Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Trahan makes a play for more migrant aid

Monday, March 11, 2024

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Trahan makes a play for more migrant aid

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: TRAHAN'S ASK — House Republicans won’t pass the bipartisan border deal that would send more money to states and cities sheltering migrants, so Rep. Lori Trahan is trying a different tactic to secure the funding.

Trahan and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) are urging lawmakers negotiating the federal Homeland Security budget to include $3 billion for the FEMA-run Shelter and Services Program in their appropriations bill, one of six fiscal year 2024 spending plans that need to be approved by March 22 to avert a partial government shutdown.

“Congressional gridlock on immigration reform has exacerbated the need for SSP dollars to support affected cities and towns,” Trahan and DeGette wrote in the letter they're sending this morning that was shared first with Playbook. “There is a resounding need from cities and towns across the country for increased federal support to provide migrants with short term humanitarian services.”

Rep. Lori Trahan is pushing for more money for states and cities sheltering migrants. | House Television via AP

The failed border deal included $1.4 billion for the SSP program, mirroring an earlier funding request from President Joe Biden. Trahan and DeGette doubled the dollar amount because they said the “actual financial need far surpasses” what was on the table.

Eighteen other Democrats signed onto the letter, including Reps. Jim McGovern, Bill Keating, Ayanna Pressley and Seth Moulton. But no Republicans joined in.

That will make Trahan’s request an even tougher sell in the Republican-controlled House where GOP leaders rejected the bipartisan border bill before it even hit their chamber. Trahan herself told Playbook last week that she believes Republicans would rather campaign on immigration issues than fix them. And appropriators tasked with negotiating the remaining budget bills have said the Homeland Security measure is proving to be the toughest to hash out . Trahan is already planning to request more money for the program in the fiscal year 2025 budget as a backup.

Either way, she'll win points back home for trying , as state House Democratic leaders continue to swipe at Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey for casting a procedural vote against the border bill that was doomed no matter what they did. The state’s pleas for federal aid have “fallen on deaf ears,” House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz lamented to reporters last week. “Our own delegation has not necessarily been particularly helpful on this conversation.”

While state House leaders have given up on their congressional counterparts , Gov. Maura Healey seemingly hasn’t. She continues to call on Congress “to get us the funding that we need” for the state’s overburdened emergency assistance program. State lawmakers, meanwhile, are debating cost-control measures like capping how long people can stay in the shelter system.

Healey is “open” to limiting shelter stays — and has already given her administration authority to cap families’ time in the system. But she told GBH News that she’s less inclined to back residency rules like the six-month requirement Beacon Hill Republicans keep unsuccessfully pushing. “It’s more important to think about who we’re letting in, time limits, that sort of thing,” Healey said. “We’ve got to be careful when we’re talking about something like residency.”

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Biden is returning to New Hampshire today for the first time in nearly two years as he looks to lock up general-election support in the state he shunned during the primary process.

TODAY — Healey welcomes Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of Ireland to the State House and attends Senate President Karen Spilka ’s rescheduled Galentine’s Day bash at 5:30 p.m. Auditor Diana DiZoglio speaks at the Massachusetts Building Trades Unions Conference at 1 p.m. in Springfield and at PFFM’s annual legislators night at 7 p.m. at Florian Hall.

Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com .

DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT: The stakes are high as America's health care community strives to meet the evolving needs of patients and practitioners, adopt new technologies and navigate skeptical public attitudes toward science. Join POLITICO’s annual Health Care Summit on March 13 where we will discuss the future of medicine, including the latest in health tech, new drugs and brain treatments, diagnostics, health equity, workforce strains and more. REGISTER HERE .

DATELINE BEACON HILL

NEW TO THE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Milton state Sen. Walter Timilty III is running for Norfolk Superior Court clerk, a person familiar with his plans confirmed to Playbook. Timilty’s father, Walter Timilty Jr. , has reversed course on running for reelection for the post he’s held for more than two decades.

The younger Timilty was first elected to the House in 1998 and to the Senate in 2016. He'll face attorney and former Governor’s Councilor Robert Jubinville , who then-Gov. Charlie Baker nominated to be clerk magistrate of Framingham District Court shortly before leaving office.

Meanwhile, Rob McLaughlin, the senior director of government affairs for the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, is considering running for the Senate seat that’s opening up, according to a person familiar with his thinking. McLaughlin lives in Braintree, previously worked for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and spent more than a decade as a Senate staffer.

HEATING UP — Newton City Councilor Rick Lipof is running for the 12th Middlesex seat state Rep. Ruth Balser is vacating, joining fellow Newton City Councilor Bill Humphrey and former Newton City Councilor Greg Schwartz in the hunt.

PARTY POLITICS

LYONS IN WAIT — Former MassGOP Chair Jim Lyons has made his next move. Lyons and his wife, Bernadette , have launched a 501(c)(4) called the “Massachusetts Freedom Fighters” to “create a dialogue” among conservative groups in the state and to “encourage people to get involved in the political process," he told Playbook. That including running for local school boards, city councils and the Legislature.

Lyons cast his new venture as “one of education and organization” and a vehicle through which to tap into grassroots support for former President Donald Trump . While Trump is deeply unpopular with the broader electorate in Massachusetts, last week’s GOP primary results prove he remains a motivator for the Republican base.

Well, for some of it. Also on the ballot last week were the Republican State Committee elections in which candidates backed by Lyons saw mixed success. And while the conservative “Massachusetts Freedom Slate” also backed by Geoff Diehl won some key races, it appears to have fallen short of winning enough seats to knock out Chair Amy Carnevale before her term is up.

Lyons’ take on that: “There were people elected on both sides of the spectrum, so I think the party was split before the election and it is split after the election.”

Lyons says he’s “absolutely not” interested in chairing the state GOP again. He is, however, still suing the party now run by people who openly blame him for its debt and myriad other issues. To that, Lyons said: “There’s ongoing litigation on a number of fronts, and so people can say what they want and we’ll see the facts come out.”

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW — Trump’s takeover of the Republican National Committee is complete, our colleague Natalie Allison reports . No Labels has voted to move forward with a third-party presidential ticket — but the group doesn’t have a candidate and may not find one, our Shia Kapos and Daniel Lippman report .

MEANWHILE, IN NEW HAMPSHIRE — Gov. Chris Sununu said he will support Trump in November — building on past comments that he would back the party’s nominee this fall.

FROM THE HUB

— “Boston City Council abruptly cancels hearing on expanding free museum program,” by Sean Cotter, The Boston Globe: “The Boston City Council abruptly canceled a committee hearing to expand Mayor Michelle Wu’s pilot program offering Boston Public Schools students free admission to city cultural institutions to include students not enrolled in the city’s schools. … Councilors behind the effort to expand the program, which is partially funded with federal pandemic relief funds, are demanding answers.”

During a visit to the Boston Children’s Museum on Sunday, Wu told reporters she is “not going to reopen those negotiations just in the middle of the agreed-upon pilot.” More from the Boston Herald .

FOOD FIGHT CONTINUES — North End restaurateurs suing Boston over Wu’s outdoor dining restrictions in their neighborhood are now accusing her of using permitting fees the city collected from restaurants two years ago to pay for an electric street sweeper. Their complaint, per the Boston Herald’s Lance Reynolds : the street sweeper doesn’t solely serve the North End.

JOIN US ON 3/21 FOR A TALK ON FINANCIAL LITERACY: Americans from all communities should be able to save, build wealth, and escape generational poverty, but doing so requires financial literacy. How can government and industry ensure access to digital financial tools to help all Americans achieve this? Join POLITICO on March 21 as we explore how Congress, regulators, financial institutions and nonprofits are working to improve financial literacy education for all. REGISTER HERE .

WHAT'S ON CAMPBELL'S DOCKET

CONFLICT ZONE — Milton officials are eyeing two different zoning plans after a referendum last month put the town out of compliance with the MBTA Communities Act and led to a lawsuit from Attorney General Andrea Campbell . Some in Milton are pushing to reclassify the town as an “adjacent community” instead of a “rapid transit community” — but Campbell is pushing back.

“We've made it crystal clear, along with Secretary [Ed] Augustus and his team, that [Milton] is indeed a rapid transit community,” Campbell said during an interview on NBC10’s “At Issue.”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “MBTA Silver Line extension through Everett to Sullivan Square moves closer to reality,” by Taylor Dolven, The Boston Globe: “The agency and the state’s department of transportation announced Friday that they are recommending a six-mile extension of Silver Line 3 bus service, including the addition of bus-only lanes, from its current terminus in Chelsea."

BALLOT BATTLES

— “California-based nonprofit behind tipped wage ballot question,” by Gintautas Dumcius, CommonWealth Beacon: “Six of the 10 questions vying to be on the ballot this year in Massachusetts have California roots.”

DAY IN COURT

— “SJC upholds Brookline’s phased tobacco ban,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon: “The Supreme Judicial Court brushed aside objections from tobacco retailers and upheld the legality of a novel Brookline bylaw that bars cigarette sales to anyone born after January 1, 2000.”

— “Chief of staff to former state Sen. Dean Tran sentenced for tax fraud,” by Aaron Curtis, The Lowell Sun.

FROM THE DELEGATION

— “Senators demand answers from Steward Health Care and its CEO,” by Aaron Pressman, The Boston Globe: “The letter [from Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren] requested everything from the total compensation of chief executive Ralph de la Torre and other top executives to notes from meetings approving the 2016 transaction to sell the company’s Massachusetts real estate to an Alabama trust.”

RELATED — “Distressed Steward Health may have a buyer for St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River,” by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, WBUR.

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Mayor: 'We cannot let the city of Brockton go bankrupt',” by Chris Helms, The Brockton Enterprise: “It's worth noting that it's against state law for Massachusetts cities to declare bankruptcy. Even if the state were to intervene with oversight or a loan, the City of Champions is not likely literally to file for bankruptcy. So the word ‘bankrupt’ shows how serious Brockton's money troubles have become.”

— “In deeds, people of color were barred from buying homes. Now, they could validate reparations programs,” by Milton J. Valencia, The Boston Globe.

— “Citing cybersecurity fears, Worcester will no longer post spending online for public view,” by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette.

— “Attleboro synagogue bomb threat featured in Oscars ad by Patriots owner Bob Kraft's foundation against antisemitism,” by Stephen Peterson, The Sun Chronicle.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

THERE’S ALWAYS A MASSACHUSETTS CONNECTION: OSCARS EDITION — Da'Vine Joy Randolph won best supporting actress for her work in “The Holdovers,” which was filmed in New Bedford and Fairhaven . GBH scored a win with “20 Days in Mariupol" — a production of The Associated Press and the GBH-produced “Frontline.” Boston-set "American Fiction," won best adapted screenplay. And the cast of the multi-award-winning "Oppenheimer" has several ties to Massachusetts.

EX-PATS — Say goodbye to Mac Jones , probably .

SPOTTED — Sen. Elizabeth Warren dropping the ceremonial first puck at PWHL Boston’s “women trailblazers night.”

TRANSITIONS — Will Rasky has started Mass Ave Strategies and is now senior adviser to Accelerator For America. Rasky previously was federal affairs director for the Healey administration and is a Biden administration alum. He will remain an outside adviser to Gov. Maura Healey and will also focus on federal infrastructure policy and campaign consulting.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Anthony Amore and Daniel Kochavi . Happy belated to Tony Cignoli , who celebrated on Saturday.

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 .

Follow us on Twitter