Mass. Governor: All shelters are closed, state of emergency for shelter system is over
'We're saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and putting families on a path to self-sustainability,' she said.
In addition to the closure of hotel shelters, shelters located at the former Bay State Correctional Center and the Chelsea Rapid Shelter site have also closed.
Three families were using the hotel shelter system, a
Massachusetts experienced a surge of immigrants arriving here
beginning in the
At the same time, the
Advertisement
After Healey took office in January 2023, officials drastically expanded the emergency shelter system to house thousands of homeless and migrant families
For decades, homeless families have been guaranteed a roof over their heads under
to help families at hotels access medical care, find transportation, and enroll their children in school.
With costs skyrocketing, Healey and legislators repeatedly sought to tighten eligibility, including by requiring homeless families to prove lawful immigration status, show they have lived in Massachusetts for at least six months, and undergo
The number of families in emergency shelter has fallen to
Just last month, however, state officials had
the cap set by the Legislature, the state still was not able to keep up with the demand. Healey officials say they issued the declaration specifically so they can continue to impose restrictions on shelters, such as limiting who gets priority for beds and how long they can stay.
Advertisement
Massachusetts Housing Secretary Ed Augustus wrote in
The extended declaration is supposed to last until Nov. 9, which is required under rules set out by the Legislature in a 2023 spending bill. It can be extended again if Augustus determines it's necessary.
Former MBTA executive Brian Shortsleeve, who is running in the GOP primary for governor, criticized Healey's comments Friday. He slammed the use of public dollars to fund the state's HomeBase program, which provides rental assistance for families transitioning into permanent housing and is credited with helping reduce the emergency shelter population.
Shortsleeve said Healey's claim of saving taxpayer dollars has 'got to go done [sic] in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest lie ever told by a politician,'
'As the next governor, I will stop the flow of our tax dollars to the migrants,' he said.
Samantha J. Gross can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's super PAC reports nearly $200 million war chest
The main super PAC affiliated with President Trump reported nearly $200 million in the bank as it looks ahead to the 2026 midterms in which control of Congress will be up for grabs. MAGA Inc., which was key in promoting Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, reported $196.1 million in cash on hand in a midyear filing to the Federal Election Commission, having raised almost $177 million through the first half of 2025. The large sums show the group's preparations for future elections even as Trump himself won't be on the ballot and can't run in another presidential contest. The filing shows significant donations from top Republican donors like Jeff Yass, a GOP megadonor who also is a major investor in TikTok, and Elon Musk, who had been a close Trump ally before he and the president had a falling out and engaged in a war of words on various issues, including Trump's 'big beautiful bill' that he signed into law last month. Yass donated $16 million, while Musk gave $5 million to the super PAC, the filing shows. Various other donors with ties to Big Tech also gave significant amounts. Musk's donation came June 27, after tensions cooled and Musk expressed regret for his criticism of Trump. But the feud picked up again within days over the 'big, beautiful bill,' with Musk saying he would back primary challengers to Republicans who supported the legislation. Musk also said he would support Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.), who was one of the only Republicans who bucked his party to vote against the bill and has faced attacks from Trump. With so much money in reserve, the super PAC could play a critical role in primaries like Massie's and in the general election in which Republicans and Democrats will battle for congressional majorities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
42 minutes ago
- The Hill
‘Wanna-be king': Democrats fume at Trump move to oust BLS head
Criticism is mounting after President Trump moved to oust the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday following a dismal jobs report. Trump accused BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer, an appointee of former President Biden, of skewing job numbers in the latest report, which showed the U.S. adding only 73,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate increasing slightly. Revisions in the report also showed that the U.S. added 258,000 fewer jobs in May and June than the Labor Department first reported, according to BLS data. 'In my opinion, today's Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad,' he wrote on Truth Social. Later, he called for McEntarfer's ouster, which sparked some backlash on Capitol Hill. 'Instead of helping people get good jobs, Donald Trump just fired the statistician who reported bad jobs data that the wanna-be king doesn't like,' Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) posted on social platform X. The gloomy jobs report raised serious questions about the strength of the U.S. economy, especially in light of Trump's sweeping tariffs, which have caused anxieties in the global market. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) called the president's response 'deeply irresponsible.' 'Firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because they accurately report on your struggling economy isn't just corrupt, it's deeply irresponsible,' she wrote online. 'Undermining our economic data is only going to create further chaos and uncertainty for our businesses big and small.' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also turned the tables back on Trump in a semi-mocking post on X. 'BREAKING: I did some research into Trump's Deep State and found this photo of the real government employee responsible for the job loss numbers,' Schumer wrote Friday, sharing a photo of the president himself. 'Trump must fire him immediately.' Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) reacted with an equally biting post, offering her version of the timeline. She wrote on X, 'Step one: Trump tanks the economy. Step two: Data shows that Trump is tanking the economy. Step three: Trump fires the person who puts out economic data so that in the future, no one will know he's still tanking the economy.' Sen. Tammy Baldwin also weighed in, writing on social media that 'Donald Trump has thrown our economy into chaos and is firing the messenger for telling us.' Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) also took a swing at the president for his reaction, calling it 'one more step toward authoritarianism.' 'Truth being replaced by propaganda. This is what the Soviets did. This is a big deal, and we need to act like it,' Murphy wrote on X, alongside a video message. 'Time for a fight.' Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) pressed her GOP colleagues to denounce Trump's firing of the top statistician. 'It is seriously dangerous territory when Trump fires anyone who doesn't cook the books for him. The entire economy hinges on the accurate, nonpartisan data we get from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,' she wrote online. 'Republicans need to join us in fighting to protect the integrity of BLS.' Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who is retiring at the end of his term, placed blame for the dismal report on Trump's trade agenda. The comment came as the latest iteration of 'reciprocal' tariffs on dozens of countries was set to go into effect Friday. 'President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because he didn't like that the jobs report was weak—a direct result of his chaotic trade wars,' he wrote. 'Utterly reckless, and a chilling reminder of his autocratic tendencies.' Despite the criticism, Trump's allies have largely stood behind his decision to sack McEntarfer, who has served in the post since 2023. The president also accused the BLS chief of fabricating jobs numbers ahead of the 2024 presidential election to 'boost' former Vice President Harris's chances of winning. A BLS spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to The Hill that McEntarfer was let go. Deputy commissioner William Wiatrowski is set to serve as acting head until the administration finds a replacement.
43 minutes ago
Democratic governors throw support behind Newsom, back partisan redistricting
MADISON, Wisc. -- -- A number of high-profile Democratic governors are ready to fight -- ardently throwing support behind their colleagues who have said they will draw new Congressional maps to favor Democrats before the 2026 midterm elections in order to directly counter Texas Republicans' moves to do the same for their party. Texas GOP lawmakers just this week released their first draft of the state's new congressional map that could flip three to five Democratic seats in next year's midterms. On Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom promptly responded, saying he'd spoken with state legislators and members of Congress about holding a special statewide election on Nov. 4 for Californians to vote on new congressional maps -- ones that would likely favor Democrats. Convening later in the week for a summer policy retreat on the shores of Madison, Wisconsin, a number of leading Democratic governors have backed Newsom and any other blue state leaders who are taking an offensive position on redistricting. The Democrats each did so reluctantly, calling Texas Republicans' efforts "unconstitutional' and 'un-American' with hopes that the courts intervene before any new maps steered by either party are implemented. In the meantime, they said it's time to fight against the Trump-championed GOP redistricting, especially now that other Republican-led states, including Missouri, might follow suit. 'That is so un-American, and it's a constant threat to our democracy,' Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said about Republican proposals. 'So I'm really pissed, frankly, and we are going to do whatever we can do to stop this from happening.' Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas, the Chair of the Democratic Governors Association, explicitly got behind Newsom, Kathy Hochul of New York, JB Pritzker of Illinois and any other governors who are weighing counteraction through special elections, special sessions or additional means of redrawing congressional maps. 'I have never believed in unilateral disarmament, and so while I may not want to participate in certain activities, if I have to, in order to level the playing field, I would support my Democratic colleagues who decide to answer in kind,' Kelly said in an interview. 'If the other side is going to pursue this, regardless of the obvious unconstitutionality of it, then I don't think we have any other choice but to go there. You just don't go to the front lines without your bullets,' Kelly said. Kelly said her strong 'preference' would still be for courts to intervene. 'In fact, it might actually work to our benefit, you know, to play like this. Okay, we'll play this game too, and we all go to court.' Then, Kelly said, 'we all lose.' The process of redistricting could prove to be an uphill battle for Democrats, who have less of an opportunity to gerrymander nationwide than their peers across the aisle because of the varied rules of each state. It's the responsibility of partisan legislatures in many Republican-led states to draw the boundaries of all electoral districts. Many more Democratic states use independent citizen-redistricting commissions -- a practice used to maintain fairness and combat gerrymandering. 'I do worry,' Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said during the press conference in Madison, about the outcome for Democrats if they decide to get in the redistricting fight. But, Kelly jumped in, 'there's a bigger risk in doing nothing.' 'You know, we can't just let this happen and act like it's fine and hope that the courts fix it. We have no idea, quite honestly, at this point, what the courts might do, but by virtue of us responding in kind, we do send a message,' Kelly added. 'We will put up a fight.' Evers, who campaigned for governor twice on ending gerrymandering in Wisconsin -- culminating with their Supreme Court's decision to strike down the state's non-contiguous state legislative maps as unconstitutional -- said that Wisconsin would not be making any changes to their maps. Other states, though, who may be 'up against the wall' should make modifications, Evers said. 'We're not changing our maps. Here in the state of Wisconsin, we worked hard to get fair maps, and we're going to continue to do so … in my heart of hearts, this is where we have to be. But when ... you have a gun against your head, you got to do something,' Evers said. Govs. Kelly, Walz, and a number of other Democratic governors also said they'd steer clear of redrawing their maps this cycle, either because they lead predominantly Republican states or because their redistricting processes wouldn't allow for a swift process to combat current GOP efforts. The idea of retaliating against Republicans on the matter of redistricting is a notable shift in strategy for Democrats, who have long touted their reverence for 'playing by the rules' on constitutional issues. For years, Democrats have championed independent redistricting, rules and others meant to encourage fairer maps are now holding them back in some areas and making it more challenging for them in certain districts. 'Democrats are expected to have the decorum. We're expected to protect the institution. We're expected to follow the rules on this,' Walz said, saying time for the party to go aggressively on offense to combat the Trump administration. 'We're not playing with a normal administration. We're playing one that is throwing all the rules out of there, and if the courts that he has packed aren't going to do that, then I think it is incumbent upon states that have the capacity or the ability to make sure that we are responding in kind," said Walz. "It is a terrible spot we're in as a country, but not responding is going to make it even worse."
