Massachusetts Congressman Stephen Lynch is accusing Republicans on the committee that will question sanctuary city leaders Wednesday of using the showdown to raise funds, and he has promised to defend Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
The South Boston Democrat is comparing the hearing to the former House Committee on Unamerican Activities, which he said “appealed to conservative elements of our society and raised a ton of money off of it” in the 1930s.
Lynch, a member of the GOP-led House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said he hopes that the hearing will include a “thoughtful and productive dialogue,” but he’s doubtful after seeing the promotional video released last week declaring “Game on.”
“It’s going to be a federal building, it’s a federal room, it’s federal officers,” Lynch said Tuesday. “It’s all government paid for, and (Republicans) are deriving a personal benefit from that.”
“I think it’s of questionable legality, number one, what they’re doing,” he added, “And number two, it’s an abuse of power – an abuse of power to call forth our mayors to testify on this under this spotlight and this spectacle amidst all of this calumny and false accusations that have no basis in fact.”
Lynch made his remarks during a nearly hour-long news conference in Washington alongside his colleagues, Wu and guests slated to attend President Trump’s State of the Union Tuesday night. They all expressed fear about the impacts the president’s cuts are having on their communities, some labeling Trump and Elon Musk as dictators.
“Boston is the economic engine of our state,” U.S. Sen. Ed Markey said, “and it is also the moral heartbeat of not just Massachusetts but of the whole country. … We do not like to see our city be attacked.”
Wu will join the mayors of New York City, Denver and Chicago in testifying how their sanctuary city policies are impacting public safety. The Herald learned Tuesday that Wu “expects to pay” up to $650,000 in city funds in preparation, per the mayor’s office.
Wu said she will stick to a point that has prevailed during her first team: Boston has become the “safest major city in the country” thanks to ongoing efforts with “partners and collaborators.”
“There is so much that we are proud of back at home that has made our progress together possible,” the mayor said, “and there’s still so much work that we are looking to do together.”
“I would be at home doing that work right now,” she added, “but I will never back down from an opportunity to defend Boston, to defend our residents and to defend all that we have accomplished together.”
Lynch said he and his Boston congressional colleague Ayanna Pressley, also on the oversight committee, will defend Wu during the hearing.
Pressley said, “I see my role as one to combat misinformation, disinformation, to defend our mayor, our city and people who call it home.”