MassFiscal Slams Beacon Hill’s Misplaced Priorities

While violent offenders walk free due to the ongoing public defender strike, Beacon Hill lawmakers are preparing to shovel another $42.9 million into the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program, a housing fund that has recently exploded as migrants are shifted out of emergency shelter in Massachusetts.

“Taxpayers are being asked to bankroll emergency housing for thousands of migrants, while our courts are paralyzed and dangerous individuals are being released back into the community. It’s hard to imagine a more backwards set of priorities,” said Paul Diego Craney, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

The RAFT program, originally intended to provide temporary housing aid to Massachusetts families in crisis, has seen a massive surge in demand as the state continues to shelter a record number of illegal and inadmissible migrants. With tens of millions in new RAFT funding and little transparency around how recipients are vetted, taxpayers are right to question whether the program is being properly managed.

“RAFT was never meant to be an unlimited, open-ended housing entitlement for illegal migrants. Yet instead of making meaningful reforms to the program, Beacon Hill’s answer is to dump another $43 million into it, no questions asked,” said Craney.

Meanwhile, the state’s public defender system is in crisis, with attorneys refusing to take new cases due to unmanageable workloads and low pay. The result is that criminal cases are collapsing and accused violent offenders are being released back onto the streets.

“Massachusetts can’t have it all. It’s becoming clear that it can’t afford both a functioning justice system and unlimited benefits to illegal and inadmissible migrants. Beacon Hill just made it clear which one they care about and it’s not public safety,” said Craney.

The $42.9 million RAFT allocation is part of a broader supplemental spending bill currently in conference committee. While the bill includes hundreds of millions in new spending, it contains no funding or reforms to address the breakdown in the court system caused by the public defender crisis.

“Voters should take note: our leaders aren’t failing to act, they’re actively choosing to ignore core responsibilities like justice and law enforcement so they can funnel more money into politically convenient programs,” added Craney.