Senator Ed Markey repeats stance to abolish ICE, have Medicare for all, tax the rich, and the need for a progressive majority

BOSTON – Senator Ed Markey took to social media Friday to renew his call that he has repeated throughout his 2026 Senate primary campaign, Medicare for all, abolish ICE, tax the rich, and the need for a progressive majority.

Medicare for all
Markey supports a national single-payer system that would replace most private insurance with a government-run plan covering everyone. He is an original co-sponsor of the Senate Medicare for All Act and says the current system is “sick care,” not health care. He has used this as a contrast with Rep. Seth Moulton, who supports expanding coverage but not eliminating private insurance.

His campaign site lists advancing a national Medicare for All program, expanding Medicare to include dental, vision, and hearing, and allowing states to build universal systems with federal support.

Abolish ICE
Markey was the first U.S. senator to call for abolishing ICE and says he voted against creating the agency in 2002 because he “could see the seeds of authoritarianism.” He has said Democrats should defund and abolish ICE, argued that ICE is being used to “terrorize communities,” and called for a pathway to citizenship instead. He has also sponsored bills to limit ICE surveillance, end qualified immunity for federal agents, and improve detention conditions.

In a debate this month, both Markey and Moulton said they support abolishing ICE; they differed on what should replace it. Markey emphasized an “orderly immigration system” with a path to citizenship.

Tax the Rich
Markey argues that millionaires and billionaires pay a lower effective rate on wealth and stock trades than workers pay on wages. He has backed measures such as the Equal Tax Act (which his office said would raise hundreds of billions over 10 years) and Massachusetts’ millionaires tax, and he says the revenue should go to health care, education, and working families. He often frames this as “workers over billionaires.”

“We don’t just need a Democratic majority… we need a progressive majority”
This is a core campaign line that he repeated on Friday. Markey has posted versions of it repeatedly, including: “We don’t just need a democratic majority in Congress. We need a PROGRESSIVE majority.” and “We don’t just need a democratic majority in the Senate. We need a PROGRESSIVE majority.”

He uses it to argue that a generic Democratic majority is not enough to pass Medicare for All, abolish ICE, or raise taxes on the wealthy, and that more left-wing senators are required. He made a similar argument in his Worcester convention speech: a simple Democratic majority is not enough; a progressive Democratic majority is needed.