DOGE cuts and freezes are severely impacting Massachusetts, Rep. Trahan says
Massachusetts Congresswoman Lori Trahan said the phones have been ringing off the hook at her offices as constituents react to the service cuts and freezes instituted by the Trump administration via Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, otherwise known as DOGE.
Thousands of calls from constituents
"People felt that with portals freezing in terms of Medicaid for getting their health care appointments, food banks...these cuts to programs that they rely on, whether they're heating assistance or food assistance, certainly health care and accessing healthcare," she said during an interview on the Sunday edition of "Keller At Large."
Trahan said her offices have received upwards of thousands of phone calls from concerned constituents.
"That's what happens when you anoint someone like Elon Musk, who is unvetted, unelected. The richest person in the world who, by the way, didn't grow up the way my family did, or the families who I represent," she said.
"He doesn't understand that these programs that help people access their health care or give them coverage. His health care coverage was always there for him because he grew up in a wealthy family, and so to put him in charge of fraud, abuse, and waste is really having a horrible impact on programs that have been there for the American people. They expect them to be there for them. And I think that's what people are really reacting to."
Concerns about Medicaid cuts
Trahan's district includes a lot of Trump voters, with the former president drawing well over 40% of the vote in communities such as Billerica, Haverhill, and Fitchburg. "I do think people are worried this isn't what they signed up for," said Trahan.
"There's no question that they wanted the cost of living to be lower. They wanted to be able to afford to buy a home. But this is hitting the bone for too many people," Trahan explained.
"Medicaid is what I'm most concerned about right now, because Massachusetts is so reliant on the Medicaid contribution from the feds, and you could blow a $20 billion hole in our state budget over the course of 10 years. There's so much more behind Medicaid, the Senior Assisted Living Center that you know seniors rely on, certainly kids rely on Medicaid, kids with disabilities, but also our community hospitals and our community health centers, they will either have to cut services or god forbid, [be] closed down if Medicaid is gutted the way they're talking."
Democrats' message for 2026
Trahan was recently re-elected by her Democratic colleagues to co-chair the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, which helps shape messaging for party candidates.
"Clearly, we fell out of touch with the everyday concerns of Americans, and we need to fix that," said Trahan of the 2024 results.
"The other thing is we need to communicate effectively where people are. We need to distribute our message differently than we have in the past. I think one thing that has become abundantly clear to me, as I meet with voters and have these town meetings, is [their main issue] really is the pocketbook issues. They really want to be able to not stress out at the checkout of the grocery store, be able to afford a home, be able to provide a better life for their kids. And they're really worried [about] this administration, whether it's tariff policy, whether it's programs that they're going to cut is being felt. And I think the Democrats have an enormous opportunity to get back to the working class, middle-class voter concerns around their economic issues and their quality of life."
Trahan also discussed her push for changes in the 1974 Privacy Act to close loopholes she claims can be improperly exploited by DOGE and others. You can watch the entire interview on-demand here, and please join us every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. for timely interviews with political leaders and other newsmakers.
