Massachusetts Democrats vote against bill to prioritize sheltering veterans over migrants.
A proposal to prioritize shelter for U.S. military veterans over migrants was unsuccessful in the Massachusetts House of Representatives last week.
The bill titled “Homeless Veterans Prioritization for Shelter Assistance,” was defeated with a vote of 129-27, with almost all Democrats voting against it while all 25 House Republicans supported it.
According to reports by Newsweek and the Boston Globe, Governor Maura Healey cited a lack of space, services, and funding as reasons why the state cannot accommodate more than 7,500 families. Massachusetts has already allocated close to $1 billion for state-run shelters for families and migrants.
Representative Gerard Cassidy, the Democratic co-chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, criticized the bill as a political maneuver and mentioned that a separate bill focusing on veterans will be introduced in May.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has transferred migrants from Texas to Massachusetts, criticized the decision as “insanity” and emphasized that veterans should not be overlooked in favor of undocumented immigrants.
In addition, House Democrats in Massachusetts rejected another bill that proposed a three-month residency requirement for family shelter, giving priority to state residents on the waitlist.
Assistant Majority Leader Alice Pesich assured that no families, whether new to the state or not, are being left homeless, mentioning the presence of overflow shelters to accommodate everyone.
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