Wu’s walk-up week

Feb 26, 2025

SAFETY FIRST — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is already leveraging next week’s hearing before the House Oversight Committee to her political advantage.

Take her schedule Tuesday. Wu joined WBUR’s “Morning Edition,” where she laid out her main message. “The city's safety levels, and the level of trust and coordination, has never been higher,” she told host Tiziana Dearing.

Then it was on to WUNR 1600 AM, a Spanish language station (Wu speaks fluently), where she assuaged the city’s immigrant residents that Boston is still safe for them.

And she rounded out the afternoon gathering faith leaders from across the city, jotting down notes as ministers from a range of religions offered suggestions for what message she should take to Washington next week.

The day’s meetings weren’t the first Wu has had as she prepares to be quizzed on Boston’s sanctuary status by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) and other members of the House Oversight Committee next Wednesday. She’s spoken recently with organizations in Mattapan and East Boston, she told reporters after the meeting with faith leaders yesterday.

You don’t have to look back very far for a reminder that this hearing could pose significant risk for Wu or any of the mayors she’s expected to testify alongside. University presidents traveled to D.C. to plead their cases before Congress in the wake of Israel-Hamas war fueled protests last year, and almost all of them ended up out of the job.

But Wu is already leaning into the opportunity it presents for her in the face of a competitive reelection contest this fall. The run-up to the hearing is giving Wu a chance to methodically lay out one of her main campaign talking points (Boston’s safety, based on its low homicide rate) locally this week, before broadcasting it on a national stage next week.

“She’s not running and hiding,” former Boston City Councilor Larry DiCara told Playbook. “I expect she will be so well prepared that [the hearing] will be a benefit for her.”

There’s more on tap today: Wu is heading to Chelsea this morning to visit La Colaborativa, a non-profit that serves immigrants in the region, before heading to Boston’s downtown to talk about the city’s response to public drug use, an issue that’s still dogged the neighborhood. And she’s expected to scoop up an endorsement from the city’s largest police union tomorrow, per the Boston Herald.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. When Gov. Maura Healey delivers her speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce this morning, expect a shot at the federal government over looming cuts to National Institutes of Health funding.

Healey also plans to promote her achievements from the last legislative session — tax relief, economic development and more — and she’ll lobby any lawmakers in the crowd to approve her $8 billion transportation financing plan, according to her office.

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey speaks at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce forum at 10 a.m. in Boston before she and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll go live on Urban Heat 98.1 FM at 11:45 a.m. Healey speaks and Auditor Diana DiZoglio speaks and performs at the Newburyport State of the City at 7 p.m. DiZoglio is on GBH News's "Boston Public Radio" at 1 p.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a media availability after visiting La Colaborativa Survival and Economic Development Center at 11 a.m. in Chelsea and shares an update on the city’s response to congregate substance use at 1:45 p.m. in downtown Boston.

OOPs — In Tuesday’s edition, we dropped the “e” in former Rep. Mike Capuano’s first name. We apologize to the former congressman — and to any “Mik” Capuanos out there who unintentionally got a shoutout.

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

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS — New data dropped this week aiming to map the relationships between lawmakers on Beacon Hill.

Legislata, a productivity software, analyzed the bills on the Legislature’s website as of Feb. 19 to see how often each lawmaker is cosponsoring a bill and who they’re most likely to pair up with. The analysis used an algorithm to rank co-sponsors and their connections to determine lawmakers’ closest pairings (who each legislator co-sponsored the most with), centrality (who is in the middle, closest to others) and communities (which lawmakers tend to cosponsor together regularly). Dive into the data.

— “Mass. lawmakers reach deal on $425 million more for shelter system but also move to rein in costs,” by Matt Stout and Samantha J. Gross, The Boston Globe: “Massachusetts lawmakers struck a deal Tuesday to pump $425 million into the state’s emergency shelter system while dramatically tightening the number of homeless and migrant families the state could house — and for how long — in a bid to rein in the mounting cost of the program. The agreement unveiled by House and Senate leaders Tuesday, and approved soon after in the House, would shorten the amount of time families can stay in the emergency shelter system from nine months to six months. It also seeks to cut the number of families allowed in the system by the end of the year from the current cap of 7,500 to 4,000 for all of 2026.”

— “Massachusetts House adopts new rules, rejects Republican attempts to force cooperation with Auditor,” by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald: “The Massachusetts House of Representatives adopted a new set of rules to govern how they conduct their daily business after mostly rejecting proposals offered by Republican lawmakers, many of which were aimed at bringing the lower chamber into agreement with Question 1. Changes offered by Republican Minority Leader Brad Jones to a set of rules presented by House Committee on Rules Chairman William Galvin were rejected in party-line votes held Tuesday.”

— “Pause on Pappas Hospital closure a relief for patients — for now,” by Alexi Cohan, GBH News: “Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced she is pausing the proposed closure of two state-run hospitals after public outcry from the community. Patients and families told GBH News they’re relieved — for now. Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children in Canton and Pocasset Mental Health Center in Bourne were on the chopping block in Healey’s 2026 budget proposal. The cuts would also eliminate 170 case management positions within the Department of Mental Health. The budget still has to be finalized by lawmakers, but plans had begun for the hospital closures.”

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

— “Boston’s largest police union to endorse Mayor Wu this week,” by Joe Dwinell and Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald.

— “Josh Kraft blasts Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s ‘rigged’ White Stadium soccer deal,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft says public records show the city’s bid process for the White Stadium pro soccer rehab project was ‘rigged’ and is calling for an investigation into whether Mayor Michelle Wu violated procurement laws. Kraft was reacting to a Herald report that shed light on internal emails between the city and Boston Unity Soccer Partners, which revealed negotiations to rehab Franklin Park’s White Stadium for a pro women’s soccer team were underway long before the city sent out a public request for proposals.”

DATELINE D.C.

BUDGET BATTLE — House Republicans inched a step closer to carrying out President Donald Trump’s policy agenda Tuesday night, approving their budget framework. The measure advanced on an almost entirely party-line vote, with GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky joining Democrats in opposing it.

Democrats were quick to launch into attack mode, including in Massachusetts. The governor accused the House GOP of voting to “rip away health care” from more than a million Massachusetts residents, and warned the framework would raise costs for health care and groceries.

“The Senate needs to reject this shameful attack on the health and wellbeing of children and families in Massachusetts and across our country,” Healey said in a statement Tuesday night. More on the looming budget battle from POLITICO’s Congress team.

TRUMPACHUSETTS

— “Education officials push back on Trump DEI threats,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “State education officials are vowing to defy the Trump administration's directive calling for states to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs by Friday or face cuts in federal education funding. Massachusetts Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler on Tuesday dismissed threats from the U.S. Department of Education to claw back federal funding from schools that refuse to eliminate DEI programs. He claimed Trump's directive ‘clumsily but purposely mischaracterizes existing law and reaches far beyond the scope of executive authority.’”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “One way to solve Worcester’s litter problem? City officials say more trash cans,” by Sam Turken, GBH News: “As litter continues to cover streets and sidewalks around Worcester, city officials are planning a new response: adding up to 200 combined trash and recycling bins across different neighborhoods. Right now, there are about 50 public bins across the city — and they’re mostly concentrated around downtown.”

— “MBTA chief: South Coast Rail will be free on weekends as 'thank you,’” by Dan Medeiros, The Herald News: “When South Coast Rail begins service in late March, weekend trips will be free through the end of April, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng announced Tuesday. Eng told the MBTA board of directors during its monthly board meeting that he’s ‘super excited’ about starting commuter rail service from Boston to Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton, an area of the state that has not seen passenger rail since 1958.”

— “Town of Harvard grapples with offensive tweets allegedly made by elected official,” by Claire Thornton, The Boston Globe: “The Town of Harvard Select Board censured its former chairperson Tuesday night, after residents complained social media posts allegedly made by him were misogynistic and racist. The Globe viewed screenshots of the alleged posts, which include crude comments about women’s bodies and reference racist stereotypes. Don Ludwig stepped down from his position as select board chairman on Feb. 17 after posts on X, alleged to be linked to him, were reported to the town Select Board in a resident’s formal complaint on Feb. 13. From there, more residents lodged complaints about posts made from an account on X, which has since been deleted. ... Ludwig did not respond to requests for comment.”

— “What brings 200 angry residents and uniformed officers to city hall,” by Peter Blandino, The Patriot Ledger: “Two hundred people, split between uniformed fire and police personnel and frustrated residents who feel ‘dismissed.’ Defensive and accusatory city officials. Deep-rooted ethical and constitutional debates. The battle over two saint statues for the new public safety building heated up Monday night at City Hall."

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Harold Hubschman, Cathey Park, Laura Oggeri, Adam Bass, Jill Webb and Li Zhou.

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