Friday, November 7, 2025
Tarr in the News: Senator Tarr Advocates for Shutdown Relief
TARR IN THE NEWS | 11.03.25
'As the shutdown drags on, Mass.
Republicans raise their voices | Bay State Briefing'
By John Micek | MassLive
"Late last week, Republicans in the
state Senate called on the chamber’s majority Democrats to pump some extra cash
into a $2.3 billion year-end budget to cover the lapse in SNAP benefits for 1.1
million Bay State residents.
They also called on the Healey
administration to dip into the state’s roughly $8 billion Rainy Day Fund to
temporarily cover the cost of benefits (around $240 million a month), according
to Politico.
Gov. Maura Healey, who advanced food
banks $4 million last week to keep benefits flowing, has steadfastly rejected
those calls. She’s argued that other states similarly have declined to tap
their cash reserves — which doesn’t mean that there haven’t been some creative
funding approaches elsewhere.
Senate Republicans pointed to New
Hampshire turning to a $2 million hospital fund, while officials in Vermont
“moved quickly to fully fund SNAP benefits” from state coffers. Officials in
Louisiana also authorized spending $150 million in state funds to cover any
lapse in benefits.
“These measures across a range of states
demonstrate both the scale of the need and the reasonableness of Massachusetts
acting now to prevent a humanitarian and logistical #statesenatorbrucetarr
Read the full article by visiting
https://www.masslive.com/.../as-the-shutdown-drags-on...
