Budget cuts on the table in Massachusetts amid runaway migrant costs, speaker says

But once those funds are tapped, and if Congress continues to find itself stalled over immigration aid, Massachusetts could find itself in a difficult spot in fiscal year 2026, the Quincy Democrat said.

Everything is “on the table” come next year, he said.

“Good times are great. And when there were good times, everyone really enjoyed spending the money. And I enjoyed spending the money. But I’ve been through bad times in here when local aid has been cut, when everything in the budget has been on the table for a cut. When you cut local aid, you’re really pretty much at the bottom of the budget,” he said.

Mariano spoke at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition’s annual “Immigrants’ Day” at the State House, where he told the large crowd that next year “is going to be extremely difficult.”

“It will be extremely difficult for us as legislators and extremely difficult for you as advocacy groups. There is no money coming from the federal government. They are in such a disarray. We can’t count on their help at all,” he said. “We’re going to have to do it on our own. And we’re all going to have to tighten our belts and do the best we can to make sure that the programs that are important are funded adequately.”

MIRA Coalition Executive Director Elizabeth Sweet said it is no surprise to hear Mariano say the federal government is not sending help.

“We also see the reality and his comments are not a surprise in that sense. But I remain optimistic that we are in some agreement that some of this programming is critical to Massachusetts and to the Massachusetts economy, that we continue to welcome immigrants here,” Sweet told the Herald at the State House.

Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless Associate Director Kelly Turley said she is “obviously” concerned about the state’s financial situation.

“We want to make sure that the current housing crisis and homelessness crisis don’t lead to families and individuals who need services not being able to access them, whether that’s shelter, housing, wraparound supports,” she said after listening to Mariano speak. “We encourage the state to make the investments in homelessness prevention so that the state doesn’t have the higher price tag of long-term shelter stays.”

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