By Tiffany Williams –
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey tore into the Trump administration Tuesday after it yanked nearly $7 million in homeland security funding from the state with just days left in the fiscal year.
The Department of Homeland Security slashed the state’s federal Homeland Security Grant Program award from $22.2 million to $15.3 million, blindsiding local officials and putting emergency preparedness in jeopardy.
“President Trump and Secretary Noem just made every community in Massachusetts and in states across the country less safe,” Healey said. “He’s playing politics with our public safety, and he’s using these funding cuts to punish those who disagree with him. He needs to restore the funding that we are owed.”
The cuts will hit the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, police and fire training programs, and critical equipment purchases including rapid deployment robots, situational awareness drones, dive team gear, and mobile emergency operations units. Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell joined a coalition of 12 AGs suing the administration, calling the move unlawful and politically motivated.
Meanwhile, in Washington, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton reintroduced legislation to shield D.C.’s local justice agencies from shutdown chaos, saying agencies like the D.C. Courts and Public Defender Service should never be collateral damage in congressional budget wars. “These are criminal and civil justice agencies whose focus is exclusively on District of Columbia matters,” Norton said.
In Minnesota, the Trump administration dropped a bomb on state officials, ruling that allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports violates Title IX. The Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services accused the Minnesota State High School League of “sacrificing the safety, fair treatment, and dignity of its female students.” The administration has threatened to pull funding from states and schools that allow transgender participation.
At Quantico, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told military leaders he’s scrapping diversity and inclusion programs, rolling back combat standards, and returning the Pentagon to what he called a “warrior ethos.” Hegseth said, “No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusions. No more debris.” He pledged to restore the “highest male standard” for combat arms roles, blasting previous efforts to integrate women into elite units.
And as if the chaos wasn’t enough, Washington is now barreling toward its first government shutdown in nearly seven years. Senate Democrats voted down a short-term Republican funding bill Tuesday night, demanding an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits in exchange for keeping the lights on. The vote was 55-45, short of the 60 needed to move forward, and now the federal government is set to shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.
Sen. Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of trying to “bully” Democrats into backing down. The White House told agencies to prepare for furloughs and closures, with hundreds of thousands of federal workers about to feel the squeeze.