While all sorts of warlike behavior is going on outside US borders -- including those of Maryland -- more contained struggles continue in Annapolis, as we see below. Some high-profile bills are getting high-level attention, in many cases because they don't cost much. Others, more costly, are simmering in committees as we arrive at Crossover Day, a symbolic moment when bills must emerge from one chamber in order to be (more or less) guaranteed full rather than hasty consideration in the other chamber. Longtime observers can already see the first bubbles in the boiling stew that is the last week or two of the session, when the toughest (and often most expensive) legislation gets pummeled and massaged in hopes of achieving passage before that wonderful, unpronouncible moment called sine die, which your Latin teacher would probably have told you should be rendered as "see-nay dee-ay." Oh, well.

On Capitol Hill, Trump has time despite his war to keep a Homeland Security funding compromise hostage, insisting that the tag-end budget bill include his favorite new form of oppression, the SAVE Act -- devoted to making voting proportionally harder for lower-income voters with multiple jobs and little time to stand in line for a passport or birth certificate. To add to the burden, the Supreme Court conservatives appear ready to kick a hole in mail-in voting. Mississippi's law counts votes that are postmarked by Election Day even if they arrive as late as five days later. The Supremes' first argument on that was not confidence-inspiring if you think voting should not be accidentally curtailed by a short-staffed USPS. Speaking of accidents, we keep our fingers crossed as ICE agents try to behave themselves while (hopefully) shortening lines at the TSA checkpoints in major airports. Better use up your miles before the jet fuel runs out.

It's News You Can Use for this Monday.

HERE IN MARYLAND

Summaries from Maryland Reporter

Welcome to Crossover Day: Monday is “crossover day” for the General Assembly, marking a critical deadline for bills that lawmakers want to see reach the finish line this legislative session. Bills need to pass in both the Senate and the House in order to be sent to the governor for final approval; crossover day is a timeline marker to ensure legislation from one chamber has enough time to be heard in the other before sine die – the last day of the legislative session – on April 13.WYPR-FM. >> Maryland lawmakers have until 11:59 p.m. today to advance legislation and make good on key promises, like lowering costs and bolstering the state’s economy. So far, the General Assembly has only passed one bill that was signed into law — a ban on 287(g) agreements that allow local law enforcement to collaborate with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport undocumented immigrants detained in local jails. Baltimore Sun.

Cuts To Energy Efficiency Rebate Program Raise Concern: Legislators are discussing cuts to the EmPOWER program, which could shrink some of the rebates that homeowners get for energy efficiency projects — and completely eliminate others, starting in 2027. They are making the changes to reduce the EmPOWER surcharge on customers’ bills, arguing that it’s one of the few ways to easily get a somewhat quick reduction. Comparatively, trying to stabilize energy markets thrown out of whack by data center demands will take much longer, they say. Maryland Matters.

Teens Seek to Boost Civic Engagement with New Bills: Gavin Falcón, 17, believes teens’ voices should get more sway statewide, especially when it comes to decisions that directly affect their lives. Last summer, the Long Reach High School junior and other students asked Howard County representatives in the General Assembly to help them craft bills to allow students more say in decisions made about their education. The General Assembly is now considering these proposed laws. Baltimore Sun.

Church & State Bill Dominates Legislative Debate: It may never even take effect, but that did not make the debate any less intense Friday over the Keeping Charities Nonpartisan Act of 2026, which could regulate the ability of charitable organizations to participate in partisan activity. SB 4 ended up as one of the most hotly debated issues in a hurried day of House and Senate action on bills Friday, after some Black lawmakers worried it could have a “chilling effect” on the historically important voice of Black churches. Maryland Matters

Lawmakers May Be Allowed Local Government Jobs with New Bill: Sen. Ron Watson (D-Prince George’s) walked away from a job in the Prince George’s County school system in December due to potential ethical concerns, but he didn’t walk away from the issue. Watson is the lead sponsor of SB 618, which would let a legislator work for a state, county or local government if that person had served one elected term in the General Assembly and met other standards, including having “objectively satisfied the minimum education, licensure and experience requirements” of the job. Maryland Matters

MD Firm's Data Center Plans Worry Watchdogs Over Electricity Drain: TeraWulf, a Maryland-based digital technology company, plans to change a power plant in Charles County into a data center hub — a move that some consumer watchdogs worry could increase already soaring electricity prices for Marylanders. Baltimore Sun.

Judge Extends Order Blocking Washington County ICE Detention Center: A federal judge extended his order Thursday blocking work on a Washington County warehouse that Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to turn into an immigrant detention center to house up to 1,500 people. Maryland Matters.

Advocates Of Reparations Commission Could Begin Recruiting Appointees Soon: Supporters could begin soliciting volunteers to serve on the long-awaited, and long-delayed Maryland Reparations Commission as soon as next week, ending a year of starts and stops on the measure. Maryland Matters. 

THE REGION AND THE OTHER 49

States Demand Refunds On ‘Illegal’ Trump Tariffs: Maryland and Virginia are part of a growing, multistate push to force Congress to refund more than $166 billion in tariffs, after the Supreme Court ruled the Trump policy illegal. Attorneys general in more than a dozen states, including Maryland and Virginia, are arguing the money to pay for President Donald Trump’s tariffs came straight out of consumers’ pockets. WTOP News via Maryland Reporter

VIRGINIA: State Democrats are getting nervous about next month’s vote to adopt new congressional district lines that would favor their party. Republicans have shown some favorable early voting numbers, while the April date is unusual, leading to Democratic worries about turnout. Supporters of the redistricting measure have spent $17.2 million on TV ads, while the chief opponent has booked just $1 million in ads. (NBC News) via Pluribus

[NEXT DOOR] SOLAR PROJECTS: Delaware state lawmakers advanced two bills that would remove regulatory obstacles facing solar projects, Spotlight Delaware reports. The Senate passed a measure that would remove Delaware’s cap on when utilities can stop buying new energy from households with solar panels. The House approved a bill that would require utilities to modernize the process of connecting large-scale solar power projects to the grid. Stateline Daily

SOCIAL MEDIA: California lawmakers are considering legislation to restrict social media use for minors under 16. The bill would bar those under 16 from creating or maintaining social media accounts. Industry groups say they don’t believe a ban will achieve the legislature’s goal of reducing harm to minors. (Los Angeles Times) via Pluribus

MEDICAID – Cuts could add pressure to stressed psychiatric units: Federal Medicaid cuts could exact a heavy toll on psychiatric units at hospitals across the country, many of which are already struggling to keep their doors open but provide essential mental health care to people who need it. Psychiatric units are costly and typically lose money for hospitals. Between 2023 and 2024, the most recent data, 126 hospitals across the U.S. shut down their inpatient psychiatric units, according to data provided to Stateline by the American Hospital Association. Stateline

ECONOMY: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has signed a 60-day suspension of the state’s gas tax. Kemp also signed legislation giving tax refunds of $250 to individuals, $350 to heads of households and $500 to married couples filing jointly. Gas prices in Georgia have jumped from $2.71 a gallon before the outbreak of war with Iran to $3.79 as of Friday. (State Affairs) via Pluribus

MORE GEORGIA DOINGS: Election Board nominees’ rejection upheld by state court. Georgia’s Court of Appeals has overturned a trial court’s ruling ordering the Fulton County Board of Commissioners to seat two conservative election activists on the county election board or face daily fines. In May, Democrats on the board had rejected the two Republican Party nominees, citing concerns about both individuals’ past actions and arguing that they were not qualified for the position. Fulton County’s GOP sued to force the nominees’ acceptance. Though a county judge agreed with the GOP, the state appeals court agreed with the Democratic-majority County Commission. One nominee previously refused to certify the results of the 2024 primary until ordered to by a judge; the other, a right-wing activist, has challenged the voter registrations of tens of thousands of Georgia residents. Stateline/Georgia Recorder

IMMIGRATION: The Tennessee Senate has voted to delay consideration of a bill to require school districts to provide counts of noncitizen students. The legislature asked for, but never received, guidance from the federal Department of Education about whether the bill would put federal funding at risk. (State Affairs) via Pluribus

GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND THE FEDS

The Global topline of the lunchtime news today comes from POLITICO: "DON’T SAY TACO: President Donald Trump backed down this morning from his threat of significant strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, just hours before his own deadline for Iran to effectively reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Markets breathed a temporary sigh of relief. Oil prices dropped. But questions abound about how much of this is real progress, and whether it’ll stick beyond this week. Trump on Truth Social announced the U.S. had “very good and productive conversations” over the weekend, and that consequently the U.S. would pause “any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure” for the next five days, POLITICO’s Eric Bazail-Eimil and colleagues report. Talks will be ongoing this week, he wrote. This all follows the standoff over the strait, which is a key transport zone for oil exports that Iran has been using as a chokepoint — setting off alarms for weeks in the oil market and among major U.S. allies." [Close observers will note that bombing civilian electric power plants, a favorite tactic of Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, is generally considered a war crime. The Economist's defense expert, Shashank Joshi, observed "Mr Trump’s threat will cause some consternation among American military lawyers, who will know that any attack would need to meet the principles of discrimination, necessity and, more important here, proportionality."] The possibility of negotiations to end the war, conveniently announced prior to the markets opening, saw stocks jump and the S&P leap to one of its best days since before the war started, per AP. The price of crude oil fell to around $100, down from its $120 peaks last week. Not so fast: Iranian state media quickly contradicted Trump’s post, raising doubts about how far along any negotiations actually are. They denied that direct talks have happened between the U.S. and Tehran, labeling Trump’s statement as a bid to lower energy prices and buy time, per Axios’ Barak Ravid. 

It's pretty fast-moving. See Megan's deep dive into DC, below

Ask the energy experts about the real consequences: From The Guardian (UK): “The global energy crisis caused by the war in Iran is equivalent to the combined force of the twin oil shocks of the 1970s and the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the head of the International Energy Agency has said. Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said the growing crisis could be seriously compounded through interruptions to the 'vital arteries of the global economy,' including petrochemicals, fertilizers, sulfur and helium. He said the depth of the problems had not initially been properly understood by world leaders.”

Trump is forcing coal plants to stay open. It could cost customers billions. Consumer advocates say the federal moves are creating chaos. -- In an unprecedented use of federal authority, President Donald Trump’s administration has invoked emergency powers to force a series of retiring coal plants to stay open. Utilities, states and grid operators have said the aging plants are expensive, in bad repair and no longer needed to meet regional energy needs. But Trump’s efforts to save the dwindling coal industry have forced plant operators to continue investing in the facilities — a move that some consumer advocates fear could mean billions of dollars in added costs for customers in dozens of states. The emergency order claims the plants are needed to ensure grid integrity, which state officials deny. Stateline Daily

And here is the weekly update from on the ground in DC, with dis-empowered legislators and fear-inducing Truth Social postmeister running the show. Megan is federal affairs director for Progressive Maryland's national affiliate, People's Action.

Hello People's Action,

Well, there’s a lot going on in DC this morning, and none of it’s good. 

There is no end in sight to the war in Iran. Trump threatened to bomb Iranian power plants and shut off their electricity over the weekend if Iran doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz. After the price of oil shot up this morning along with the 10-year Treasury bond yield --considered an indicator for rising global inflation -- Trump said he would postpone those strikes for five days due to progress in his negotiations with Iran for an end to the war. Iran is denying any negotiations (though Oman is trying to broker a peace deal) and this appears to be a lie by Trump to backtrack due to market conditions.  Oil prices dropped 10% after his announcement. If the Strait of Hormuz is not opened by Friday, Trump is threatening to send 4,500 U.S. marines to the region.

Overall, “the price of oil and gas shot up by over 50 percent since late February — a crisis that is now worse than the oil shocks in 1973 and 1979 combined, according to the head of the International Energy Agency.” (see entry above)

Last week, the White House requested an additional $200 billion in additional short term funding for the war. That was double the amount that had originally been floated. The Pentagon is also requesting $1.5 trillion (that's with a "T") for the Pentagon in 2027! Getting the supplemental funding for the war through Congress will be hard for Republicans to do on their own because it will be deficit spending. They are talking about budget reconciliation, but they have a problem with their own party. Far-right extremist Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) already said she won’t vote for it, saying, “I am so tired of spending money elsewhere. I am tired of the industrial war complex getting all of our hard-earned tax dollars. I have folks in Colorado who can’t afford to live.” That should be Democrats messaging, yet, several Democratic Senators have said they will consider the request. Democrats will need to hear constituents in opposition to funding the war. We have a petition and I encourage your organizations to drive calls and emails. Republicans may also try to sweeten Pentagon funding with money for Democrats’ priorities. 

A landing plane crashed into a fire truck at La Guardia airport last night, killing the two pilots and injuring many other people. It is unclear yet whether the crash is related to low staffing at the airport due to the shutdown. TSA lines have been particularly long at that airport as agents have missed paychecks. Either way, Congress is likely to be motivated to end the shutdown. Trump is sending ICE agents to airports today to support TSA. 

Trump, however, is neither focused on funding his war nor his Department of Homeland Security. While Republicans in Congress have gotten more serious about negotiating with Democrats for an end to the shutdown, the petulant child is now is saying he doesn’t want to end the shutdown until the SAVE America Act passes. The Senate held a rare session on Sunday to debate the bill. Democrats are uniformly against the bill along with three Republican Senators. They are McConnell (R-KY) who is retiring, Murkowski (R-AK), who has her own independent power and Tillis (R-NC), who is not running for reelection. Interestingly, Senator Collins (R-ME) supports the bill -likely because she has burned all of her political capitol with Trump in voting against HR.1 and now has to do whatever he says. 

Several other Republican Senators are likely privately opposed to the SAVE America Act (because requiring people to bring a passport or birth certificate with a name that matches your ID is ludicrous and would impact millions of working class Republican voters) though willing to vote for a bill that won’t pass to appease Trump. They won't, however, vote to change the Senate rules and end the filibuster. Majority Leader Thune doesn’t want to change the Senate rules for this bill. This means the Senate will continue to debate the bill for a week or so until Trump and the Republican champions of the bill, led by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) get tired and decide to move on. Schumer’s got an oped on what the bill would really do published in the NY Times today. 

The Senate is likely to confirm Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as the new Secretary of Homeland Security. Senators Fetterman (D-PA) and Heinrich (D-NM) voted with Republicans to advance the nomination. 

In solidarity,

Megan