POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: The 'big beautiful bill' comes to a Massachusetts court

 

BY KELLY GARRITY

The 'big beautiful bill' comes to a Massachusetts court

By KELLY GARRITY 

 

07/08/2025 07:31 AM EDT

ON THE DOCKET — One piece of President Trump’s “big beautiful bill” is already tied up in a Massachusetts court.

Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts joined Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Association of Utah in filing a lawsuit Monday over a policy tucked into the massive congressional reconciliation package that would block organizations that offer abortions from being able to accept Medicaid funding for other reproductive health care services.

In Massachusetts, that could leave the thousands of patients on MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid plan, who use Planned Parenthood’s health centers with a gap in their care, according to Dr. Luu Ireland, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.

The policy “is a naked attempt by Congress and the Trump administration to punch Planned Parenthood for our role in the reproductive rights movement,” Ireland told Playbook. “Our health centers in the state of Massachusetts provide care to over 30,000 patients. About half of these rely on MassHealth for healthcare coverage.” Across the country, up to 200 affiliated facilities could close if it remains in place, according to the organization.

The Planned Parenthood chapters named Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz and both of their departments in the lawsuit. They argue the provision that would “defund” Planned Parenthood for up to a year violates the group’s constitutional rights and was included to “express disapproval of, attack and punish” the organization, given its role in providing abortions. Under federal law, abortions aren’t paid for using federal funds. But some states like Massachusetts do use state Medicaid funds to cover the costs for abortion procedures.

For now, the provision is on pause. Massachusetts District Court Judge Indira Talwani, a former President Barack Obama appointee, issued a temporary restraining order Monday night, ordering federal officials to “take all steps necessary to ensure that Medicaid funding continues to be disbursed in the customary manner and timeframes to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its members.”

The TRO is in place for 14 days. Even before Talwani’s decision, Ireland said, PPLM planned to honor all existing appointments at facilities in the state.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com. 

TODAY — Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at Vinfen’s Gateway Arts’ ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. in Brookline. Attorney General Andrea Campbell attends the Brian Donaghue Simpson naloxone training session at 11:15 a.m. at the State House. Rep. Seth Moulton visits the picket line to support the striking Republic Teamsters this morning in Peabody. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at a reopening celebration for the BCYF Condon pool at 10 a.m. in South Boston and is on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” at 1 p.m.

Playbook, the unofficial guide to official Washington, isn’t just a newsletter — it’s a podcast, too. With new co-hosts who bring unmatched Trump world reporting and analysis, The Playbook Podcast dives deeper into the power plays shaping Washington. Get the insider edge—start listening now.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

DEAD TO ME — When Michael Lachenmeyer, a candidate for the state representative in the 12th Hampden District, first got access to his party’s voter database, he was surprised to see he and some of his family members had been declared dead — seemingly by the incumbent he’s seeking to challenge, according to screenshots she shared in a press release.

“It's kind of like a proverbial ex-communication,” said Lachenmeyer, who is challenging state Rep. Angelo Puppolo for his state House seat that covers Wilbraham and some of Springfield, Monson and East Longmeadow.

In an email last week, Puppolo said he was “shocked” to hear about Lachenmeyer’s accusations and noted that there are many people who could’ve accessed his account.

A previous Puppolo challenger, Donald Flannery, who ran as an independent in 2018, was also marked as ”deceased” on the platform, according to screenshots Lachenmeyer shared.

There are other options for candidates who want to avoid wasting their time and money knocking doors and sending mailers to voters they know aren’t interested. The voter contact database has options like “do not call” and “do not mail” that campaigns can check off instead of “deceased.” But it’s not unheard of to use the latter option to make sure someone won’t end up on a list accidentally.

Still, Lachenmeyer said, “It’s not just his campaign that we're being blocked off from — it's every single Democrat who uses Vote Builder isn't going to see us come up if they're trying to do canvassing in Wilbraham.”

Lachenmeyer, his family and Flannery have all since been resurrected on the platform. 

TRIVIA: 

House Members - Massachusetts Legislature

4 days agoDemocrats: 133 Republicans: 25 Independent: 0 Unenrolled: 1 Vacant: 1

OUT OF OFFICE — It’s (acting) Gov. Kim Driscoll this week, Gov. Maura Healey’s office confirmed. A Healey spokesperson wouldn’t share details about when the governor left the state or when specifically she’ll be back — that info will be available in her calendar, which her office releases sometime after the end of the month.

— On Beacon Hill, health care reigns among top issues. So do the industry’s leaders in political donations. by Matt Stout, Samantha J. Gross and Neena Hagen, The Boston Globe: “Health care can dominate debate on Beacon Hill, perhaps most notably in how taxpayer money gets spent. A volatile medical market also prompts constant, and complicated, legislation. No one lobbies policymakers more than the industry’s leaders. And, the Globe found, few, if any, cut more campaign checks. Employees of powerhouse insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts donated more to Massachusetts’ most powerful elected officials last year than any other company, according to a Globe analysis of campaign finance data. The top individual donor to Governor Maura Healey and five of the Legislature’s top Democrats in 2024 was the head of Tufts Medicine.”

— Review suddenly holds up $108M in education grants by Michael P. Norton, State House News Service: “State officials said Monday that $108 million in federal education grants that were expected to arrive July 1 are now instead under review ‘to make sure they align with President Trump's priorities.’ Gov. Maura Healey's administration said local school districts were counting on the funding for summer and after-school programs, behavioral and mental health supports, bullying prevention and intervention, reducing chronic absenteeism, and buying materials and supplies for classrooms.”

— State Sen. Julian Cyr takes another shot at bringing back ‘Happy Hour’ by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald: “A ‘boring’ city of Boston may not be the biggest crisis facing the state, but the topic got some discussion Monday at the State House. The city has a ‘fun crisis’ said Cape Cod’s state Sen. Julian Cyr, who is asking his colleagues to again advance a bill aimed at returning ‘happy hour’ to Bay State cities and towns which want it. Speaking from inside the Provincetown Brewing Company on Monday, Cyr testified before Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure on behalf of his An Act relative to conviviality and downtown revitalization, which would allow municipalities to opt into permitting happy hours at bars and restaurants in their jurisdiction.”

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Attorney General Andrea Campbell is endorsing Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne for re-election.

“Now more than ever, I need strong, steady leaders like Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, as partners to advance our shared values at every level, and to defend against threats from Washington,” Campbell said in a statement shared by Ballantyne’s campaign.

Ballantyne, who is facing challenges from City Councilors Jake Wilson and Willie Burnley Jr., also recently notched an endorsement from state Sen. Lydia Edwards.

— Toner says he has decided not to run for reelection by Marc Levy, Cambridge Day: “Cambridge city councilor Paul Toner said Monday that he will not run for reelection. With all other eight members of the council having picked up nomination papers for the campaigns to be decided Nov. 4, this means a seat is guaranteed to go to a challenger. In a letter sent at 11:15 a.m. to supporters, Toner said that he has decided to ‘complete my current term and take a step back from elective office to explore other opportunities.’ … Toner was among men named in court March 21 as customers of brothels operating in Cambridge, Watertown and Virginia from at least July 2020 to a bust in November 2023.”

DAY IN COURT

— In Boston court, release of defendants without attorneys begins amid lawyer work stoppage by Sean Cotter, The Boston Globe: “Four defendants who had been held on bail without a lawyer were ordered released Monday in a Boston court during the first emergency hearings held amid the ongoing work stoppage by court-appointed attorneys. One of the people who stands to walk free from custody faces charges of violent domestic abuse after he allegedly left his pregnant wife unconscious.”

— Doctors’ groups sue Kennedy over Covid shot changes by Lauren Gardner, POLITICO: “A coalition of doctors’ groups led by the American Academy of Pediatrics filed a lawsuit Monday against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., arguing that his May announcement that the government would no longer recommend Covid-19 vaccines for healthy pregnant people and children violated longstanding norms governing U.S. immunization policy. The organizations say Kennedy’s May 19 ‘Secretarial Directive’ documenting his move to pull the vaccine from the CDC’s immunization schedule constitutes a final agency action ripe for challenge, noting that he cited no emergency or specific circumstantial changes to support the move.’

— Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activists faces federal trial in Boston by Micheal Casey, The Associated Press: “Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration campaign of arresting and deporting faculty and students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations argued Monday it was an orchestrated effort that has stifled free speech at universities around the country. The lawsuit, filed by several university associations against President Donald Trump and members of his administration, is one of the first to go to trial.”

DATELINE D.C.

— Trump to end deportation protections for thousands of Hondurans and Nicaraguans ‘by Ted Hesson, Reuters.          

excerpts: 

• Summary
• Companies

• Termination affects 72,000 Hondurans, 4,000 Nicaraguans
• Trump has moved to strip legal status from many migrants
• Advocates say migrants may face danger in home countries

            The Republican president has sought to end temporary legal status for hundreds of thousands of migrants in the United States, including some who have lived and worked in the country legally for decades. The Trump administration already had moved to end TPS for 348,000 Venezuelans and 521,000 Haitians, as well as thousands from Afghanistan and Cameroon.

The administration has said deportation protections were overused in the past and that many migrants no longer merit protections. Democrats and advocates for the migrants have said that TPS enrollees could be forced to return to dangerous conditions and that U.S. employers depend on their labor.

****MORE TRUMP TARIFF LUNACY!***

NUTLICK STANDS BESIDE TRUMP!

LENGTHY, BUT WORTH READING!

SMOOT-HAWLET TARIFF ACT HAS BEEN BLAMED WITH CAUSING OR WORSENING THE DEPRESSION... 

Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act

— Trump sends tariff letters to Japan, South Korea, 5 other countries, extending deadline to Aug. 1 by Megan Messerly, Daniel Desrochers, Ari Hawkins and Doug Palmer, POLITICO.

excerpts:

President Donald Trump is threatening to significantly raise tariffs on seven trading partners in Asia, Africa, and Europe, ranging from war-torn countries to key political allies, as it continues to negotiate trade deals with the countries ahead of a new Aug. 1 deadline.

In one-and-a-half page form letters posted to Truth Social Monday, Trump threatened Japan and South Korea, two of the U.S.'s largest trading partners, with 25 percent tariffs, a rate that roughly matches the initial “reciprocal” tariffs Trump briefly imposed on the two countries in April. Other letters went out to a grab-bag of countries — Myanmar, which is in the midst of a civil war; South Africa, the U.S. largest trading partner on the African continent; the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan; and Southeast Asian countries Malaysia and Laos — threatening tariffs ranging from 25 to 40 percent.

Financial markets started down on Monday and the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all dropped slightly as Trump’s letters went public on Truth Social — a signal that Wall Street could once again be bracing for a trade war, rather than a series of deals with the country’s major trading partners. The president initially set his “reciprocal” tariff rates to go into effect on April 9, but delayed the date 90 days, after financial markets and consumer confidence plummeted.

— Elon Musk and Andrea Yang have connected on the billionaire’s third party threatby Holly Otterbein, POLITICO. 

MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

— Cannabis testing lab appeals shutdown order, sues regulators by Stella Tannenbaum, The Boston Globe:  "A Massachusetts cannabis testing company is suing regulators over an order that forced it to cease operations last week. The Cannabis Control Commission alleged Assured Testing Laboratories misreported contamination test results and allowed products with yeast and mold above regulatory limits to be sold. The commission ordered the Tyngsborough lab to suspend operations by Friday. It was the commission’s first-ever summary suspension order, a measure it can take upon finding a licensee poses ‘an immediate or serious threat to the public health, safety or welfare,” according to CCC regulations. Such an order can be issued before a hearing to protect those interests, according to the regulation.’”

Curious how policy pros are staying ahead? Meet our Policy Intelligence Assistant—only available with a POLITICO Pro subscription. It combines POLITICO’s trusted reporting with advanced AI to deliver sharper insights, faster answers, and two powerful new report builders that help you turn intelligence into action. Ready to experience it for yourself? Sign up for a demo and get 30 days free—no strings attached.

FROM THE 413

— Two familiar faces step forward for Chicopee council, School Committee seats by Namu Sampath, The Springfield Republican: “Two men — a former city councilor and a former educator — have announced runs for municipal positions in the next election. Joel McAuliffe, who represented Ward 1 between 2018 and 2023, announced in a press release Monday that he will be running for one of two vacant at-Large City Council positions. … Joining McAuliffe in announcing his run for a city position is Robert ‘Bob’ Cantin, a longtime resident of Chicopee. Cantin is running for an at-large School Committee position and said he planned to submit signatures for his candidacy Thursday at City Hall.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— Provincetown plans 'safety forum' after several incidents against LGBTQ+ community by Dan O'Brien, The MetroWest Daily News: “Town officials in Provincetown plan to hold a community safety forum on Tuesday, July 8, at Town Hall after a series of incidents in which members of the LGBTQ+ community have been targeted over the past week — including one incident involving three MetroWest teens.”

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

      TRANSITIONS — Former MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak will be the new CEO of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau. He’ll replace Marty Walz, who has been leading the organization on an interim basis since 2023.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Samuel Weinstock, Andy Flick, William LaRose and Maddie James.

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.

Massachusetts Playbook - POLITICO Archive

• Tuesday, 7/8/25

• Monday, 7/7/25

• Thursday, 7/3/25

• Wednesday, 7/2/25

• Tuesday, 7/1/25

Follow us on Twitter Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA