Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Jim McGovern roasts Republican rule

Thursday, January 12, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Jim McGovern roasts Republican rule

BY LISA KASHINSKY AND SOPHIE GARDNER

Presented by

THE MCGOVERN INTERVIEW — Two years to the day after Rep. Jim McGovern presided over the House as rioters banged on the windows, the Worcester Democrat was back in the chamber watching another extraordinary event unfold: Republican Kevin McCarthy winning the speaker’s gavel after 15 ballots.

“It was one of the strangest experiences I’ve ever had,” McGovern recounted to Playbook on Wednesday. “Watching George Santos, if that indeed is his real name, trying to make friends with Republicans who are trying to run away from him for fear they’d be caught on camera. You're watching Marjorie Taylor Greene trying to pass the phone to wobbly Republicans who are unsure how to vote for speaker and having Donald Trump on the line. And Republican members physically withholding other Republican members from lunging at and attacking each other. It was just surreal.”

McGovern lost a powerful gavel when Republicans took control of the House, but remains the ranking member on the Rules Committee, which decides what legislation and amendments get a vote on the floor. Playbook chatted with the congressman about the opening-week chaos and what to expect under Republican House rule. This interview has been edited for length and clarity:

J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo

How concerned are you about having more members of the Freedom Caucus on the Rules Committee, one of the concessions McCarthy made to Republican holdouts?

The Rules Committee, for as long as I've been on it … has been a committee where there's collegiality and respect for each other's opinions. … My worry is that the Rules Committee is going to turn into the chaos that we saw on the House floor. There's a reason why the Freedom Caucus wants to pack the Rules Committee with their membership, because they want to be able to control the bills that come to the floor. They want to control the content of the bills that come to the floor.

McCarthy is moving to block three Democrats, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, from committees. Do you expect to see more of these efforts?

Republicans are pointing to the fact that we threw [Rep.] Marjorie Taylor Greene off her committee. I did that. That was my committee. … And we had a pretty low bar. What we said is ‘if you threaten to kill another member of Congress, you should not have the privilege of serving on a committee.’ … What they’re doing is simply revenge, and that’s not a way to govern.

What’s your reaction to the Judiciary subcommittee to probe the “weaponization of the federal government?”

I call it the “McCarthy committee” and I’m not talking about Kevin — I’m talking about Joe [McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee]. This is an attempt to try to smear people and agencies that they don't agree with. … These guys are not interested in governing, they’re interested in protecting their ass.

Are there things you think Republicans and Democrats will be able to work together on, like the select committee on China?

I voted for it. But … I worry that it becomes a committee that promotes conspiracy theories and xenophobia rather than a serious committee that is designed to hold China to account.

Should C-SPAN get greater access to the House chamber?

I think why not? Yes. Actually, when I wasn’t on the floor I enjoyed the C-SPAN coverage because I got to see all that was going on, not just the person who was speaking.

Should Massachusetts lawmakers make free school meals permanent after this school year?

Absolutely. I've already talked to Gov. [Maura] Healey, I’ve talked to a number of state legislators about my intention to do everything I can to make sure that Massachusetts follows other states that have made the free school lunch permanent.

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Playbook sometimes takes a village. A huge thank you to Sophie Gardner and editors Darius Dixon and Bob McGovern for their help while I’m under the weather.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook will not publish on Monday, Jan. 16 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, Jan. 17. In the meantime, keep emailing me at lkashinsky@politico.com .

TODAY — Healey joins Java with Jimmy for a live interview at 9 a.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at the 15th annual Martin Luther King Community Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at the Roxbury YMCA, announces a new office of youth engagement and advancement at 10:30 a.m. at BCYF Blackstone and joins the Bruins for a mystery announcement at 3 p.m. at TD Garden.

PROPAGANDA: A message from NextEra Energy:

Seabrook Station has provided Massachusetts with low-cost, clean, reliable energy for over 30 years, reducing carbon emissions regionally by approximately 4 million tons per year. Nuclear energy is Massachusetts’ most cost-effective and essential tool to combat climate change.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “‘No election is safe’: Amid rise of election deniers, Mass. House speaker’s decision to delay 2 Democrats’ swearing-in touches nerve in party,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “At issue is the decision by House Speaker Ronald Mariano to delay the swearing-in of two Democratic representatives-elect last week. Instead, he took the rare step of charging a special committee with reviewing the ‘legal issues’ raised by their Republican opponents and to ‘affirm the results of each election.’”

— “Climate chief Melissa Hoffer pitches policy, urgency with Mass. activists,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “Melissa Hoffer, new Gov. Maura Healey’s Cabinet-level climate chief, praised environmental and sustainability activists during a virtual rally Wednesday in the middle of her fourth day on the job.”

— “Maura Healey taps Massachusetts Business Roundtable leader, Walsh alum, as labor secretary,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “Governor Maura Healey on Wednesday announced she is appointing Lauren Jones, executive vice president of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, to serve as the next secretary of labor and workforce development. The appointment, the first since Healey was sworn in last week, is her eighth Cabinet pick as she works to fill senior executive branch positions in the new administration.”

— “Massachusetts' childcare subsidy system is leaving kids behind, study says,” by Craig LeMoult, GBH News: “The new study highlights problems it says are leading to that decreased access to childcare. Those include inequities in how the state calculates reimbursement rates for childcare providers, as well as administrative problems that prevent families from benefiting from the state's help.”

— "Police reform two years later: Legislators and officials reflect on landmark law in Mass.," by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: "Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, who helped negotiate the final version of the law, said the POST Commission ran into a handful of challenges as it began to set itself up and take on the task of building out a certification process for thousands of police officers in Massachusetts. But as he looks at it now, Gonzalez said the fear some law enforcement-aligned organizations expressed that the agency would be 'anti-police' never came to pass."

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today .

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Boston second-most congested city in U.S., fourth in the world, traffic report says,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Time lost to traffic congestion in Boston increased by a whopping 72% last year, placing it second for worst gridlock in the country, and fourth worldwide, a new report found. Boston is ranked behind London, Chicago and Paris, but ahead of New York City for cities with the ‘highest traffic delay times,’ according to a report released Tuesday by INRIX, a global transportation data and analytics company.”

— "Wanted: Experienced MBTA GM with ‘strong commitment to safety’," by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: "The executive search firm hired by Gov. Maura Healey to find the next MBTA general manager distributed a listing for the position, which was posted on several national job boards aimed at the transit industry. A job description posted Wednesday states Krauthamer & Associates is seeking candidates with at least 10 years of 'executive management experience with a transit agency or another public or private entity of significant complexity or size.'”

— “FAA system issue affects more than 320 flights at Boston Logan airport,” by WBUR Newsroom.

DAY IN COURT

— “MBTA operator acquitted in Green Line crash that injured dozens of passengers,” by Tonya Alanez and Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “A Brighton Municipal Court jury on Wednesday acquitted a Green Line driver of negligence during a rush-hour trolley crash in July 2021 that injured dozens of passengers. Jurors found Owen Turner, 51, not guilty of a misdemeanor count of negligence for rear-ending another trolley on Commonwealth Avenue in front of Boston University.”

— “Court weighs tossing Boston marathon bomber’s death sentence,” by Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press: “Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s attorney urged a federal appeals court Tuesday to throw out the 29-year-old’s death sentence because of juror misconduct claims just months after it was revived by the nation’s highest court.”

— "Federal lawsuit challenges tax foreclosure law," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "A federal lawsuit is challenging a Massachusetts tax law that allows local governments and private investors to make a profit on equity from property owners facing foreclosure. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District in Boston by a Bolton alpaca farmer, argues that the central Massachusetts town violated his constitutional rights by making a $310,000 profit from the sale of his property to pay a $60,000 delinquent tax bill."

PROPAGANDA: A message from NextEra Energy:

MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “Plummeting prices destabilize Mass. marijuana market,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “When legal recreational marijuana sales started in 2018, the average retail price of an ounce of marijuana was around $400, or $50 for an eighth of an ounce, according to data compiled by the Cannabis Control Commission. … By late 2022, there were a few times when the average monthly price dipped below $200 an ounce, or $25 for one-eighth of an ounce – less than half of what prices were when the first stores opened.”

— "Investigation clears cannabis chair Shannon O'Brien in rules violation probe," by Cassie McGrath, Boston Business Journal: "Cannabis Control Commission Chair Shannon O'Brien did not violate any rules in her departure from Greenfield Greenery, according to the results of an investigative report posted to the agency’s website. The report was authored by Katherine Binkoski, investigations manager at the CCC, and posted less than a day before the CCC's Jan. 12 public meeting, where commissioners are expected to take up the matter. Based on the report, CCC staff is recommending that Greenfield Greenery be granted final licensure."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “In Revere, plan to host warming station at senior center ignites heated debate,” by Abby Patkin, Boston.com: “As Revere made plans to bring vulnerable populations in from the cold and open the city’s senior center as an overnight warming station, City Councillor At Large Marc Silvestri offered his full-throated support.”

— “A top executive at Chelsea Soldiers’ Home made $217,000 last year, collecting significant overtime,” by Mike Damiano, Boston Globe: “Last year, the director of nursing at the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home earned more than $87,000 in overtime and ‘other pay,’ bringing her total compensation for the year to more than $217,000 and making her one of the most highly compensated managers on the state payroll, according to payment records.”

JOIN NEXT TUESDAY TO HEAR FROM MAYORS AROUND AMERICA: 2022 brought in a new class of mayors leading “majority minority” cities, reshaping who is at the nation’s power tables and what their priorities are. Join POLITICO to hear from local leaders on how they’re responding to being tested by unequal Covid-19 outcomes, upticks in hate crimes, homelessness, lack of affordable housing, inflation and a potential recession. REGISTER HERE.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Civitas Public Affairs Group has added Will Devine to its Boston office.

— Amanda Gokee will join the Boston Globe from the New Hampshire Bulletin to cover the Granite State.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Zelda MacGregor. Happy belated to Jerome E. Groopman and Senate President Karen Spilka, who celebrated Wednesday.

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: TEA LEAVES AND OATMEAL COOKIES — GBH’s Katie Lannan and Axios Boston’s Mike Deehan join hosts Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith to review the first week of Maura Healey’s gubernatorial term. Oatmeal cookies and Cabinet appointment tea leaves are on the menu. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud .

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .

PROPAGANDA: A message from NextEra Energy:

A Beacon Research poll of Massachusetts’ voters conducted in July 2022 showed that a majority support the use of clean, low-cost, carbon-emissions free nuclear energy to fight climate change. Over 70% of informed voters support including nuclear energy to fight rising energy costs and climate change.

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