all. This bill targets the wealthiest multinational corporations that exploit tax havens while our local businesses and families pay their fair share.

And here’s the truth: Massachusetts voters (of which 50 percent are Republican) overwhelmingly support this change.

In an August 2020 poll by Echo Cove Research, 84 percent of likely Massachusetts voters supported closing the loophole that lets corporations slash taxes by hiding assets offshore.
In an August 2024 poll by Data for Progress, 75 percent of Massachusetts voters agreed that the state corporate income tax should be updated to prevent multinational corporations from using offshore tax havens.
In an April 2025 poll by Lake Research Partners, 78 percent of Massachusetts voters supported closing corporate tax loopholes for large, profitable, multinational corporations.

The message is clear: Massachusetts residents want fairness. We pay our taxes. Our local businesses pay their taxes. It’s time the mega-corporations do the same. The Corporate Fair Share Act will:

Level the playing field for local businesses
Protect essential services like healthcare, education, and mental health care
Ensure financial stability for future generations

Let’s stop leaving hundreds of millions of dollars on the table. Let’s prioritize the taxpayers of Massachusetts over multinational corporations’ profits. Say no to devastating cuts. Say yes to fairness. Tell the State House to close the loophole ad Support the Corporate Fair Share Act. For more information, visit raiseupma.org/corporate-fair-share.

Rita Colafella
Watertown Resident

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Editorial: How Mass. Must Respond To Trump’s Big Ugly Bill

Jonathan Cohn, “How Mass. Must Respond To Trump’s Big Ugly Bill,” Fenway News, September 2025.

In time for July 4, Trump and Congressional Republicans celebrated the passage of their policy wish list, a massive tax cut for the rich and large corporations combined with the biggest rollback of healthcare access in U.S. history, cuts to food assistance and public education, and escalated funding for ICE that puts it on par with the size of other countries’ militaries. It was the most regressive bill passed by Congress in decades.

This all raises the question: how is Massachusetts going to do to respond?

Here are some critical first steps.

First, Massachusetts needs to better protect our essential services from federal cuts. The extreme cuts to health care access, food assistance, education, and other vital programs will hit the state budget hard.

Massachusetts is an affluent state, with a GDP per capita in the top five of states and a total GDP on par with Sweden’s (if only we had their welfare state…). Rather than making cuts that will fall on the backs of the most vulnerable, we should make sure that the most profitable corporations in our commonwealth are paying their fair share. That’s why we need to pass the Corporate Fair Share bill (H.3110 / S.2033), which would ensure that large multinational corporations like Amazon and Walmart pay more in taxes on the profits they hide in offshore tax havens in places like Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. This bill would make a simple change to the tax code that would put us in line with the federal government and the state of New Hampshire (yes, New Hampshire) and bring in significant new revenue.

Second, Massachusetts needs to better protect our immigrant communities, and that means not being complicit with Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Trump’s $45 billion infusion into ICE means that the administration will be looking for more people to work as immigration agents. Scaling up means that they will want states to offer existing personnel to do their dirty work. We must be clear that we won’t. The Safe Communities Act (H.2580 / S.1681) would ensure that our state and local law enforcement are not being deputized as ICE agents and shore up other vital protections.

Where is Fenway’s delegation on these priorities? Good question. Sen. Liz Miranda, who has a sliver of Fenway along with adjacent neighborhoods of Roxbury and Mission Hill, is the co-filer of both the Corporate Fair Share and the Safe Communities Act, and Sen. Lydia Edwards, who represents Back Bay and East Fenway, is a co-sponsor of both. Rep. Chynah Tyler, who has the Longwood Medical Area as well Roxbury and Mission Hill, joins them on the Corporate Fair Share bill. But Sen. Will Brownsberger, Rep. Jay Livingstone, and Rep. Dan Ryan have yet to do so.

Massachusetts prides itself for its role in our country’s democracy and as a beacon to other states. At this moment, we should do that by making clear that we don’t leave people behind when under attack by a hostile administration.

Jonathan Cohn, Policy Director, Progressive Mass; Secretary, Boston Ward 4 Democratic Committee

immigrants rights revenue

Letter: “Don’t Cut Care. Close Tax Loopholes for Large Corporations Instead.”

Al Blake, “Letter: Don’t Cut Care. Close Tax Loopholes for Large Corporations Instead,” Berkshire Eagle, July 30, 2025.

Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Republicans in Congress have made it their mission to cut funding for essential government services on which we all depend. Their priorities are clear. And so should ours in Massachusetts.

Unfortunately, Governor Healey’s proposed budget would halve the number of mental health case workers, limiting access to essential care. Thankfully, she put a pause on her plans to close two of the state’s mental health hospitals, but more funding will be needed

And we know how to raise such funds. It’s not by giving tax cuts to rich people and large corporations as our Legislature did two years ago. It’s by ensuring that large corporations are paying their fair share.

That’s why I strongly support Raise Up Mass’s Corporate Fair Share campaign to ensure that billionaire global corporations like Apple, Google, and Walmart pay their fair share and can’t get away with tax-dodging antics.

Did you know that Massachusetts taxes a smaller share of offshored corporate income than New Hampshire? An Act Combating Offshore Tax Avoidance (H.3110 / S.2033) would fix that, bringing us in line with the federal government and other states and raising hundreds of millions of dollars in new annual revenues.

MA needs to combat offshore tax dodging and make the world’s most profitable mega-corporations pay their fair share in state taxes, instead of cutting public services like healthcare and education that we all rely upon.

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Letter: “How MA Must Respond to Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”

Heather Ford, “LETTER TO THE EDITOR: How MA Must Respond to Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”,” Westwood Minute, July 31, 2025.

To the Editor:

A month ago, Trump and Congressional Republicans passed the Big Beautiful Bill. But this bill is ugly: containing one of the biggest rollbacks of health care access in US history, cuts to food assistance and public education, and escalated funding for ICE.

Through this bill, the Trump administration wants states like Massachusetts to do their dirty work for them. Bay Staters need to be clear that we won’t.

Massachusetts needs to better protect our essential services from federal cuts. The extreme cuts to health care access, food assistance, education, and other vital programs will hit state budgets hard. Indeed, we are already seeing the impact of the unilateral cuts that Trump made earlier this year.

Rather than making cuts that will fall on the backs of the most vulnerable, we should be making sure that the most profitable corporations in our commonwealth are paying their fair share. That’s why we need to pass the Corporate Fair Share bill (H.3110 / S.2033), which would ensure that large multinational corporations like Amazon and Walmart pay more in taxes using a federal formula called Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI).

Fun Fact: if Massachusetts started charging these corporations fifty percent of their GILTI, it would be the same percentage of their GILTI that Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire already do.

Beacon Hill also needs to tap into the state’s $8 billion rainy day fund. The looming cuts that Bay Staters face under the “Big Beautiful Bill” are why the rainy day fund was created.

Second, Massachusetts needs to better protect our immigrant communities by not being complicit with Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Trump’s $45 billion increase in ICE funds means that the administration will be looking for more people to work as immigration agents. Scaling up means that they will want states to offer existing personnel to do their dirty work. We must be clear that we won’t. Bills like the Safe Communities Act (H.2580 / S.1681) and the Dignity Not Deportations Bill (H.1588 / S.1122) would ensure that our state and local law enforcement are not being deputized as ICE agents.

Our legislators on Beacon Hill speak of doing the best for their constituency. Bay Staters should push for them to pass these three bills to help them do their best and reject the President’s agenda.

Heather T. Ford
Westwood, MA

Thanks to Heather Ford, Westwood resident, for sharing these comments and opinions with Westwood Minute.

immigrants rights revenue

Letter: “It’s Time for Beacon Hill to Lead, Not Linger”

Jason Brown, “It’s Time for Beacon Hill to Lead, Not Linger,” West Roxbury/Roslindale Bulletin, July 30, 2025.

To the Editor:
Seven months into President Trump’s second term, the harm has been swift: rollbacks of civil rights, environmental protections, and safety net programs. ICE raids are tearing families apart, and Congress has aided these efforts. Meanwhile, Massachusetts has been slow to respond. There has been some progress, like immigrant legal defense funding and laws pro-
tecting abortion and gender-affirming care, but we can and must do more.

We need to better protect immigrants. Trump’s $45 billion expansion of ICE means federal agents will pressure states for help. Massachusetts must draw a clear line by passing the Safe Communities Act (H.2580/S.1681) and the Dignity Not Deportations Bill (H.1588/S.1122), which would ensure that local law enforcement is not deputized as ICE agents.

We also need to shield essential services from deep federal cuts to health care, education, and food assistance. Massachusetts can lead with fair and direct revenue policy. The Corporate Fair Share bill (H.3110/S.2033)
would close offshore tax loopholes, ensuring that large multinational corporations like Amazon and Walmart pay their fair share. This would be an overdue fix with meaningful impact.

And let’s not forget our $8 billion rainy day fund. These federal assaults on our communities are precisely the “rainy days” it was designed for.

Massachusetts has the wealth, the tools, and the moral imperative to act. When the Legislature returns from recess, we need them to meet the urgency of the moment—not just with words, but with action. Constituents must demand bold leadership.
Jason Brown
West Roxbury

immigrants rights revenue

Letter: “We need to see decarceration, not incarceration”

Norma Wassel, “We need to see decarceration, not incarceration,” Boston Globe, July 10, 2025.

Your July 7 editorial supporting a new women’s prison in Massachusetts lacks important information showing that there is no justification for spending $360 million renovating MCI-Framingham, on top of the annual cost of more than $235,000 per woman (“MCI-Framingham women’s prison needs a modern building”).

The editorial failed to mention that according to the Department of Correction’s own data, the large majority of women there meet DOC criteria for minimum security or prerelease status. Nor did it point out that nearly a quarter of the women incarcerated are awaiting trial or serving short sentences from Middlesex County, which does not have a county jail for women.

While citing a 2022 state-commissioned Ripples Group report, the editorial did not mention that it recommended community residential programs for the majority of women, who present no risk to public safety. No state law requires a prison building, especially for an aging population with complex health needs, and with correctional practices that are often contradictory to treatment.

Even a 2021 Boston Globe editorial stated in its headline, “Elderly prisoners pose little risk, so why won’t the state let some of them free?” It argued for reforms to parole law and a wider use of clemency, but there has been little progress in these areas.

In planning for “an expensive rebuild” of MCI-Framingham, Governor Maura Healey is emulating our current president. The plan needs to be for decarceration, not incarceration.

Norma Wassel

Cambridge

The writer, a licensed independent clinical social worker, works with the Women and Incarceration Project, Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights, at Suffolk University.

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Editorial: “Some hopeful signs, but still a long way to go on legislative transparency”

Jonathan Cohn, Peter Enrich, and Scotia Hille, “Some hopeful signs, but still a long way to go on legislative transparency,” CommonWealth Beacon, March 3, 2025.

ALTHOUGH THE DAYS were dark early in January, the legislative session began with some glimmers of sunlight, as both Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano expressed a commitment to legislative process reform, indicating there would be upcoming proposals about how to make the Legislature more transparent and accountable.

We believe that Massachusetts ought to be a leader in just democratic rule and civic action. However, national rankings place us toward the bottom with regard to public ease of access to information, competitive elections, and financial transparency. Indeed, Massachusetts distinguishes itself by being the only state in the entire country in which all three branches of government hold themselves exempt from public records law. This means that for most residents of Massachusetts, our city councils and town meetings are held to a higher standard of transparency and accountability than our state elected officials.

The remarks from legislative leaders were a sign of growing momentum behind the push for more sunlight on Beacon Hill. When legislators last updated the public records law, in 2016, they created a commission to investigate whether the public records law should apply to them. They ended with no agreement, but more and more advocates have begun to understand that a non-transparent, overly top-down legislative process works against our goals.

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Letter: The Home Rule Process is Broken

The home rule process is broken

Jonathan Cohn, “Letter: The Home Rule Process is Broken,” Boston Globe, December 13, 2024.

The Senate’s refusal to take up Mayor Michelle Wu’s home rule petition to shift the city’s tax burden is a damning indictment of the home rule process in Massachusetts (“Wu’s defeat could put her on defensive: Tensions high with Senate, business leaders,” Page A1, Dec. 11).

Whenever a Republican Legislature in another state tries to block its liberal capital city from passing its own laws, liberals in Massachusetts are rightly outraged. But our Commonwealth beat those other states by almost half a century, reinforced repeatedly in the years since by Boston’s business class, who rallied behind Proposition 2½ in the early 1980s and against rent control in the early 1990s.

If the petitions from cities and towns to pass their own laws can’t even get a vote at the State House — and this is just one of a few examples from this session, including rejected petitions on real estate transfer fees and rent control — the fundamental mechanisms of democracy are not working.

Jonathan Cohn

Policy director

Progressive Mass

Boston

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