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Boston Globe
19 hours ago
- Health
- Boston Globe
R.I., Mass., among states suing Trump administration over immigration status-based restrictions to safety net programs
The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Providence, asks the court to halt the new federal rules and act quickly to ensure continued access to the social services programs. 'For the first time, millions of people are facing a new demand before they can access the Nation's most essential programs: 'show me your papers,'' the lawsuit states. 'This is not America, and it is not the law.' Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up Rhode Island Attorney General Advertisement 'By changing the rules with no notice, agencies and organizations that receive federal funding for critical services must quickly pivot or risk shuttering,' Neronha said in a statement. 'For example, if access to mental health and substance use disorder services is lessened or eliminated, already overburdened hospitals across the country could become further overwhelmed. These federal funding streams are critically important to the health and well-being of all Rhode Islanders, as well as our health care system, and we will fight to ensure they remain uninterrupted.' Advertisement Attorneys general from every New England state except New Hampshire joined the lawsuit, along with Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Wisconsin, Washington, and the District of Columbia. People in the country illegally are ineligible for federal public benefits such as food stamps, student loans and financial aid for higher education. However, they have been able to access community-level programs. And, for nearly 30 years and through five presidential administrations, according to the lawsuit, the federal government was consistent on the requirements of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, known as PRWORA. States needed to verify a person's lawful status before allowing them to access certain federal programs, such as Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. At the same time, the federal agencies told the states that PRWORA didn't require them to check someone's papers to allow them access to other community programs, such as food banks, Head Start, shelters, or rehabilitation clinics. Not anymore. On July 10, the US Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, and Justice changed the rules. The new rules restrict states from using federal funds to provide services to individuals who cannot verify immigration status. That means state safety net programs — soup kitchens, domestic violence shelters, Head Start, crisis counseling centers, senior nutrition programs, health centers in schools — must screen for immigration status. Under the new rules, undocumented immigrants will be prevented from Advertisement The Departments of Education and Labor placed education and workforce training programs within the statute's scope. The rules took effect with minimal notice and affect not only undocumented immigrants, but also, Neronha said, some lawful visa holders and even US citizens who lack access to formal documentation. The state programs are expected to comply immediately, but most providers can't implement major regulatory changes overnight, so they face losing federal funding. Neronha said these abrupt restrictions could impact the 'tens of millions' of dollars funding programs related to opioid treatment, homeless services, and mental health program in all public schools in Rhode Island, according to the state Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals. Funding changes to those community programs could lead to a health care crisis. The lawsuit argues that the federal government acted unlawfully by issuing these changes without following required procedures under the Administrative Procedure Act, and by misapplying PRWORA to entire programs rather than to individual benefits. The changes also violate the Constitution's Spending Clause by imposing new funding conditions on states without fair notice or consent. The coalition is asking the court to declare the new rules unlawful, halt their implementation through preliminary and permanent injunctions, vacate the rules and restore the long-standing agency practice, and prevent the federal government from using PRWORA as a pretext to dismantle core safety net programs in the future. Amanda Milkovits can be reached at
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
A way forward as new federal law slashes aid to Rhode Islanders
Food insecurity will also worsen. More than 144,000 Rhode Islanders rely on SNAP and about 22,000 of them may lose some of their benefits. Congress has also shifted more of the burden of funding Medicaid and SNAP to states. For the first time, our state will be expected to shoulder 15 percent of SNAP benefits, at a cost of $51.8 million per year, plus an additional $15.8 million annually in administrative costs previously covered by federal dollars. Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up However, all is not lost. There is a Rhode Forward, if we are willing to act boldly. Advertisement Information is power: We must urgently understand what is in this law and how its provisions will impact health care, food security, education, and our state budget. We need clear, timely analysis and a coordinated statewide response to prepare for the timeline of these cuts. Build a Rhode Island solution together: We need collective, strategic action that includes community leaders, policy experts, philanthropists, state agencies, and lawmakers. We must protect essential services while building an economy that sustains us all. Advance tax justice: The new federal law exposes the injustice in our tax system. While essential services are being cut, tax breaks for the wealthy that began in 2017 have been extended and will continue immediately in 2026. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Rhode Island's top 1 percent will receive $354 million in total tax cuts, an average of $58,840 per filer. That is far more than they would have paid under the Rhode Island's tax policy must counter this by finally creating a fair tax structure. Most Rhode Islanders agree that the wealthy must do their part and pay their Advertisement Call a special fall legislative session: Thanks to the foresight of the Senate and House leadership, the 2025 legislative session remains in recess, which allows for the opportunity of a special fall session. We urge leadership to reconvene to fully review and proactively plan against the harms of the reconciliation law and pass the Top 1 percent bill, which would raise $190 million annually, with $95 million available in FY 2026. We propose allocating this revenue to: Add funds to the Supplemental Rainy Day Fund, moving us closer to 10% or more of General Revenue, like most New England states. Fully fund RIPTA, strengthening our economy and reducing barriers to employment. Provide a cost-of-living increase for Rhode Island Works, the state's cash assistance and workforce development program for the poorest Rhode Islanders. Fund enhanced premium tax credits or alternatively, use contributions from all commercial insurance, including large employer plans. While some of these cuts won't go into effect immediately, we cannot afford to wait until benefits are lost or our state budget is facing worse deficits. Lawmakers must act now. We need to be ahead of the crisis. We must treat this moment with the urgency it deserves and prepare today for what is coming our way. Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies, Esq., is the executive director of the Economic Progress Institute.
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Why does Rhode Island hate its governors so much?
Write to us at . To subscribe, . TODAY'S STARTING POINT Radio host Jim Braude isn't necessarily an expert on Rhode Island politics, but he can read a poll as well as anyone. So in discussing Governor Dan McKee's recent dismal job approval numbers on Boston Public Radio last week, 'It would seem to me, based on the polling that I've seen, that if ... Vladimir Putin ran for governor of Rhode Island, he would beat Governor McKee,' Braude said during a conversation with Providence Mayor Brett Smiley. 'Governor McKee has the lowest approval rating I've ever seen for an incumbent politician ... in my whole life.' Indeed, with recent job approval ratings ranging between 19 percent and 25 percent, McKee appears to be one of the Advertisement A Advertisement But while McKee's numbers are exceptionally low among New England's governors, his predicament is hardly unique by Rhode Island standards. You'd be hard pressed to find a governor in recent history who enjoyed prolonged popularity in the state. Of the state's last seven governors, two (Republican Ed DiPrete and Democrat Bruce Sundlun) suffered lopsided losses in their reelection bids, and one (independent-turned-Democrat Lincoln Chafee) was so unpopular that he didn't bother to seek reelection. Republicans Lincoln Almond and Don Carcieri did enjoy high approval ratings during parts of their tenures, but they left office deeply unpopular. Gina Raimondo, McKee's predecessor, recently told political consultant David Axelrod that Rhode Island has ' So what gives? Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who spent years leading political polling at Brown University, said Rhode Island has long had 'difficulty getting its act together, and that often leads to poor poll numbers for sitting governors.' 'As a small state, it is hard for Rhode Island to control its own fate,' West said. 'It typically is dependent on the national economy, congressional largesse, and defense dollars. When any of those things turn negative, voters blame governors even if they are not responsible for what happens elsewhere.' Advertisement West also pointed out the obvious: Rhode Island has a long history of political corruption that has sapped the confidence of residents. DiPrete, who died last week at the age of 91, once allegedly dove through a dumpster outside a fast food restaurant searching for a $10,000 bribe that he had received but misplaced. He served a year in prison after leaving office. Rhode Island's most famous modern-day politician was Buddy Cianci, the cartoonishly corrupt former mayor of Providence who landed in federal prison. Unlike the governors, the uber-charismatic Cianci enjoyed high approval ratings throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. But his lasting legacy is contributing to the perception among Rhode Islanders that many politicians are on the take — he was just the one who got caught. Which brings us back to McKee, the current governor. To be fair, McKee, who's been in office since 2021, has some accomplishments to his name, including creating a statewide strategy to address chronic absenteeism in schools He hasn't faced widespread corruption allegations and largely benefited from free-flowing federal dollars following the pandemic. But he is dogged by competence questions, in part because of his handling of the 2023 closure of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge, which is the most common route you'd take from Providence to Cape Cod. McKee isn't responsible for years of deferred maintenance on the bridge, but he repeatedly gave inaccurate repair timelines and cost estimates in the months following the closure. He was also dismissive of complaints from drivers and small business owners about traffic delays. The bridge is now scheduled to be rebuilt by 2028 at a cost of more than $400 million, but it's become the latest symbol of government dysfunction in Rhode Island. The unhappiness of voters who face unusually long traffic delays as a result of the bridge closure is no doubt contributing to McKee's low approval rating, and that's before any of his potential opponents have spent a dollar on TV ads pouring gasoline on the fire of residents' frustrations. Advertisement McKee's only path to reelection may be to run a relentlessly negative campaign attacking Foulkes and whomever else jumps in the race, which won't exactly endear any of them to jaundiced voters. Otherwise, he may very well suffer the same fate as so many before him: The wrath of Rhode Islanders. 🧩 2 Down: 90° POINTS OF INTEREST A dock in Harpswell, Maine, near where a shark killed a woman in 2020. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Haverhill death: The family of Francis Gigliotti, a Haverhill man who died after police officers restrained him last Friday, Under the influence: State Representative John Lawn, a Watertown Democrat, faces charges after police Shark sighting: Officials in Harpswell, a Maine town where a great white shark killed a woman in 2020, warned swimmers yesterday AI therapy: This Rhode Island woman says ChatGPT saved her life. Psychologists say relying on it for advice Advertisement Jeffrey Epstein: Trump blasted Republicans who want him to release documents related to the wealthy sex offender as 'weaklings' falling for a 'scam,' even though Trump has More cuts: Senate Republicans approved $9 billion in funding cuts to public radio and foreign aid that the White House had requested, but preserved a global program that fights HIV/AIDS. The bill now heads to the House. ( Big beautiful bill: Low-income Americans fear that Trump's new tax law, which cuts SNAP and Medicaid, will leave them Policy change: A special designation used to put some young undocumented immigrants on the path to a green card. Climate resilience: Massachusetts and other states Israel vs. Syria: Deadly Israeli airstrikes damaged Syria's defense ministry and an area near the presidential palace. Israel said the strikes were meant to protect a Syrian minority that has clashed with the government. ( BESIDE THE POINT By Teresa Hanafin ❤️🩹 Heart health: The American Heart Association has come up with a 'Life's Simple 7″ plan to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. ( 🦖 Capturing kitsch: A TV journalist in New York devotes his time to documenting Advertisement 🪨 Pricey rock: An anonymous buyer purchased the biggest meteorite from Mars ever found on Earth — it weighs more than 54 pounds — for $4.3 million at a Sotheby's auction. The rock was discovered in the Sahara Desert in Niger in November, 2023. ( 🏠 Unique home remakes: A small, energy-efficient home in Lexington with 😡 Don't be that Angry Dad: For a lot of fathers, feeling overwhelmed with the kids can lead to anger. Here are some tips on how to regulate that rage. ( 🪈 Flute Central: Metro Boston is home to several of 👉 Weird Stuff on the Web: This site will find a photo of someone pointing at your cursor, no matter where on the screen you stop. Don't blame me if you're still playing with this in an hour. ( CORRECTION: Yesterday's newsletter used the wrong pronouns for Andrea Gibson, a spoken-word artist who died this week and used they/them pronouns. We regret the error. Thanks for reading Starting Point. This newsletter was edited by ❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at ✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can 📬 Delivered Monday through Friday. Dan McGowan can be reached at
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. McKee unfazed by new poll results
The Pell Center survey showed that just 25% of Rhode Islanders approve of the job he's doing as governor. Solve the daily Crossword
Boston Globe
11-07-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
With Butler Hospital strike, a vital R.I. resource is being put at risk
Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up However, Advertisement From the beginning, In recent meetings, the union has openly discussed 'setting a template' for statewide labor actions. They're framing this as a strategic escalation against hospital leaders, while also expanding their campaign to the government, board members, banks, and civic organizations. Advertisement Unlike SEIU, other unions have chosen not to strike and to continue negotiations, despite having a strike authorization, whereas SEIU decided on an indefinite strike. They are coordinating with political activists, using community events, and targeting our Board of Trustees with public pressure tactics aimed at intimidating rather than engaging. In short, this is not a conventional Let me be clear: we respect the right of workers to organize and advocate for better compensation, benefits, retirement, and working conditions. However, Butler Hospital is a behavioral health facility that serves some of the most vulnerable Rhode Islanders. It was never meant to be a stage for a political theater of escalation. The damage being done is real: critical behavioral health programs across the state were already strained, and capacity at Butler is now being reduced out of necessity because of the union's action. A vital community resource is being put at risk — not because of its policies or finances, but because it was chosen as a beachhead for a broader conflict. There's a moral price for that. And a practical one as well. We must not allow the illusion of a righteous movement to obscure the deeper reality: when a strike becomes a symbolic crusade, it stops being about resolution and starts being about power. The people of Rhode Island deserve better. Our patients deserve better. And our health care workforce — union and non-union alike — deserves leadership that seeks solutions, not standoffs. Advertisement There is still a path forward. It begins with an honest consideration of Butler's actual circumstances — not those of other hospitals, not ideological ambitions, not long-term organizing goals. The future of health care in Rhode Island should be shaped through collaboration, not coercion. We want the workers on strike to return to their positions. We urge the union to end the strike and return to work, allowing our leaders to focus on the negotiations while the employees focus on the patients who need them. If this doesn't happen, we will continue to encourage more workers to cross the line to join those who have already courageously done so. Plus, we will be forced to explore further reductions. Continuing the strike will only reduce access to behavioral health services across the state — at a time when our most vulnerable patients need these services more than ever. This is not about winning a narrative. It's about doing the right thing. We encourage Butler employees to return to their positions to do what they do best — caring for patients. Dr. Michael Wagner is the president and CEO of Care New England.
