Kennealy, Shortsleeve Stay Silent While Healey, MA Senators Stand Against Trump’s Proposed Health Care Cuts

Since Launching Their Campaigns, Neither Has Named A Single Thing Donald Trump Has Done That They Oppose    BOSTON - Today, while Governor Maura Healey, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Ed Markey fought back against the Republican proposal to cut $1.75 billion from the Massachusetts health care system and strip health coverage from 250,000 people, the Republican candidates for Governor continued their pattern of silence and support for Donald Trump.    Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve have been silent since the Republican House passed Trump’s reconciliation bill on Thursday. The bill would have an enormous impact on Massachusetts. The $1.75 billion in cuts to the MassHealth and Health Connector programs would take away health coverage from 250,000 Massachusetts seniors, families, veterans, and people with disabilities.   In addition, the devastating cuts would likely cause nursing homes and community health centers to close, put hospitals further at risk, and cost doctors and nurses their jobs. It would also cause many more patients to turn to emergency room care, driving up health costs for everyone.   “By staying silent, Brian Shortsleeve and Mike Kennealy are siding with Donald Trump instead of the hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents in danger of losing their health care,” said Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan. “In fact - from Trump’s costly tariffs to his cuts to NIH funding to his gutting of veterans services and health care  – Kennealy and Shortsleeve have chosen to side with Donald Trump instead of the people of Massachusetts every time. They are making clear what we already know – electing Brian Shortsleeve or Mike Kennealy will mean allowing Trumpism to flourish here in Massachusetts.”   It has been seven weeks since Kennealy launched his campaign and two weeks since Shortsleeve launched his. In that time both have refused to oppose a single action that Donald Trump has taken that will impact Massachusetts. Among the things that they have refused to stand up against include:   Trump’s tariffs which raise costs on everyone in Massachusetts Trump’s cuts to the National institute of Health and National Science Foundation  that hurt our ability to find cures to diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s  and cost jobs in Massachusetts Trump’s cuts to our colleges and universities which are major employers and economic drivers in Massachusetts Trump’s proposed cuts to the Department of Education which impact funding to Massachusetts schools and support for our children Trump’s cuts to the VA and his firing of Massachusetts veterans  Trump’s and the GOP’s proposed cuts to MassHealth and the Massachusetts Health Connector Trump’s cuts to transportation funding including projects in Massachusetts   Shortsleeve said he proudly voted for Donald Trump during the 2024 election and supports his agenda here in Massachusetts for the next four years. This also means Shortsleeve supported Trump even after he was held responsible for a violent insurrection against our country. Kennealy is on record saying that he hasn’t voted for a president in the last three elections. This means he, too, refused to even do the bare minimum to oppose Donald Trump in any of the elections he stood for office.