Issues

An Affordable Massachusetts

Five Things Working Families Should Never Have to Worry About Again

The cost of living shouldn’t force families to choose between paying the rent, putting food on the table, and giving their kids a good start. My plan would take on the biggest costs facing North Shore families, with clear goals to make childcare, housing, energy, health care, and raising a family more affordable.

1. No more than $10 a day for childcare.
   

2. No more than 30% of your income on rent.
   

3. No more than 6% of your income on energy bills.
   

4. No more searching for a primary care doctor.
   

5. No more child poverty.

What This Looks Like For One MA-06 Family Earning $85,000: ~$20,500 More a Year

Take a Salem family of four earning $85,000, with one kid in daycare and one in elementary school, paying $2,400 in monthly rent — 34% of their income, above the 30% threshold, so the Renter’s Tax Credit kicks in:

1. OBBBA tax cut they keep: ~$1,200/year (their middle-class brackets and existing CTC are untouched).

2. Childcare savings under $10/day cap: ~$15,000/year for the daycare-age kid.

3. Renter’s tax credit: ~$3,300/year (30% of their income is $25,500; their $28,800 annual rent puts them $3,300 over, and the credit refunds the difference).

4. Primary care: kept doctor through any job change; new patient appointment available in weeks, not months.

5. Restored Child Tax Credit + Universal School Meals: ~$2,200/year in new CTC money — $6,600 total ($3,600 for the kid under 6 + $3,000 for the school-age kid), now paid monthly, versus the ~$4,400 they already get. And the ~$1,200/year they already save on free school breakfast and lunch stays — federally guaranteed, no longer dependent on the state budget.

6. Net new money in their pocket: ~$20,500 a year — roughly 17x what the OBBBA gave them — on top of the ~$2,400 a year they keep from their existing tax cut and free school meals.

Delivering for Massachusetts's Sixth District

The North Shore is growing, and our infrastructure needs to keep up. From getting to work and finding a place to live to protecting our coastline and supporting our working waterfront, my plan will bring the federal investment our communities have been waiting for.

1. A modern transit network: Fully electrify the Newburyport/Rockport Line, modernize North Station, and deliver key projects like the Draw One bridge replacement. Invest in Lynn as a regional rail hub, a new South Salem station, and better connections to Peabody, including a future Blue Line extension.

2. Federal acceleration of housing: Expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, incentivize communities to build more housing, and invest in local organizations that create and preserve affordable homes.

3. Climate resilience, coastal protection, and conservation: Invest in coastal protection for communities across the North Shore, strengthen federal flood resilience programs, and accelerate projects that protect homes, businesses, and historic neighborhoods from rising seas and stronger storms.

4. Federal investment in North Shore infrastructure: Bring federal funding home to upgrade water and sewer systems, rebuild critical bridges, and finally address the chronic water quality problems at King’s Beach.

5. Gloucester's working waterfront: Stand up for Gloucester’s fishermen, protect the working waterfront, and invest in the fishing industry through stronger federal support, faster disaster relief, and a seat at the table for commercial fishermen.