A bill that would make providing shelter to U.S. military veterans a priority over migrants failed in the Massachusetts House of Representatives last week.
The bill "Homeless Veterans Prioritization for Shelter Assistance," failed 129-27, when all but two Democrats voted against it and all 25 House Republicans voted for it.
Gov. Maura Healey had previously said the state lacks the space, services, and funding to provide shelter for more than 7,500 families, according to Newsweek. Massachusetts has spent nearly $1 billion on state-run shelters for families and migrants, the Boston Globe reported.
Rep. Gerard Cassidy, the Democrat co-chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs told the Fall River Reporter the bill was a political ploy and a bill for veterans will be coming out in May.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has moved migrants from his state to the Bay State, called the vote "insanity."
"It must end," Abbott said on X, formerly known as twitter. "Illegal immigrants should not be prioritized over our veterans who served our country."
House Democrats in Massachusetts also voted down a bill that would install a three-month residency requirement for family shelter, prioritizing state residents on a waitlist, the Fall River Reporter said.
Assistant Majority Leader Alice Pesich, a Democrat, told the Fall River Reporter that no families, whether they are new to the state or not, are being put out on the street.
"We do have these overflow shelters," Pesich said. "I don't want anyone to be operating under the assumption that we have Massachusetts residents who are being left out on the street."