By John L. Micek
masslive.com
(TNS)
If there was any lingering doubt that Massachusetts lawmakers are in for a particularly strenuous spring and summer, one of the top Democrats on Beacon Hill put them to rest on Thursday.
The challenges range from the ongoing attacks on blue states by President Donald Trump to a fall ballot question that could punch a $5 billion hole in the state’s bottom line as lawmakers head into the thick of budget season.
“I want folks to understand just how perilous this moment is for those of us in state government who are trying to navigate each of these challenges,” state House Speaker Ron Mariano said during an appearance before the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
In that instance, the ever-quotable Quincy lawmaker was specifically addressing Trump’s attacks on Medicaid funding and the Republican White House’s hardline mass deportation campaign, which has been felt across the Bay State.
Mariano ran down a laundry list of legislative remedies the majority-Democrat chamber had taken to counteract Trump.
Those steps included an already approved measure providing tougher legal protections for people who seek reproductive and gender-affirming care and for the providers who administer such services.
Another includes a pending proposal that would expand legal protections for migrants and limit how local law enforcement interacts with federal immigration agents.
“From the outset of President Trump’s second term, the House has worked to understand how Massachusetts can mitigate the most damaging actions happening at the federal level—an effort that has resulted in legislative action on several key issues,” Mariano told the crowd.
But it could just as easily have been applied to the fall ballot question asking voters if they want to shave a percentage point off the state’s 5% personal income tax.
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The Massachusetts Opportunity Alliance, which is pushing the ballot question, and another that would more frequently return surpluses to taxpayers, has positioned it as a critical tool to boost the state’s economic competitiveness as some employers and residents flee to more tax-friendly states.
Speaking to the business leaders who had gathered over coffee, croissants, mini quiches and fresh berries in an ornate ballroom at the Fairmount Copley Plaza hotel in Boston’s Back Bay, Mariano painted an altogether more apocalyptic picture.
If voters approve the question, lawmakers will have no choice but “to make significant budget cuts to services and programs that our residents rely on,” Mariano told the crowd.
“That could mean cuts to school budgets, health care funding, infrastructure spending, the MBTA, support for cities and towns, and to state investments in economic development,” he continued, then, adding ominously, “it could also force the Legislature to consider the need for new sources of revenue.”
Mariano’s remarks came just a couple of hours after the Massachusetts Opportunity Alliance, which represents a constellation of business interests, rolled out new polling data showing that classroom teachers support the tax cut.
It was a direct shot over the bow of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union, which is one of the ballot question’s most vocal critics.
“The opinions of those labor leaders don’t always reflect the views and values of actual teachers. This data suggests an income tax cut would not only put more money immediately back in the pockets of individuals, but strengthen our world-class education system,” Colin Reed, a spokesperson for the group, said in an email.
The union’s president, Max Page, dismissed the data drop as a “push poll” that was not truly representative of how the state’s educators truly feel about the issue.
“Our members overwhelmingly supported and won the passage of the Fair Share Amendment,” Page said in an interview, referring to the state’s “Millionaires’ Tax,” which has raised billions of dollars for education- and transportation-related programs since 2023.
The union’s board unanimously opposed the ballot measures, Page said, adding, “our board represents the 117,000 members … They are so clear because they know the damage this will do.”
Mariano, meanwhile, sought to poke holes in the economic competitiveness arguments advanced by the pro-tax-cut forces.
He acknowledged that some Massachusetts households could see a “modest” savings. But “sweeping budget cuts would undermine the Commonwealth’s leadership in education and health care, with real consequences for residents and businesses alike.”
“And we’d still be competing with states that have no income tax at all,” he added.
Mariano also left open the possibility of a compromise with the pro-tax-cut forces, suggesting that there could be longer-term solutions that addressed their underlying complaints.
But the Democratic floor boss also made clear that his patience had limits.
“This thing about ‘Let’s do a ballot question and it’s going to fix everything,’ it’s just such nonsense. And it’s insulting to me as someone who follows public policy that they think that they can solve problems that way. And so, there’s a … I don’t know if you notice a little bit of anger in that because I’m a little bit just tired of this.”
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©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit masslive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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