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Gov. Maura Healey on SNAP payments and the Senate deal to end the government shutdown
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Today is Veterans Day. The federal holiday marks the day World War I ended in 1918 and honors veterans of all wars the U.S. has fought. It's also historically the federal holiday the fewest number of American workers get off from work. So while banks and government offices are generally closed (not to mention Boston parking meters are free), most stores remain open and the MBTA is running on a normal weekday schedule. Here's the full guide to what's open and closed in Massachusetts today.
Now, to the news:
SNAP chat: It's been a confusing few days for those following the news about SNAP benefits. Partially funded. Fully funded. Partially clawed back. But Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has a simple message for SNAP recipients who saw their full November payments show up on their card over the weekend: "Go ahead and feed your family." In an interview yesterday on WBUR's All Things Considered, Healey said she's not worried that the state could face financial penalties for not returning the money, as the Trump administration has requested. "I'm very comfortable with the legal position," Healey said.
- Catch up: Healey's office says it distributed full November payments to about half of the state's 1.1 million SNAP recipients. The timing was key: the disbursement came between court rulings allowing them and ordering states to hold. "As soon as we got a court ruling, our team was ready to go," Healey said. "They worked overnight for several days to be ready to go to process these benefits. And that's why people were able to start to receive benefits this weekend. And that will continue now through this week."
- Now what? Healey also told WBUR she does not support the Senate deal to end the government shutdown and fund SNAP through next September, since it doesn't extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year. As WBUR's Priyanka Dayal McCluskey recently reported, more than 337,000 people in Massachusetts could see their health care premiums rise — some by over $1,000 a month — if the subsidies aren't extended. The Senate deal includes a promise to hold a vote on the issue next month on whether to do so, but it's no guarantee. "I hope that happens in December," Healey said. "I'm not sure that it will, and that's why I don't support the deal."
- More from the governor: You can listen to Healey's full interview on SNAP and the Senate's deal to end the shutdown in this segment from All Things Considered.
Meanwhile at City Hall: Gabriela Coletta Zapata says she has the votes to be the the Boston City Council's next president. (Sorry, Julia Mejia.) In a statement yesterday, Coletta Zapata said she had secured enough support from her colleagues on the council to take the gavel from current Council President Ruthzee Louijuene in January (when the council will actually vote on the matter).
- Why it matters: Most of the City Council president's powers are parliamentary (i.e. presiding over meetings). But they also have the power to assign fellow councilors (or strip them of) committee leadership positions. The president also steps in as acting mayor if the mayor goes out of town or vacates office. (That's how Kim Janey became the first woman and first person of color to hold the mayor's seat in Boston, after Marty Walsh left office to join the Biden administration in 2021.)
- What to expect: Coletta Zapata, an East Boston native who has represented District 1 since 2022, is ally of Mayor Michelle Wu. After a few years of simmering infighting on the council, Coletta Zapata emphasized "respect and unity" in her statement. "The strength of this Council lies in our ability to respect one another, even when we disagree, and to work together with purpose and integrity," she said.
- That's not all: Coletta Zapata told the Boston Globe she's pregnant. She and her husband are expecting their first child in May. Coletta Zapata pointed to Mayor Michelle Wu — who herself gave birth twice while on the City Council and again as mayor — as a model for how to lead as a mother.
Released for now: Juliana Milena Zapata, a Fitchburg woman who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers last week, is back home with her family after a federal judge in Maine ordered her release. The video of Zapata's ICE arrest went viral, with her husband suffering an apparent seizure on camera as officials attempted to take his wife away. Federal officials say Zapata was apprehended because she allegedly stabbed a coworker in the hand. And they accuse her husband of faking the medical emergency to help her escape. The Boston Globe reports that Zapata and the government have until Nov. 14 to file new briefs in the case.
Flying out of Logan today? You'll want to check your flight status before heading to the airport. More than 60 flights in and out of Logan have been canceled this morning and roughly 20 are delayed, according to the website Flight Aware. Yesterday saw more than 160 cancellations at the airport and over 500 delays as the effects of the government shutdown ripple through the Federal Aviation Administration.
P.S. — Retired Bruins defender Zdeno Chara was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday. Chara took a trip down memory lane with his acceptance speech, which included stories from his childhood and his time with the Bruins. You can hear his full remarks here, beginning at the four-minute mark.
