Press Release: 5/19/2025

While Families Struggle, the Senate Funds Poetry and Bureaucrats

The Senate is now taking its turn with the state budget, and if you thought the House was bad — just wait. Despite revenue shortfalls,  and talks of tax hikes coming from Beacon Hill, Senate lawmakers are still finding ways to throw your hard earned tax dollars around like it’s Monopoly money.



There are over 1,100 amendments filed to the Senate Ways and Means budget, many of which continue the tradition of unchecked spending on pet projects and ideological causes. Below are just five of the most absurd:



1. $25 Million More for a State Green Energy Slush Fund

Amendment #352 by Sen. Michael Barrett of Concord

 Increases the appropriation for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center from $5 million to $30 million.

 Why it’s egregious: That’s a fivefold increase for a politically connected climate bureaucracy. At a time when families are struggling with outrageously high utility bills and state leaders are discussing cutting services, Beacon Hill wants to give a large chunk of YOUR tax dollars to a program that was created to implement out of touch clean energy mandates that will raise YOUR energy bills even more.



2. $10 Million for an Immigrant Legal Defense Fund

Amendment #847 by Sen. Adam Gomez of Springfield 

 Creates a brand-new $10 million line item to provide legal representation to low-income immigrants and refugees facing federal removal proceedings.

 Why it’s egregious: This is federal jurisdiction — yet Massachusetts taxpayers are being told they must foot the bill. This isn’t about due process, it’s about political messaging while spending your money to score points. We’re already spending over $1 billion a year for sheltering illegal and inadmissible migrants, enough is enough.



3. A New Tax on Digital Ads to Subsidize Failing Newspapers

Amendment #70 by Sen. Dylan Fernandes of Falmouth

 Imposes a 5% excise tax on companies with over $50M in digital ad revenue and funnels the money into a “Local Newspaper Trust Fund.”

 Why it’s egregious: A blatant tax-and-transfer scheme. Beacon Hill wants to punish successful businesses to prop up politically sympathetic news outlets. This isn’t about promoting journalism — it’s about controlling the narrative with YOUR money.



4. $25,000 for the State’s “Poet Laureate”

Amendment #159 by Sen. Paul Mark of Becket

 Sets aside $25,000 as an honorarium to the Commonwealth’s official poet.

 Why it’s egregious: In case you were wondering where poetry ranked on the list of funding priorities while the state stares down a fiscal crisis — it’s apparently near the top. This is budget pageantry, not good governance.



5. Creation of a New “Zero Carbon Renovation Fund”

Amendment #337 by Sen. Gomez

 Establishes a new state fund for zero-emission building renovations, including private homes and small businesses.

 Why it’s egregious: It’s another costly piece of the puzzle used to implement the state’s climate initiatives that would shift renovation costs for private properties onto taxpayers. With no defined cost cap, this could balloon into a green boondoggle in no time. Further, in the middle of a housing crisis we should be looking to roll back policies that drive up housing costs, not create schemes to pay for them.

 

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. Lawmakers are playing politics with your tax dollars, propping up pet causes and brownnosing their way into the good graces of certain industries and higher-ups. In one breath they are implementing warnings about a concerning state financial situation if federal funding is cut, yet they have filed a massive budget with an almost 7% spending increase, and hope to tack-on hundreds are amendments with questionable spending.



And of course, the budget itself includes even more spending for dealing with the migrant crisis and climate-related projects— while dodging accountability and refusing structural reform.

MassFiscal will be shining a light on the most reckless proposals and alerting the public every step of the way. But we need you to take action, too.



If you believe your tax dollars should be respected, not wasted, tell your State Senator to say NO to this bloated spending spree and Healey’s looming tax hikes:  Click here to contact your senator now!