Last night, the Massachusetts Senate passed its version of the FY2026 budget in a 38-2 vote, ignoring affordability, competitiveness, and basic fiscal responsibility. This budget is the largest in state history, and lawmakers still failed to deliver tax relief, regulatory reform, or any meaningful response to our sky-high energy costs.
Despite repeated warnings about “fiscal uncertainty,” Senators added tens of millions more in new spending—without roll call votes, without real debate, and with zero transparency. The final price tag will only climb higher as the budget heads to conference committee.
There’s simply no credibility left for lawmakers who talk about fiscal uncertainty while voting for the largest budget in state history. If they were serious about economic uncertainty, they would have tightened the belt, not let it out.
Only two senators, Senator Ryan Fattman and Senator Kelly Dooner, had the courage to vote against the final budget. We thank them for putting principles above politics.
Senator Dooner also delivered a powerful speech in support of Amendment 373, which would have taken steps to address out-of-control energy costs driven by alternative energy mandates. That common-sense proposal was rejected by the majority. Roll Call Here.
 Watch Senator Dooner’s remarks here.
Meanwhile, the contrast on the floor was... striking. Some senators struggled to even stay alert during debate.
Watch this clip of Senator Jamie Eldridge snacking and zoning out.
Massachusetts taxpayers were completely shut out of this budget. There’s no tax relief, no regulatory relief, and no effort to address the energy bills and property taxes driving people out of the state. All we got was more spending and more empty speeches.
States like New Hampshire, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, and North Carolina continue to outcompete Massachusetts by lowering costs, not raising them. Beacon Hill should be taking notes, but instead, they keep doubling down on failed policies.
They talked about fiscal challenges, then made them worse. Beacon Hill is more interested in growing government than protecting the people who fund it.
This morning’s Boston Globe ran a piece that underscores just how unserious Beacon Hill is about fiscal discipline. While Senate leaders warn of economic uncertainty from Washington, they’re quietly funneling millions from the so-called “millionaires tax” into pork projects in their own districts, without debate or roll-call votes. MassFiscal was quoted in that story, which you can read here.
So, what’s next?
This bloated budget now heads to conference committee, where behind-closed-doors deals will likely inflate the final number even more.
We’ll keep watching—and calling it out |
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