New York Gov. Kathy Hochul just declared, “I’m not going to leave money on the table,” and will join a Trump-backed education scholarship program.
That’s the same estimated $1.7 billion pool of cash that could come to Massachusetts if Gov. Maura Healey followed her New York neighbor and fellow Democrat, but she is “reviewing” the matter, she told the Herald.
GOP gubernatorial rival Mike Minogue hammered Healey over that stance at last week’s debate, and he’s not easing up.
The program, which takes effect in January, is a provision under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1), providing a dollar-for-dollar tax credit to any single-filing taxpayer who donates up to $1,700 annually, $3,400 for married couples filing jointly, to a scholarship granting organization, according to the IRS.
The receiving organizations will be required to use the contributions toward granting student scholarships. Eligible taxpayers must have a household income that does not exceed 300% of their respective area’s median gross income.
Healey worked to discredit the program, while Minogue’s characterization of it was more accurate, but relates more to his plans in utilizing the program for Massachusetts, and does not represent a guaranteed figure.
Minogue’s figures
Minogue told viewers that the program would deliver $1.7 billion to roughly 85% of parents in Massachusetts who are eligible, which he says would serve as a major financial boost for families and education in the state.
“One point seven billion dollars will go to 85% of the parents, and if your kid is in a great school, congratulations. If your child is in Lawrence or Brockton or some of the other places where the scores are terrible, you don’t care if there’s a rich school up the road that’s good. The federal scholarship-to-tax credit is the great equalizer,” Minogue said during the debate, which aired live on WBZ-TV.
The $1.7 billion figure is not “made up,” as Healey characterized, but it is also not guaranteed.
Minogue told the Herald that he plans to pitch the program to residents, if elected, with a goal of convincing one million taxpayers, or 500,000 married couples filing jointly, to participate. If that number is reached, and if all taxpayers donate the maximum allowed amounts, then the program would generate roughly $1.7 billion for Massachusetts schools.
A solid campaign strategy
The backing of the program by Minogue also serves as a solid campaign strategy, forcing Healey to either endorse a Trump and Republican-backed initiative or face possible scrutiny for refusing to enroll the state in a potentially beneficial program over partisan politics.
“Parents that have kids in public school that are being failed, they can use it for tutoring, books, resources, and for special ed students that need this money. They need it. And if we take this away, it’s $1.7 billion. It could be several thousand dollars to every parent; 85% of them qualified. Why would you not take the free money? Is it because it’s coming from D.C.?” he said.
Healey tried to discredit the program after Minogue brought it up, saying, “A federal tax credit is not an education plan, Mike.”
She added: “Let’s tell the viewers what that plan is. There’s a federal tax credit that came forward as part of One Big Beautiful Bill, the same legislation that Trump signed that cut a trillion dollars from healthcare. Now, in that package, they included these federal tax credits. I heard you claim credit for writing that the other day. By the way, that showed up in the playbook for Project 2025.”
Minogue maintains that he does not know what Project 2025 — a conservative political initiative published by the Heritage Foundation in 2023 — is or what it contains.
“There’s no downside. And if we don’t opt in, the money is going to go right back to D.C.,” Minogue told the Herald in an interview after the debate. “The reason that one might say, ‘well, why won’t they (the state) do it?’ It’s because the big education unions are against it. They want total control. And Maura Healey appears to hate the other party more than she cares about our kids.”
Healey reviewing program
Minogue also slammed Healey for stating that she had not yet reviewed the tax credit program, despite the proposal being out for months and 31 other states, including five with Democratic governors, already opting in.
Healey said that she still “needs to review it” when pressed by Minogue on whether she would enroll Massachusetts in the program. Her office told the Herald it has only just begun reviewing the program due to its regulations being issued just a week ago.
“The Trump Administration only issued and proposed regulations last week. The administration is reviewing those regulations and continues to have outstanding questions about the impact it would have on public schools, how the federal administration will ensure the funding reaches students who need it most, the role of the state in oversight and the cost of implementation,” Healey spokesperson Jacqui Manning said in a written statement.
“The Trump Administration has also said that further guidance on important issues, like what types of educational expenses the scholarships can be used for, is still forthcoming. This is an important decision for the future of our students and public schools, and we are making sure we have all the information we need before the January deadline,” she said.
But this didn’t stop Hochul.
“I’ve been clear from the start that New York would participate in the federal scholarship tax credit program if, and only if, all schools and students, including those in our public schools, could benefit,” Hochul said in a press release. “After a careful review of the federal regulations, we believe this program has the potential to bring millions of additional dollars to New York students and families without taking a single dollar from public schools or our state or local budgets.”
Along with New York, the other Democratic-run states already enrolled in the program include Colorado, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and Kansas. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, also a Democrat, has stated that he is considering whether to enroll his state.
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