Democratic leaders in the Legislature doubled down Wednesday on their plan to stash $5.3 billion in federal aid into an account they could control over the next several years as they and Gov. Charlie Baker engaged in the first skirmish in what could soon be a major clash between the state’s chief executive and its Legislature.
At the heart of the matter is a tug-of-war over who will take the lead in deciding how Massachusetts will spend the majority of its $5.3 billion in American Rescue Plan Act aid — the Republican governor’s executive branch, or the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Whichever branch of government controls the ARPA purse strings will probably also control the pace at which the federal money is put to use.
Baker appears to favor a more rapid infusion while legislative leaders are leaning towards spreading the money out over several years through a process similar to how state budgets are developed.
Soon after the Legislature took the first steps Tuesday to transfer all of the ARPA money into a new account, Baker’s office warned that their action could jeopardize a pledge he made to distribute a cumulative $100 million to four cities that are getting disproportionately less aid than other similar cities due to a federal funding formula.
Plus, the governor’s office added, the federal aid “does not require legislative appropriation” and should be “put to work without delay.”
But if that’s the case, lawmakers said Wednesday, Baker should have already sent the money to Chelsea, Everett, Methuen and Randolph.
“If he says that he has that authority, then he could have cut a check a week ago,” Rep. Dan Hunt, chairman of the House Committee on Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight, said.
The Legislature’s plan to transfer the money into a different account also caught the attention of U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who put out a joint statement Wednesday morning calling on the state to “immediately distribute to Chelsea, Everett, Methuen, and Randolph the $100 million dollars committed to them.”
Asked during a visit to Chelsea on Wednesday morning why those cities not yet gotten their $100 million, the governor said it was because of the Legislature’s actions Tuesday.
“We would have just moved ahead and put the money out,” Baker said. “We’re gonna have a conversation, obviously, with the Legislature and say to them, you know, ‘Do you want to treat these four communities differently, or should we be doing exactly for them what is actually going on for the other 347?'”
When pressed about why the money had not already been sent to the cities before Tuesday’s legislative announcement and action, the governor replied, “The Legislature put out a press release, they made a point with respect to this. It wasn’t $5.2 [billion], it was $5.3 [billion], OK? We’ll raise this issue with them. I hope they see it…
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