A Senate Commerce Committee hearing got heated Wednesday as Republicans pushed to subpoena documents from the Massachusetts Port Authority related to the sheltering of migrants at Logan Airport in Boston.
Massport had allowed migrants to sleep at the airport due to a lack of beds at shelters until Gov. Maura Healey ended the practice.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, chairman of the committee, said Massport has refused to comply with his requests for information and is violating federal grand requirements, necessitating a subpoena.
"In recent years, the Senate has allowed our oversight muscles to atrophy. Oversight rarely occurs in our standing committees, and I believe our country is worse off for it. … It's a front where I will continue to lead as chairman," Cruz told Politico. "Massport apparently believes that the Senate has no jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."
The subpoena request is expected to be approved along party lines, though Democrats objected, claiming the issue has already been resolved, the subpoena effort was premature, and Cruz has not yet exhausted all his options to get the information he is seeking, Politico reported.
Massport had promised to respond to Cruz by next week, Democrats argued, saying the subpoena undermines the committee's tradition of bipartisanship, Politico reported. Cruz has pushed to expand his subpoena power as committee chair to allow him to issue unilateral subpoenas without a committee vote, according to Politico.
"We're going to exercise subpoena power to carry out our oversight responsibilities," Cruz said to Politico. "The committee will be vigorous on oversight."
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., defended his home state during the hearing and accused Cruz of a "fishing expedition."
Said Cruz: "Apparently the senator from Massachusetts believes it is a fishing expedition to want to know and if violent criminal illegal aliens threaten or actually committed acts of violence against the traveling public."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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