LAST FOUR WEEKS IN REVIEW

Shutdown & SNAP benefits

Many ways to get to yes: This weekend I joined On the Record. I explained how, before this shutdown, I led several other Members of Congress in an open letter to Republican leadership that laid out a big surface area for negotiation — a number of different starting points to get to “yes.” Some of the options: reversing the worst of the Medicaid cuts that will raise premiums for Americans; funding the COPS grants that allow local police departments to hire and train our police officers; giving Congress a vote on the tariffs that have been the biggest tax hike in American history. It's been radio silence from Speaker Johnson since. 

Meanwhile, the president has been saying, ‘If this shutdown continues, I’m going to cut Democrat programs.’ Two-thirds of SNAP recipients are families with children. That is not a Democrat program. It is a program that ensures kids go to school with full stomachs. I joined 213 House Democrats in sending a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins urging the agency to use contingency reserve dollars to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the government shutdown.

Speaker Johnson must bring the House back into session. He needs to swear in Adelita Grijalva, the congresswoman-elect from Arizona, and we need to get back to work. Congress cannot sit on the sidelines while Americans risk losing air traffic controllers, SNAP benefits, and home heating programs as we head into the holiday season.

To answer your questions about the shutdown, I’ve added a resource page with information on what a government shutdown means, how it affects Bay Staters, and other frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Pushing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce towards PFAS regulation

A Montreal Protocol for PFAS: Although the House is out of session due to Speaker Johnson’s unwillingness to negotiate, I have been in the Capital regularly. 

In Washington, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted me to discuss chemical regulation and bipartisan efforts to address polyfluoroalkyl substances – known as ‘PFAS’ – in public water supplies. PFAS chemicals have been used in a variety of household and industrial products for 70 years due to their efficacy in oil-, stain-, and water-resistance applications. However, they are carcinogenic and also linked to other detrimental health and environmental impacts. Due to their chemical composition, PFAS break down extremely slowly – making them ‘forever chemicals.’

Locally, I've worked to bring over $13.5 million in federal water treatment funding to protect the health of Bay State residents from PFAS. At the Chamber, I pressed industry and experts to adopt the same essential-use framework for PFAS that the Montreal Protocol used to heal the ozone layer. Here is a segment of my remarks published by Inside PFAS Policy: 

Auchincloss also suggested that his proposed framework could eventually provide a federal model for addressing PFAS.

“We dealt with this in the 1980s and ’90s, with the ozone-depleting chemicals through an ‘essential use’ framework, where you had essential, non-essential, and substitutable, and I think some version of that can be used for PFAS,” he said.

“It was done in consultation with industry and multinational partners in the ’80s, and I think it can be done that way again. It can induce more innovation for PFAS substitutes while protecting those essential uses, whether it’s biopharmaceuticals or semiconductors, where there really isn’t an alternative right now.”

He added that the framework could supplement state efforts, especially since states are actively experimenting with the best way to approach PFAS regulations while safeguarding product availability and minimizing economic impacts.

Should Congress adopt a framework to address PFAS? 

Post-truth politics & its tech enablers

Grappling with a ‘post-truth’ information landscape: Post-truth politics is the playing field for authoritarians. I hosted a Zoom town hall with two scholars, Lee McIntyre (author of Post Truth) and Jonathan Rauch (author of The Constitution of Knowledge), to discuss how we got here and how we can recover a sense of shared reality. My three most important takeaways:

1. Agreeing that there is such a thing as truth (no to postmodernist relativism)
2. No final say — every debate is always open to new evidence
3. No personal authority — no one can pull rank or cancel discussion

2. The modern assault on truth-seeking began with the cigarette industry's lobby against science and has now morphed and multiplied due to social media, declining long-form literacy, and reality TV-style politics.

3. There is no silver bullet to reverse our post-truth slide. It's long, hard work on the basics: improving education, supporting science, upholding the rule of law, restoring journalism, and fighting back against the techno-authoritarianism that MAGA and Musk evangelize.

Digital dopamine and ‘touch grass populism’: I joined Plain English with Derek Thompson to discuss my campaign against social media corporations, other miners and merchants of dopamine, and their efforts to monetize the attention spans of young people. He labeled me a ‘touch-grass populist’, and I happily agreed.

Derek Thompson: There's a lot of bad things that one could blame on phones and social media: teen anxiety, depression, political polarization, gambling, addiction, a general dumbing down of the country even. In fact, I think test scores have been falling even outside the pandemic. And there's some analysis, global analysis, that ties that to smartphone implementation and smartphone access. How confident are you that phones and social media are a core original sin of all of these negative modern trends?

Jake Auchincloss: Pretty darn confident. And let's tally some of the liabilities. Jonathan Haidt has done a great job of this. Starting in about 2012, we did this experiment where we put a Hollywood studio in everybody's pocket and then connected all those Hollywood studios to one another. And it has been a disaster for mental health. For our children in particular, the developing brain is really marked by two particular features. One is very highly sensitive dopamine systems, meaning they're very receptive to novel risk and reward. And two is an immature prefrontal cortex — you know, an underdeveloped judgment. And those manifest slightly differently for young men versus young women.

But in general, what we have seen is that a compare-and-despair social scene for children has made them miserable. They're lonelier, they're angrier, they're sadder, they feel more disconnected than ever before. And that's not just showing up in the statistics — it's showing up in my own interactions with young people throughout my district. I oftentimes go to speak to middle schoolers and high schoolers, and one of the first things I'll do is I'll say to everybody, "All right, put your heads down, close your eyes, and then raise your hand if you think you would be happy if TikTok had never been invented?” Derek, not all the time, but most of the time, most of the hands go up. These children know that they are not the user, they are the product and they're sick of being monetized by these companies.…

[Social media companies] reward the seven deadly sins, and we have a very simple way of getting less of a vice. We've used it for cigarettes or alcohol, and that is to tax it — and in particular to tax the digital advertising revenues of the social media corporations. So, I'm not talking about taxing the users of the platforms. I'm talking about taxing these corporations. Meta and Google, for example, make $250 billion every year on digital advertising and pay precious little tax because of all their international shell companies. We should just tax their top-line digital advertising revenue and plow it back into things that matter in real life….

We have massively stacked the deck in this country for online activity and against in-real-life activity. If you try to put an accessory dwelling unit in your backyard so your in-laws can live with you, you're gonna spend much longer than it's taking Meta to build a data center that's training chatbots that Mark Zuckerberg thinks should have “sensual conversations with 12-year-olds.” That's ridiculous. We need to put some sensible guardrails on internet activity, again, particularly around adolescents, but then we also have to unleash the world of atoms so people can build stuff.

And obviously, Derek, I don't have to preach to you on this subject, but I think it is important to emphasize that this isn't some Luddite reaction against technology. I think technology is great. I ran the MIT entrepreneurship competition, like I'm all about it. I want technology that solves real problems for people, whether it's disease-related or energy-related, AI-driven robotics that can get us stuff better, faster, cheaper. What I am not as enthusiastic about is a generation of slop thrown across the internet that creates a post-literate society.

Challenging the all-powerful presidency

Protecting our institutions of power: Americans have always distrusted centralized, personalized, and militarized power. A free people always should. Democrats should be the party not only for checks and balances, generally, but against a too-powerful presidency, specifically. I joined Marc Elias on Democracy Docket to discuss how Democrats must work to restore law and order, root out corruption, and protect our military from political interference.

Reclaiming Congress’s tariff authority: President Trump’s chaotic tariffs have been a tax hike on the middle class. I joined 171 of my colleagues in the House and 36 Senators in filing an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court. In this filing, we are standing up for Congress’s Article I powers, making the case that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) is not a tariff statute and that Congress never intended for it to be used as one. Congress should legislate international commerce, to create certainty for business and consumers alike. 

Work, wages, and wealth for Bay Staters

Visit to Taco Comfort Solutions: I focused on work, wages, and wealth at Taco Comfort Solutions in Fall River, which trains and employs welders & other skilled trades in building water tanks and industrial HVAC solutions. Massachusetts wins when we specialize in the R&D and manufacturing of products with exacting specifications and a high mix-to-volume ratio. 

I particularly enjoyed meeting with the product manager who guided me on the tour, and described his own successful career through trades education and then on-the-job training. Our country should build 1,000 trade schools over the next decade to give everyone a chance at that story.

Supporting Mass trades: The Operating Engineers Local 4 represents more than 5,000 heavy equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, equipment house employees, wastewater technicians, and apprentices throughout New England. Their four-year apprenticeship training program graduates skilled operators of heavy equipment onto hundreds of job sites, where they immediately earn good wages. 

I met with Local 4's leadership at their headquarters in Medway, where we discussed federal and state policy on infrastructure, energy, and economic development. We share a commitment to investing in transportation and power and reforming the permitting process to get stuff built faster.

Unlocking housing production: Homeownership is the prime way that many Bay Staters build wealth. According to the Massachusetts Unlocking Housing Production Commission, the state needs at least 222,000 new housing units over the next decade to meet growing demand. While housing remains primarily a state and local issue, Congress must take up efforts to address this deficit by removing federal overregulation.

This month, I cosponsored the Cut Red Tape for Housing Act, which creates a tailored exemption from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for certain infill housing developments that meet strict environmental and site-based criteria. This will cut unnecessary bureaucracy so we can build more housing options faster, where people want to live.

AARP walking tour in Newtonville: Cities & towns build wealth through walkable infrastructure that becomes a platform for small businesses and housing options. Construction on the new Newtonville commuter rail station is set to begin next year. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and I have been working closely with the MBTA to gain funding, prioritize the project, and keep timelines on track. To mark the progress, the mayor and I joined the AARP and state & local officials for a walk audit of Newtonville. We evaluated the walkability of Walnut Street and discussed ways to further improve the pedestrian experience.

Meeting with Brookline seniors: Seniors from 2Life Communities in Brookline visited me in my district office to share artwork and discuss issues of concern for them. I shared my work on bipartisan immigration reform that would hold ICE accountable, provide a pathway to citizenship, and upgrade border security. We also reviewed Medicaid policy, which has a direct impact on seniors’ wealth. We went over my recent proposals to improve long-term services and supports (LTSS) for seniors by allowing Medicaid to share in federal savings that accrue from effective Medicaid LTSS programs, like those that MassHealth has implemented with 2Life.

Licensing Executive Society: Patent attorneys & licensing executives from across North America convened in Boston to discuss the latest in intellectual property at the Licensing Executive Society’s Annual Meeting. Research & development is an important engine of the Massachusetts economy, creating jobs & building wealth, and I joined the keynote panel to express my support for strong IP laws as part of the formula for innovation and shared prosperity: rule of law, sound currency, investment in science & education, quality physical & social infrastructure, and broad ownership in future growth.

Early education in Fall River: People Incorporated has opened a state-of-the-art early education center in Fall River. There's so much policy where the trade-offs are hard, but early education isn't one of them. Helping young children thrive through social and academic programming is the right thing to do for families and the smart thing to do for society. 

When I first ran for city council a decade ago, universal pre-K was my day-one issue. My hometown got it done. I'll continue to work for policy that guarantees every child the best start in life, including by paying early educators salaries that reflect how challenging and valuable their jobs are.

National Parents Union: The government shutdown isn't keeping my friend Keri Rodrigues off Capitol Hill. Keri is the founder & president of the National Parents Union (NPU), which is doing important work to empower parents, challenge the status quo in education policy to deliver better results, and improve children's nutrition and safety. Keri updated me on upcoming policy releases from NPU regarding literacy and more. With K-12 academic performance eroding across the country, it's critical to have policy advocates hungry for change.

Remembering the lives lost on October 7th: I attended the Nova Exhibition in Boston to bear witness to the massacre of more than 400 young Israelis at the Nova Music Festival two years ago. I watched the videos, viewed the wreckage, and heard directly from survivors. I read remembrances of those who were slain and testimonials of unforgotten heroism.

This two-year anniversary is not about politics. I was disappointed to see it used as a platform for what-aboutism or other agendas that do not center the victims of antisemitic terrorism. 

I encourage Bay Staters to attend the Exhibition, particularly students. We must haunt ourselves by staring into these atrocities, including rape and torture, so that we are humbled by the capacity for hate. From that abyss, we can take inspiration from the courage and compassion of the survivors and bereaved.

Return of the hostages: The release of the hostages was a truly joyful day for the families, finally reunited with their loved ones, and for everyone who had prayed for their safe return. As we celebrated the return of the hostages, my thoughts went to Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin, parents of the slain hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who had close ties to Massachusetts. Rachel and Jon have been exemplars of grace, courage, and compassion. They give inspiration to us all.

While we continue to celebrate this breakthrough, we must remember that peace is not just the absence of conflict; it is the presence of justice. There is still much work to be done to achieve justice for both Israelis and Palestinians. The president and Congress must remain closely engaged with both Israel and the Arab League to surge aid, build trust, and ensure that a postwar governance structure in Gaza emerges without Hamas. Hamas may have released the hostages, but it has not yet given up its weapons or its grip on power in the Gaza Strip.

Question: Is there any way to draft and pass a functional immigration bill in exchange for giving local police departments the responsibility of enforcing it? Is there a way for the bill to allow each State to "tune" how it enforces the bill? And, if a State is "following the law", can ICE's jurisdiction be eliminated in that State?

 - Tom, Bellingham 

Answer: Immigration is a federal issue, since both the border and citizenship status are governed nationally. Although law enforcement commonly cooperates across jurisdictions, federal authorities should be the prime enforcers of immigration law. Involving police departments in the enforcement of civil immigration law makes it harder for them to build trust with the community in their enforcement of state criminal codes and public safety. 

Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency in charge of immigration enforcement, is allowed to execute its writ anywhere in the United States. What is not acceptable is violations of due process; profiling & harassment; militarized tactics that make communities feel under siege; or other conduct that degrades trust and accountability, like masking. I am a co-lead of the bipartisan Dignity Act to begin fixing these and other problems in our immigration system. The Dignity Act makes meaningful reforms to several aspects of our immigration system:

• It grants legal rights and responsibilities to undocumented immigrants already living in the United States on or before December 31, 2020, subject to background checks;

• It reforms the asylum screening process to provide an opportunity for review and access to counsel;

• It grants visas to individuals waiting longer than a decade;

• It creates new regional processing centers for asylum claims to prevent migration surges;

• It funds border security and modernizes our land ports of entry;

• It mandates accountability for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE);

• It provides a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.

You can submit a question for a future newsletter here. Please note that casework inquiries for federal agencies must be submitted to my website here. My casework team will respond to these in a timely manner. 

Onwards,

Jake