BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey delivered the State of the Commonwealth address to a packed chamber, diving right into the political hurdle of affordability before pivoting into an attack on President Donald Trump just days after kicking off her reelection bid.

The governor went right to the two main themes of her address: touting what she calls her “focus” on lowering costs for Massachusetts residents before pivoting to D.C. clashes.

“Washington is only making it worse. We have a president who throws tantrums like a 2-year-old. And I’m sorry to all the 2-year-olds out there. He’s driving prices up with his tariffs. He’s cutting trillions of dollars out of health care. And Congress can’t seem to do anything,” Healey said.

“Meanwhile,” she added, “seniors have to worry about food and heat getting cut off. Veterans have their services cut. LGBT families are worried about their kids being targeted or losing their rights.”

Healey stayed on her attack on Trump, shifting to his crackdown on illegal immigration — an issue playing out for a national audience in places like Minnesota, Maine and California, while speculation of a larger ICE operation coming to Massachusetts has been swirling.

“And let me say something about ICE. The Trump administration, right now, is sending masked agents by the thousands into cities and states. A woman is dead, others have been shot, innocent people detained, mothers and fathers ripped out of their cars with young children crying, pulling at their sides,” Healey said.

The governor was quick to acknowledge the challenging economic situation for Bay State residents, most notably soaring utility bills — the biggest burden to her reelection campaign, touting what she calls her “focus” in lowering costs for ratepayers before again placing blame on Trump, citing his tariffs on Canadian goods and cuts to health care and SNAP benefits.

Healey transitioned into presenting her next steps in her “Affordability Agenda,” highlighting her push to curb the state’s housing crisis and the administration’s investment in building nearly 100,000 homes across Massachusetts.

“It starts with housing. We have to be a state where teachers, nurses and recent grads can actually afford to live. The problem is, we haven’t been building homes since the '90s. That’s why prices and rents are so high; there aren’t enough homes to go around. So here’s the plan: We’re going to build more and build faster,” said Healey, saying her administration is speeding up the process of building homes.

“Experts said we had to build 220,000 homes by 2035. We’re not just going to meet that, we’re going to beat it. We’ve got 100,000 new homes already going, and more are on the way. We’ve got to be quick with this, all of us. People are counting on it; our economy is counting on it. We’ll get it done,” she said.

On the most pressing issue for Healey, increasing electric and heating costs, she touted her pledge to lower utility rates for Massachusetts residents in February and March through $180 million from “existing funds,” which are coming by way of alternative compliance payments and rate deferrals, something she has caught heavy criticism for as utility companies will recover the savings from rate payers in the summer months.

Invoking the 250th birthday of the United States and Massachusetts’ role in the American Revolution, Healey compared residents to that of the earliest days of the country, saying Bay Stater’s strength will get everyone through the challenges ahead.

_____

©2026 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at bostonherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.