“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation President Doug Howgate said at the hearing.

“There’s no need to kind of panic or take action for things that are unknown,” Howagate added. But he cautioned budget writers against planning for big spending growth next budget cycle, suggesting the state officials only increase spending by around 3 percent, as they did for FY25 after facing mid-year budget cuts in FY24.