Boston Council Reviews FY26 Climate and Food Budgets Amid Federal Funding Freeze

BOSTON — May 1, 2025 — Boston's City Council grilled environment and food justice officials over a largely level-funded FY26 budget highlighted by a new energy savings program and a $91.3 million climate resilience capital plan. Chief Climate Officer Brian Swett and Environment Commissioner Oliver Sellers-Garcia told the Committee on Ways and Means that the Boston Energy Saver Program — the budget's sole new initiative — could unlock more than $100 million in direct incentives for residents and small businesses navigating energy efficiency upgrades. Office of Food Justice Director Elisa Wasserman disclosed that the federal Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program grant funding the Double Up Food Bucks program is frozen, with no new applications possible, forcing the city to cover the Farmers Market Coupon Program with roughly $570,000 in combined operating funds this year. Council members pressed on the closure of the Daily Table in Mattapan, the status of the Fort Point Channel coastal flood project — stalled since a 2019 FEMA application — and how the city plans to reach immigrant and low-income communities with climate and food resources as federal safety-net programs face cuts.