Twenty-one elected officials in the Massachusetts legislature have joined four U.S. congressmen in giving their support for a non-binding public policy question that will appear on the ballot in 24 state representative districts and eight state senate districts. These districts encompass 91 cities and towns across the state. 

The “Budget for All” Referendum challenges the program cuts and austerity budgets now being discussed in Washington and the mainstream media. It is based on the view that the huge federal deficits were caused by a combination of unconscionable tax breaks for large corporations and extremely high incomes, a Pentagon budget out of all proportion to what the country can afford, and the financial crisis caused by Wall Street and the spiraling cost of health care. Instead of supporting cuts to programs that did not cause the deficit, the “Budget For All” ballot question seeks to send a different message to Washington: No cuts to Social Security, Medicare and other vital programs; Invest in jobs; End offshore tax havens and tax cuts for the highest incomes; Reduce the military budget and bring all troops home safely from Afghanistan now.

In his letter of support for the referendum, Congressman Frank wrote, “I am pleased to give my support to the proposal to put a question on the state legislative district ballots this November urging a correction of the deeply-flawed spending priorities of the federal government. I have been working as hard as I can in Congress to achieve the goals that this proposal embodies…… Reducing military spending and raising taxes on the wealthiest in this country to a level that will have no negative impact either on them or the economy are essential if we are to be able to reduce our deficit in a socially responsible way.”

Congressmen Frank, Capuano, Markey and McGovern are joined in their support by eight state senators and 13 state representatives including David Linsky of Natick. The full list of Massachusetts elected officials who support the Budget for All ballot question is provided below.

“We are hoping Senators Brown and Kerry will sign on as supporters and will lead the charge in Washington this December and January for a federal budget that supports the well-being of all our families -- and which is not based on military solutions to every foreign policy crisis” adds Rachel Tedesco, who spearheaded the effort to get the referendum on the ballot in Bridgewater and Raynham.  Rev. Tedesco is a minister in Bridgewater and was a planner at SRPEDD, the regional planning agency based in Taunton.  

The following elected officials have expressed support for the Budget for All Referendum. We thank them for their support!

Members of Congress

Michael Capuano.

Barney Frank

Ed Markey

Jim McGovern

State Senators

Will Brownsberger, Belmont

Sonia Chang-Diaz, Boston

Sal DiDomenico, Everett

Ken Donnelly, Arlington

Pat Jehlen, Somerville

Thomas McGee, Lynn

Stan Rosenberg, Amherst

Dan Wolf, Harwich

State Representatives

Cory Atkins, Concord

Linda Dorcena Forry, Dorchester

Sean Garballey, Arlington

Lou Kafka, Stoughton

Jay Kaufman, Lexington

Jason Lewis, Winchester

David Linsky, Natick

Denise Provost, Somerville

Frank Smizik, Brookline

Ellen Story, Amherst

Timothy Toomey, Cambridge

Martha Walz, Back Bay

Alice Wolf, Cambridge