When policy fails the people, we must lead with moral courage
Lee Pelton, president and CEO of the Boston Foundation, for the Boston Business Journal
Like so many across this commonwealth, I've spent the past two weeks since the Fourth of July not in celebration, but in bewilderment and dismay by the shortage of detailed analysis of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, gleefully signed by the president on our nation’s 249th birthday.
As a famous son of Massachusetts, John Adams once wrote, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” And the facts of the misnamed “Big Beautiful Bill” — a title dripping with cruel irony — make clear that, according to every credible economist, it represents the largest, most shameless transfer of wealth from our poor and moderate-income neighbors to the rich and very rich in our nation’s history.
As a famous son of Massachusetts, John Adams once wrote, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” And the facts of the misnamed “Big Beautiful Bill” — a title dripping with cruel irony — make clear that, according to every credible economist, it represents the largest, most shameless transfer of wealth from our poor and moderate-income neighbors to the rich and very rich in our nation’s history.
"This is not partisanship. It is moral clarity. It is calling all of us to defend hard-won values about human self-worth."
At the Boston Foundation, we believe that justice begins with truth. With our research center, the Boston Indicators, we are initiating a real-time analysis to assess precisely how these federal changes will play out across our region. The bill — spanning more than 1,000 pages and including tax cuts, spending cuts, and border security funding — raises urgent and troubling questions: How many families and individuals will be less off than well off? How many citizens will lose access to SNAP? Who among us will go hungry as a result? Which neighborhoods will see the steepest drop in Medicaid coverage? Which health care providers — already stretched thin — will need to make serious staffing and service cuts?
The foundation will begin mapping this data to provide insight and guidance for our philanthropic efforts as well, and publishing relevant data to equip policymakers and advocates with the tools they need to target interventions where they are most needed. We cannot manage what we do not measure.
The foundation will begin mapping this data to provide insight and guidance for our philanthropic efforts as well, and publishing relevant data to equip policymakers and advocates with the tools they need to target interventions where they are most needed. We cannot manage what we do not measure.
As we brace for a powerful ripple effect and greater demand at our already-strained local food systems, the Boston Foundation is stepping forward to lead a coordinated philanthropic response, mobilizing resources to protect the health, dignity, and well-being of our most vulnerable neighbors. As federal supports are stripped away through punitive work requirements and burdensome administrative barriers to SNAP and Medicaid, we are investing in frontline organizations — food pantries, legal-aid groups, community-health centers and immigrant-serving nonprofits — that are already seeing increased demand.
We understand that we must remain in partnership with good policy and good policy-makers. We must insist on justice over red tape, and dignity over delay.
This is not partisanship. It is moral clarity. It is calling all of us to defend hard-won values about human self-worth.
We will continue to do what we do best: galvanize collective action. No single entity or agency, no matter how earnest their intent, can address these issues alone. We understand that our work and the work of our partners are rooted in decades-old moral principles about human dignity and self-worth. We believe that every person, no matter their station in life, should not go to bed hungry, should not be denied health care, should not be denied access to an empowering education. We share Martin Luther King’s conviction that “unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality and what self-centered [people] have torn down, other-centered [people] can build up.”
We understand that we must remain in partnership with good policy and good policy-makers. We must insist on justice over red tape, and dignity over delay.
This is not partisanship. It is moral clarity. It is calling all of us to defend hard-won values about human self-worth.
We will continue to do what we do best: galvanize collective action. No single entity or agency, no matter how earnest their intent, can address these issues alone. We understand that our work and the work of our partners are rooted in decades-old moral principles about human dignity and self-worth. We believe that every person, no matter their station in life, should not go to bed hungry, should not be denied health care, should not be denied access to an empowering education. We share Martin Luther King’s conviction that “unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality and what self-centered [people] have torn down, other-centered [people] can build up.”
This op-ed was shared by the Boston Business Journal on July 24, 2025.