Gov. Maura Healey slammed a memo from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy that directs the federal Division of Transportation to prioritize tasks in communities which have start charges increased than the nationwide common.
The memo may have broad implications for tasks throughout the USA, together with in Massachusetts and New England, the place start charges have been steadily declining over the previous decade and fell beneath the nationwide common in 2023, in line with state and federal information.
Healey mentioned she didn’t perceive how marriage or start charges could possibly be tied to transportation.
“I got to be honest, I’ve really tried here but I do not see a connection,” she instructed reporters on the State Home Monday afternoon. “We’re a state that’s very serious about ensuring that our residents and our business have access to the highest quality public transit in the entire country.”
Within the undated memo, Duffy mentioned any Division of Transportation-supported or assisted program — together with all grants, loans, and contracts — ought to prioritize tasks and objectives that “mitigate the unique impacts of DOT programs, policies, and activities on families and family-specific difficulties.”
That features “accessibility of transportation to families with young children, and (giving) preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average.”
The memo additionally mentioned the Division of Transportation would prioritize tasks and objectives that “require local compliance or cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and with other goals and objectives specified by the president of the United States or the secretary.”
“The department’s grantmaking, lending, policymaking, and rulemaking activities shall be based on sound economic principles and analysis supported by rigorous cost-benefit requirements and data-driven decisions,” the memo mentioned.
Healey mentioned the memo was “concerning.”
“It’s concerning to governors around the country because people rely on transportation just like they rely on child care and infrastructure,” she mentioned. “I’m focused on fixing roads and bridges and building out the kind of transit system that we need, and we need a federal partner who’s rowing in that direction.”
The nationwide start price decreased by 3% from 2022 to 2023, in line with the Nationwide Middle for Health Statistics. It was the second consecutive yr of decline after a short enhance from 2020 to 2021.
The nationwide start price in 2023 was 54.4 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 44, in line with the middle. Massachusetts had 48.7 births per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 44, information confirmed.
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