| | |  | BY LISA KASHINSKY | Presented by UPS | ‘FOOD OUGHT TO BE A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT’ — Rep. Jim McGovern believes that ending hunger can be a political unifier in a partisan era. Even still, it took him months of organizing with anti-hunger groups and pushing for buy-in from the Biden administration to get to where we are today: the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in more than five decades. The Biden administration has a plan to end hunger by 2030 through executive actions and policies that include expanding access to federal nutrition assistance programs, getting the FDA to roll out voluntary nutrition guidance and increasing the number of students who can get free school meals. Some of those policies would require action from Congress — where extending school meal programs is already a fight, and where Democrats could lose control of one or both chambers in the midterms, complicating the legislative path forward. The first federal hunger conference set a high bar: Spearheaded by McGovern’s mentor, the late Sen. George McGovern (no relation), the 1969 convening led to nutrition programs like WIC. Playbook caught up with Jim McGovern about what to expect this time around and what more the state can do to help end hunger. Our interview has been edited for length and clarity:
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Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) speaks at the Capitol in Washington. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | What are the goals here? The focus is on improving food access and affordability, integrating nutrition and health, empowering consumers to make healthy choices, enhancing nutrition and food security research. The long and short of it is, this conference is about making hunger a national priority. What are the chances of getting this done legislatively, particularly if control of Congress switches over? Some things need to be done legislatively, some things can be done through executive action, some things can be done with the private sector. … But look, hunger is a political condition. We have the food, we have the resources, we have the infrastructure to end it. What we’ve lacked is the political will. And my hope and expectation is that this conference will help create that political will. And there’s already some bipartisan support for some of the recommendations. The economy, abortion and immigration are dominating the midterms conversation. A hurricane is bearing down on Florida. How do you break through all that noise? You get the president of the United States to hold a major conference on the topic. I think people want issues that unite us, and food unites us. And again, this is not just about the health and well-being of people in this country, this is about the economy, this is about our future. What can be done at the state level to help end hunger? One of the recommendations that will come out of this conference is free breakfast and lunch for every child in every school in this country. … The Massachusetts Legislature just extended universal free meals for another year. We want Massachusetts to do it permanently. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. State Reps. Andy Vargas and Mindy Domb and state Sens. Jo Comerford and Sal DiDomenico are among the lawmakers and anti-hunger organizations expected to join McGovern at the hunger conference in Washington, D.C. TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito are at Harvard Kennedy School at 3 p.m. for a discussion on strengthening state and local collaboration. Polito also chairs a Governor’s Council meeting at noon. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh keynotes a MASSterList forum on labor at 7:30 a.m. at MCLE in Boston. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on “Java with Jimmy” at 9 a.m. GOP governor nominee Geoff Diehl and running mate Leah Cole Allen host a media availability on economic and tax issues at the State House at 10 a.m. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.
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| | A message from UPS: The best healthcare package is affordable for everyone at UPS. Learn more. | | | |  | BALLOT BATTLES |
| — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The “No on 2” campaign opposing the ballot question that would require dental insurers to spend at least 83 percent of the premiums they collect on patient care, not administration expenses, is out with its first television ad. “Getting a cavity? That’s a pain. The pain of not being able to afford your dentist? That’s question 2,” a female narrator says in the 30-second spot that claims the change would drive up costs for consumers and employers. The ad is part of a seven-figure buy through Election Day, according to the campaign. Top donors listed on the ad include Delta Dental of Massachusetts, which has poured at least $4.5 million into the opposition effort according to OCPF, and other insurers such as MetLife and Principal.
| | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| — "Regional Guvs Want 'At Least' $500 Mil in Emergency Heating Aid," by Michael P. Norton, State House News Service (paywall): "New England governors are asking Congress to support at least $500 million in emergency funds to help address the forecasted spike in home energy bills. In a letter Monday to Congressional leaders who are preparing a continuing resolution for the start of fiscal 2023, the region's governors noted that home energy bills 'likely will be exacerbated this winter as a result of volatile global energy markets.'" — Related: "Trouble brewing in the power grid as officials warn of possible electricity shortages this winter," by Sabrina Shankman, Boston Globe. — “Boston-area families could be in the red by $1,500 with soaring health care costs, report finds,” by Katie Lannan, GBH News: “A state agency is warning that Massachusetts runs the risk of letting its health care system become ‘increasingly unaffordable’ and more inequitable without further action to control costs, citing new findings from its annual report. … In its annual report examining health care cost trends, the Health Policy Commission found that while total health care spending dropped in 2020 — as people sought less care during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic — that decline did not translate to ‘proportional cost relief’ for residents with commercial health insurance.”
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| | HAPPENING 9/29 - POLITICO’S AI & TECH SUMMIT : Technology is constantly evolving and so are the politics and policies shaping and regulating it. Join POLITICO for the 2022 AI & Tech summit to get an insider look at the pressing policy and political issues shaping tech, and how Washington interacts with the tech sector. The summit will bring together lawmakers, federal regulators, tech executives, tech policy experts and consumer advocates to dig into the intersection of tech, politics, regulation and innovation, and identify opportunities, risks and challenges ahead. REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT HERE. | | | | | | | MASK-ACHUSETTS |
| — “‘A hostile act’: CDC eases masking rules for hospitals and nursing homes, but they won’t apply to Mass. yet,” by Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe: “The revised guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention make mask requirements optional for health care facilities in regions where community transmission is not labeled ‘high’ — currently just one-quarter of the country. But the idea of lifting such requirements in hospitals and nursing homes, even as hundreds continue to die of COVID-19 each day, immediately sparked controversy. Dr. Jeremy S. Faust, an emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, called the change ‘terrible policy’ and ‘a life-threatening change for at-risk individuals’ in an online essay published over the weekend.” — "COVID cases increase sharply among Mass. children and teens as school starts, fall arrives," by Martin Finucane and Ryan Huddle, Boston Globe: "Children and teenagers have seen sharp increases in COVID-19 case counts recently, led by 10- to 19-year-olds who saw a 59.6 percent jump in the latest weekly report from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health."
| | FROM THE HUB |
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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu removes graffiti from the side of a building in East Boston to demonstrate the city's anti-vandalism efforts and to tout open jobs on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO | — “Wu: Boston has ‘work to do’ on improving public-records response,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Boston has ‘work to do’ on making sure its public-records office runs as it should with enough staff and the correct policies, Mayor Michelle Wu said when asked about the criticized practice of citing its own inaction in closing out records requests that ended after a Herald inquiry.” — “OSHA levels fines of more than $1.2M in Government Center Garage collapse that killed worker,” by Flint McColgan, Boston Herald: “The feds have issued citations and proposed combined penalties in excess of $1.2 million against the companies behind the demolition of the troubled Government Center Garage project — the site of the death of worker Peter Monsini in March.”
| | MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS |
| — “'He thought there were migrants on the bus': Guard officer pursues, confronts senior citizens,” by Eric Williams, Cape Cod Times: “A tour bus bringing senior citizens to their East Falmouth hotel on Sept. 19 was aggressively pursued by a National Guard officer from Joint Base Cape Cod who thought the bus was carrying migrants because of a Tallahassee, Florida, sign on the side of the bus. The off-duty officer, Lt. Col. Christopher Hoffman, 51, of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, who recorded his pursuit of the bus on Facebook Live, thought the bus was part of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' effort to bring migrants who crossed the southern U.S. border to Cape Cod. He can be heard praising DeSantis on the live stream video.”
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| | | | | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
| — “With Orange Line now open, Boston Mayor Wu hopes T keeps up repair work,” by Amanda Beland and Tiziana Dearing, WBUR: “It's been a little over a week since the Orange Line reopened, but Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says there's still work to be done to improve the beleaguered transportation system. ‘Is the Orange Line commuter experience today all of a sudden what we want it to be? No,’ said Wu on Tuesday's Radio Boston.”
| | YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS |
| — "Healey and Diehl are on the ballot, Healey leads, but Trump looms large in Mass. governor race," by Anthony Brooks, WBUR: "[Geoff] Diehl doesn't present himself as someone who would rule 'with an iron fist.' But he's proud that he was among the first Massachusetts lawmakers to endorse [Donald] Trump, and that he co-chaired Trump's 2016 campaign in Massachusetts. ... 'While Trump certainly had his personal flaws, what he delivered on as president was something that I certainly supported in '16,' Diehl said. 'And I'd like to get back to some sort of presidency like that again in 2024.'" — "Heroux seeks change, modernization if elected sheriff," by Adam Bass, North Star Reporter: "[Attleboro Mayor Paul] Heroux views the position of sheriff in Massachusetts as an administrative job rather than a crime fighter. He said his understanding of corrections, management as mayor, and electoral experience qualify him to seek the position. The mayor also said [Bristol County Sheriff Tom] Hodgson’s attitude as sheriff, acting as an individual who is tough on crime, distorts the meaning of the office. 'It’s kind of like our Big Lie here in Bristol County,' Heroux said about his opponent. 'Former President Donald Trump has his big lie that he won the election even though he lost, but here in Bristol County, we have another big lie–that Hodgson is keeping people safe and saving taxpayer money.'”
| | FROM THE 413 |
| — “Holyoke City Councilor Wilmer Puello-Mota asks judge to allow him to retain his seat amid child porn prosecution,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “Holyoke City Councilor Wilmer Puello-Mota took a battle to regain his seat to Hampden Superior Court Tuesday afternoon, arguing the city lacks the power to remove him amid his prosecution on allegations of child pornography, forgery and obstruction in Rhode Island. A judge took the case under advisement.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| — “Zelensky, in Kennedy School address, says Putin plans to press ‘hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians’ into Russian forces,” by John R. Ellement, Boston Globe: “The referendums taking place in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, likely followed by the annexation of those areas, are part of a plan by Russian President Vladimir Putin to compel hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians into military service against their own country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a Harvard Kennedy School audience on Tuesday.” — “Massachusetts has lowest gun suicide rate in the country, 4th lowest overall suicide rate: Report,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The Bay State has the lowest gun suicide rate in the country and the fourth lowest overall suicide rate, according to a new report that shows how states with lower rates of gun ownership and stronger gun laws have the lowest suicide rates. On the other hand, states with the highest suicide rates have higher gun ownership rates and weaker gun violence prevention laws, the Violence Policy Center reported in its analysis of 2020 data from the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.”
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| | DON’T MISS - MILKEN INSTITUTE ASIA SUMMIT : Go inside the 9th annual Milken Institute Asia Summit, taking place from September 28-30, with a special edition of POLITICO’s Global Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive coverage and insights from this important gathering. Stay up to speed with daily updates from the summit, which brings together more than 1,200 of the world’s most influential leaders from business, government, finance, technology, and academia. Don’t miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE |
| — NEW THIS AM: Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) is the latest Democrat to hit the airwaves with an abortion-focused ad, her campaign shared first with POLITICO. The 30-second spot features a mother of six who says she made the “most difficult decision” to get an abortion after a routine ultrasound showed her baby effectively had “no brain.” And it hits Kuster’s Republican opponent, self-described “pro-life” former county treasurer Robert Burns, for saying he would support federal fetal heartbeat legislation that would effectively ban the procedure before many people know they’re pregnant. “We don’t need politicians dictating our most personal health care decisions," Kuster said in a statement. "My opponent disagrees. His position to criminalize abortion is beyond unacceptable — it is dangerous to the lives and well-being of women and their families across this great country.”
| | MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND |
| — “In Rhode Island, a congressional race with national implications,” by Edward Fitzpatrick, Boston Globe: “In the Republican primaries on Sept. 13, conservative voters in New Hampshire backed MAGA candidates who amplified former president Donald Trump’s rhetoric, even though Trump did not formally endorse any of them. … In Rhode Island, which held its primaries the same night, Republicans pinned their hopes on a more-moderate 2nd Congressional District candidate, popular former Cranston mayor Allan W. Fung, who rejects claims of a stolen election and whose political Achilles heel may be that he wore hat with Trump’s name on it to Trump’s inauguration.”
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Find out what these benefits mean to our employees and their families. | | | | | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH |
| HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Matt Corridoni, comms director for Rep. Jake Auchincloss, Ryan Migeed, Kevin Ready, Molly Crosby of Planned Parenthood, Simon Winchester, Calley Means, Stephanie Blumenthal and filmmaker Nadia Szold. Happy belated to Harvard IOP's Lauren Miller, who celebrated Tuesday. 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.
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