The following is a transcript of an interview with Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Sept. 1, 2024.
NANCY CORDES: We’re joined now by Massachusetts Democratic Governor Maura Healey, who is joining us from Boston this morning. Governor Healey, welcome to Face the Nation. So good to have you. You know, there has been an assumption by many progressives when it comes to Israel that Vice President Harris is more sympathetic towards the Palestinian cause than President Biden is. But when she was interviewed this week, she said that actually, she is in lockstep with President Biden. She wouldn’t do anything differently. You are the governor of a state with a lot of colleges and universities. You know how young people in particular feel about this issue. Does she need to say more?
GOV. MAURA HEALEY: I think what she has said is exactly right, her statement last night, this morning, and what she said last week at the convention. I mean, she’s been very clear about the need for America to continue to stand by Israel, for the hostages to come home, for there to be a cease fire and a peaceful resolution here. And I think the way she has articulated this has been both with compassion and also with a very clear understanding about what needs to happen.
NANCY CORDES: You signed a big maternal health bill in your state last week. It would expand insurance coverage for pregnant women, for women who are struggling with postpartum depression. President Trump announced this week that he wants to require insurance companies to cover IVF treatments. Is that something that you and parents in your states would welcome?
GOV. MAURA HEALEY: Well, first of all, don’t believe anything that Donald Trump says. You know, as Attorney General, I had to sue him over 100 times for his lies. And as governor, I’ve seen the very real difference between a Trump administration and an administration that we’ll have with Kamala Harris. When it comes to health, women’s health, reproductive freedom. There can be no clear a difference in this in this election. Kamala Harris stands squarely for reproductive freedom. She supports women’s access to health care. She knows the importance of giving women the freedom and the resources to protect care. Donald Trump, remember, is the architect of the undoing of Roe. He has said just the other day he’s going to support the draconian abortion ban in Florida, the six week abortion ban. So, you know, I don’t think Donald Trump can spell IVF, let alone understand what it means, because his own project 2025, remember, which establishes a fetal personhood, would undermine and take away IVF treatment. In addition, Donald Trump is the person who tried to undo the Affordable Care Act time and time again. So don’t believe Donald Trump when it comes to women’s health, women’s reproductive freedom, and Americans’ access to health care. He doesn’t believe in or support any of it. Kamala Harris does. She’ll fight for it. She’ll protect it.
NANCY CORDES: But were you surprised to hear a Republican embracing what sounds like an insurance coverage mandate? Do you see that as a step in the right direction?
GOV. MAURA HEALEY: You can’t take this seriously. I mean, this isn’t just a Republican. This is and by the way, I work well with Republicans. This is Donald Trump, who will say anything and everything, depending on where the wind is blowing. He caught some heat the other day, you know, and so he comes out with a statement that, all of a sudden, he’s a believer in IVF. It’s just, it’s just patently false. It’s, it’s offensive. And I think, you know, what’s important is that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are out there day after day on offense. I mean, they’re, touching rural areas. They’re in red counties, they’re in red states. They’re all over. And they’re not just talking to Democrats, Nancy. They’re talking to Republicans, to independents, and to so many Americans who are just tuning in this Labor Day and haven’t made up their mind about who they’re going to vote for. And on issue after issue, protecting the middle class, a well functioning economy, standing up for reproductive freedom. These are all things that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in and will fight for, and things that Donald Trump and JD Vance don’t know the first thing about and cannot deliver on.
NANCY CORDES: I want to turn to immigration, because last year, you blamed a, quote, federal crisis of inaction for the large numbers of undocumented migrants who were ending up in your state and other states. You even declared a state of emergency. Border crossings have come down pretty significantly over the past couple of months after the administration’s asylum restrictions went into effect. Is your state still at capacity or over capacity? Or has the situation improved?
GOV. MAURA HEALEY: You know, I’m glad you point that out, Nancy, because border crossings are actually below 2019 levels. Border crossings have come down as a result of President Biden’s executive action. What I have said and experienced as a governor in Massachusetts and I talked to colleagues around the country–This is the problem of Congress. Now, remember, months ago, we actually had a bipartisan deal on the table negotiated by Democrats and Republicans. It would have solved the border crisis. It would have put more agents down there. And as a former attorney general, I know the importance of securing the border, as does Kamala Harris. She’s been very, very clear about that to stop the trafficking of drugs and guns and human beings. Okay? Remember what happened? Donald Trump killed that deal and said he did not want a deal on the border. So the fault is Donald Trump right now when it comes to the border and what has happened. And the one thing that Kamala Harris was clear about last week, among other things, is that she would not only push for bringing back that bipartisan bill, she would fight for it and she would sign it into law as President. That’s what states like Massachusetts need.
NANCY CORDES: But if you think that this policy is working, do you wish that the administration would have put it into effect a lot sooner back when you and other Democratic governors first started sounding the alarm bells?
GOV. MAURA HEALEY: No I think the administration has handled this as best it could. Remember, you know, it’s it’s Congress that needs to act, and has needed to act on this both to give us the resources, the funding, and the reason for for our states who are dealing with this. But also for agents down on the border to stop the flow of fentanyl, to stop unlawful immigration into into America. So really, the fault is with Congress. And you know, unfortunately, Congress didn’t act. And they didn’t act because too many Republicans were kowtowing to Donald Trump. And you know, that’s why President Biden took the action that he did. I’m glad. And you know, I know it’s so important in this election to elect Kamala Harris, so we can deal with the border once and for all.
NANCY CORDES: Governor Healey, one more quick question before I let you go. You’re the former State Attorney General, and your name has been floated as a possible US Attorney General. If Vice President Harris is elected, is that a job that you’d be interested in?
GOV. MAURA HEALEY: I love being governor of this state. I love what we’ve been able to do, free community college, better access to health care, making sure that we do things to move forward economically. I’m a pro-growth Democrat, as is Kamala Harris. We just cut taxes here in the state, which is also something that Kamala Harris wants to do– cut taxes for the middle class. Donald Trump only wants to raise taxes for the ultra wealthy. So I’m focused, Nancy, on doing everything I can to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in November. It will be good not just for Massachusetts, it will be good for America.
NANCY CORDES: Governor Maura Healey of Massachusetts. Thanks so much for joining us this morning. Really appreciate it.