Republicans in Massachusetts have called on the Democratic Healey administration to provide more detailed explanations about how it has spent about a billion dollars in public funds on the ongoing refugee crisis in the state.
Republicans said Tuesday they had sent requests for information to half a dozen executive branch offices and agencies responsible for spending, services and housing for thousands of migrants housed in hotels and shelters across the state.
The state Republican Party also said it was seeking “detailed information on the 600 incidents involving police, fire and medical emergencies at state-funded shelters.”
Investigations by news organizations across the state have found that Gov. Maura Healey’s administration paid millions of dollars to caterers, hotels and other vendors without any significant oversight over how the money was spent.
In the case of a contract to house people at a former college in Quincy, the state defended its decision to award no-bid contracts by arguing that they were necessary to quickly provide “critical services” such as food, health care and job training.
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The state intends to replace these services with its regular procurement process without a competitive bidding process, The Boston Herald reported.
Overall, government spending has been “shrouded in secrecy,” leaving “Massachusetts residents in the dark,” state Republican Party Chairwoman Amy Carnevale said in a statement.
“The government is blocking journalists at every turn, hindering the flow of information to the public,” Carnevale continued.
Republicans particularly pointed to emergency calls from authorities concerning public safety agencies.
The Boston Herald reported in July that there had been more than 300 reports of “serious incidents” at the migrant family shelters this year. The state withheld some information related to the newspaper’s request.
The State party reported that it had sent its requests to the Executive Office of Administration and Finance, the Office of the Governor and Legal Counsel, the Department of Capital Assets Management and Maintenance, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Order, and the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.
Republican lawmakers proposed changes to the state budget last month that would have required all services for the state’s homeless shelter to be put out to tender.
These amendments failed in the state House of Representatives and Senate, where Democrats hold a majority, and were not included in the final budget.
“The public has a right to transparency. Disclose details about the vendors who are profiting from this crisis and the safety issues in our communities,” Carnevale said.
The Healey administration could not immediately be reached for comment on the GOP’s request for records.
