BOSTON - Gov. Maura Healey isn’t mincing words this week – voicing her displeasure with Republicans in Congress over lack of support for dealing with the border.


What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Maura Healey answered questions Wednesday about her budget, and talked about how she has asked the federal government for help paying for the migrant crisis

  • A deal was on the table in the U.S. Senate to provide funding for states who have an influx of migrants

  • It was voted down, and Healey voiced her frustration towards former President Donald Trump and Republicans for holding up funding

  • Both senators from Massachusetts also voted against the deal

While answering questions about her budget to the Ways and Means Committee, Healey was sure to mention she has begged the federal government for help paying for the rising costs of migrant families arriving daily to Massachusetts.

She also took time Wednesday to voice her frustration with Republicans on the national stage, baffled many didn’t sign onto a deal this week which would have helped.

“It would have ended the migrant crisis and the inflow of people into this country," Healey said. "$118 billion to states like Massachusetts who have been having to bear the cost for so long."

The Senate voted down a bill mostly along party lines on Wednesday night which could have tightened up the border by making it harder for people to qualify for asylum and adding ways to speed up the asylum process from years to just months.

“It’s incredibly frustrating that we were that close to a deal that, by the way, was negotiated and developed by a Republican, a Democrat, and an Independent, and all that went away because Donald Trump said something last week that he didn’t want a deal under any circumstances," Healey said. "That stands in the way of progress for this country and stands in the way of addressing an issue that we need to address as a nation. I’m incredibly disappointed and frustrated."

Healey blamed Republicans and former President Donald Trump for the bill failing. She did not mention both of Massachusetts Democratic senators, Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, also voting against it.

Warren said in a statement to Spectrum News Thursday, “Senate republicans killed their own border deal, and I am not willing to start the next round of negotiations with this bill as the foundation. I welcome serious negotiations because Congress needs to fix our broken immigration system with comprehensive reforms.”

Markey also released a statement, saying in part, “comprehensive immigration reform requires compromise, and I am ready to do that, but Republicans and Donald Trump clearly will not even when they say they will."

Both senators promised to work to get necessary funding for the state. The deal failing in the Senate had been worked on for months, so with it voted down and no relief in sight, Massachusetts is still on the hook for all costs associated with migrant families arriving in the state.