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Mayor Michelle Wu returns from Nova Scotia later today after attending the cutting of the annual Boston Common Christmas tree. It’s the first time a Boston mayor has actually traveled to Nova Scotia to see the tree-cutting ceremony. The 45-foot white spruce is expected to arrive at the Common via flatbed truck next Tuesday, Nov. 18. (You can read the backstory behind the tradition — a symbol of appreciation from Nova Scotians to Boston — here.)
Now, let’s get to the news:
Nine nays: After 43 days, the House of Representatives is expected to vote today on a deal to bring an end to the longest federal government shutdown in American history. Despite holding a narrow majority in the House, Republican leaders have projected confidence they have the votes to send the spending bill to President Trump’s desk. But it won’t be because of any help from Massachusetts. Much like the state’s two senators, all nine Democrats representing Massachusetts in the House have said they will vote against the deal since it doesn’t extend health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act that are slated to expire at the end of the year. Before House votes, here’s what local reps have said about the deal:
- Rep. Richard Neal: “A principled deal was possible, but ignoring the reality of skyrocketing costs doesn’t earn my vote,” Neal wrote on X. “For that, I’m still a no.”
- Rep. Jim McGovern: “I’ll be voting hell no. Republicans are giving tax breaks to billionaires while healthcare premiums double & triple for regular people,” McGovern wrote on X. “Accepting a pinky promise to maybe have a vote on lowering healthcare costs is not a compromise. It’s capitulation.”
- Rep. Lori Trahan: “Movement toward reopening the government is good, but any deal must deliver real relief for working families, and this one isn’t there yet,” Trahan wrote in a statement.
- Rep. Jake Auchincloss: “This reported deal delivers none of the wins for the middle class that I laid out before the shutdown as options to get to yes: not on Medicaid, COPS grants, tariff relief, or corruption. Democrats must stop playing by the old rules in a broken Congress,” Auchincloss wrote on X.
- Rep. Katherine Clark: “Democrats have called on Republicans to work with us to protect health care and lower costs since March. They’ve refused at every turn,” Clark said in a statement. “The American people deserve affordable health care, and we will continue to fight back on their behalf.”
- Rep. Seth Moulton: “This was just the wrong time to give in. You don’t capitulate at the moment where you think that the other side is actually coming around,” Moulton told NPR’s Steve Inskeep.
- Rep. Ayanna Pressley: Pressley told reporters yesterday that she thought Democrats in the Senate should have fought harder, as WBUR’s Stephanie Brown reports. “It’s a betrayal,” Pressley said. “It’s deeply disappointing. It’s infuriating.”
- Rep. Stephen Lynch: “I will be voting no on the current Republican funding proposal because it would maintain $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and Medicare that fund our local hospitals, community health centers, and nursing homes,” Lynch wrote in a Facebook post. “The proposal would also eliminate the tax subsidies that were passed as part of the American Rescue Plan Act that truly make insurance affordable under the Affordable Care Act.”
- Rep. Bill Keating: “Republicans in Congress couldn’t kill the ACA with over 70 legislative attempts over 15 years, so now the plan is to defund it out of existence by forcing massive premium increases on everyday Americans,” Keating wrote on X.
PSA: Massachusetts health officials are urging parents and caregivers to throw out or return infant formula tied to a national outbreak of infant botulism. The affected organic formula is made by ByHeart, which issued a voluntary recall yesterday.
- No cases have been reported in Massachusetts, but at least 15 babies in 12 states were sickened since August. No babies have died, but all were hospitalized.
Run it back: Worcester election officials are meeting today to decide how to handle the costs and logistics of a citywide recount. City Council candidate Jermoh Kamara, who came in seventh out of 12 candidates for six at-large seats, requested the recount after results showed she lost by just 23 votes, the Telegram & Gazette reports.
- Why it matters: Worcester’s rules say candidates can choose whether the recount is done by hand or machine, and Kamara has until Friday to pick. A hand count would be much more expensive, costing upwards of $100,000.
P.S. — Thanks to a severe solar storm, the northern lights put on a show across Massachusetts last night. Here are just a few of photos of the rare spectacle seen above Boston Harbor, the Common, and elsewhere in Massachusetts.
