Mayor Michelle Wu says Boston is 'not doing a hiring freeze' or 'mass layoffs' in response to federal funding threats

Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald on Apr 7, 2025

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BOSTON — Boston is not considering a hiring freeze or mass layoffs as the city leans down its budget in response to uncertainty about federal funding, Mayor Michelle Wu said in a WCVB segment Sunday.

“Because of all the federal uncertainty, we have to both maintain and cut back,” Wu said on the On the Record segment aired Sunday. “Cut vacancies, jobs that haven’t been filled in a long time, but also don’t jump ahead to say we’re assuming that the worst for sure will happen, because that will lead to cutting city services that are needed now more ever.”

Wu, who announced her reelection campaign on Saturday, was asked about reports the city may cut 2,000 as uncertainty grows about Boston’s federal funding streams under the Trump administration. The mayor responded Boston is “not doing a hiring freeze, and we are not doing mass layoffs.”

Boston reportedly receives about $300 million in federal funding. The city’s fiscal year 2025 budget is $4.64 billion.

Boston Public Schools lost about $3.5 million of leftover COVID-era federal funding in a Department of Education decision last week.

Wu said the city budget is “preparing for the worst.” Along with cutting vacancies, the mayor said there will be no new head count, no new positions created, and cuts to non-personnel cost like supplies and equipment.

“Protecting the city workforce is really important to deliver the services that people need,” said Wu. “And so we are maintaining what we have, really fighting to prioritize the jobs that are critical to making sure streets are clean, people are safe, schools are well-funded and can deliver for our young people, while not jumping ahead.”

Asked if “staying in the cross hairs of the Trump administration hurts the city of Boston,” Wu said she “can’t stay silent when it comes to what our residents need here.”

The Boston mayor also spoke on new tactics reportedly being used by immigration officials in the city.

“What is different is we are hearing reports of federal agents coming in, committing property damage, smashing windshields, snatching people off the street who have no criminal record whatsoever, threatening,” said Wu. “We have heard some anecdotal reports of people being stopped in the street and just asked for papers based on how they look. And the worst part of all is that we can’t verify this.”

Wu noted federal officials have not given “any information on who was arrested, why they were arrested, and what the tactics were.”

“This is a whole different approach,” Wu said. “And it is one that is causing tremendous fear, rightly so, in our communities, and that we are not sure if it’s even following the Constitution and the laws of this country.”

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