New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
All five New Bedford State Reps, Tony Cabral, Christopher Hendricks, Christopher Markey, Paul Schmid, and William Straus voted against an amendment that would give homeless veterans preference for housing over others to include non-US citizen migrants. Served your country and paid taxes? You don’t get any benefit over someone who paid no taxes and traveled through 5 countries and dozens of states breaking immigration laws to get to Massachusetts.
On Friday, Massachusetts Democrats shut down several Republican amendments that would have prioritized Massachusetts residents over newly arrived migrants. The vote was on party lines with the vast majority of Democrats voting against it and all Republicans voting for it.
For 10+ years four of the New Bedford area State Reps have blocked bills giving veterans preference in housing. In 2013, Rep. Diehl offered an amendment “requiring veterans be given priority over illegal immigrants for public housing.” Tony Cabral, Christopher Hendricks, Christopher Markey, Paul Schmid, and William Straus all voted against the amendment even getting a vote on the floor. Chris Hendricks wasn’t in office in 2013. I haven’t had a chance to review all their votes between 2013 and 2024, but we have at least two examples of them voting against amendments like this.
We asked our 52,000 members in our Fall River group if veterans should have priority in housing, and 99% of them stated yes. 1,205 people voted, 1,185 answered yes, 20 voted no. All four Somerset and Fall River State Reps, Alan Silvia, Carole Fiala, Patricia Haddad, and Paul Schmid, voted against an amendment that would give homeless veterans preference for housing.
Not everybody’s a racisr.
This makes me sick. Bob C. This has nothing to do with you with not everybody’s a racist as you spelt it. You and I are here free because of our Veteran’s. Are you an illegal? Veterans and Massachusett residence should get first priority and be treated better. I can’t believe I’m siding with the republicans. But, like Cheney, there are good ones out there
Veterans are easy victims because we never use our right to fiery but mostly peaceful protests. They will all get reelected because most Americans despise America, especially Veterans. The schools are producing America Hating Communists so nobody will protest this.
Shame on all of the 5, SHAME!