Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has sharply criticized Trump’s policies, claiming the trade war, attacks on universities, and heightened immigration restrictions are harming American competitiveness and aiding its rivals such as China.
‘America Last’: A Governor’s Critique
On an MSNBC “Morning Joe” segment Wednesday, Healey stated bluntly, “For a president who is about America first, he’s making America last.” The Democratic governor from Arlington has raised her national profile amid the Republican White House’s attacks on Massachusetts and said this is the greatest Trump-trashing she has done, noting how the administration has consistently shredded its policies.
The Cost of Cuts: Impact on Medical Research
Healey vividly recalled her trip to UMass Chan Medical School, where she and the school’s leaders discussed the dire ramifications of federal budgetary cuts to the National Institutes of Health. Healey commented on the impact on healthcare, saying, “Because of Donald Trump’s cuts, they’ve had to lay off 200 faculty members.” “They are faculty members who would have actively contributed to and participated in programs aimed at finding life-saving treatments for various medical conditions, including cancer, Alzheimer’s, and ALS,” she added. “Which is extremely worrying for scientific development progress.”
Benefiting the Rival: China’s Gain from US Policies
At that point, Healey said that these attacks are purely harmful and “these misguided attacks on our universities and on research make it easier for China.” Healey illustrated some of the impacts not just at Harvard but at UMass Chan, saying, “They (Japan) are recruiting right now on our campuses, all those faculty members, scientists, and students who have been laid off or had their offers turned down, and the resounding opinion is, ‘Come to China.’”
We will construct that lab for you. ” These remarks are a reiteration of her statements in CBS News’ Face the Nation, where she said that these policies are bad for patients, bad for science, and really bad for American competitiveness.
Challenge at the state level: federal gap filling.
Healey pointed out the enormous cost Trump’s policies placed on Massachusetts. She remarked that the state is not in a position to fill the gaping hole of several billion dollars in federal aid, which serves as the backbone of her 62 billion budget proposal for the next fiscal year starting on 1st July. In spite of these hurdles, she noted that the state is trying its best to work with business heads and is providing assistance to those impacted by the tariffs.
Setback: Increased tariffs raise housing prices.
Healey, who as governor has authored tax cuts and promoted the construction of more houses, noted the self-defeating nature of the tariffs. It is so disruptive that we have these tariffs, where now my lumber is coming from Canada and the gypsum and other materials are coming from Mexico and Trump just made housing a lot more expensive to build, she said while driving home the point that these policies affect actual economic activity in her state.
A Governor’s Resolve: Delivering for Residents
While preparing for a possible re-election campaign in 2026, Healey positioned herself against Trump’s policies as a commitment to voters. “This is just another case of Donald Trump failing to show up for working-class Americans, not delivering results for people, making it really difficult for governors like me to want to deliver for our residents, to want to grow the economy,” she said.
