These "states fight back against Trumpworld" headlines are starting to get old, sure, but that's what's actually happening. Zone floods, states turn on the pumps. Again. Just like last week.

We start in Maryland, where sanctuary questions roil some jurisdictions, farmers report worries about future supply but no significant harm from Trump tariffs -- yet -- lots of talk about Gov. Moore running in the 2028 presidential, to which he says "no" and argues for focus on "now," and a first set of new laws kicks in as of June 1. In other states, big worries about impact of House spending bill cuts on low-income folks (including in Red states) and business lobbies complicate already-endangered state incentives for cooler buildings. And then there's Congress, where the GOP majority kissing the Trump, er, ring is showing some fractures, again Red-state Senators worried about Medicaid shortfalls. It's News You Can use for the beginning of a long, hot summer...

HERE IN MARYLAND

Summaries from Maryland Reporter

Maryland Leaders Speak Against Trump's Sanctuary City Claims: Some of Maryland’s Democratic leaders are standing firm in the face of the Trump administration’s latest attempt to strong-arm state and local governments into helping carry out the president’s mass deportation agenda. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich scoffed at the notion they were doing something wrong or that they could be intimidated into following Trump’s orders.  Baltimore Banner.

>>Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) is defending the county’s immigration policies and compliance with federal law after the county was listed as a sanctuary jurisdiction by President Donald Trump – which could lead to a loss of federal funding. “We are not in violation of federal law, and we will not be making changes based on political headlines,” he said. Bethesda Today.

Two Authorities for One MD State School System Working Out Distinct Duties: Local school systems straining to comply with the state’s sweeping Blueprint for Maryland’s Future have had to report to both the Maryland Department of Education and the Blueprint’s Accountability and Implementation Board, a setup creating confusion “since the get-go.” Now, more than three years into the process, the two agencies said late last week they are working on a memorandum of understanding that could make things a bit smoother for all concerned. Maryland Matters

In S.C., Moore Says He Isn't Running For President, But He Acts Like He Is: A backyard meet-and-greet on Saturday — hosted by former advisers to Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden at a private residence and attended by about 70 Democratic officials, operatives and business leaders — was among several events Gov. Wes Moore headlined over two days in South Carolina that further fueled speculation about his potential national ambitions.  Baltimore Sun.

>Moore urged Democrats in this pivotal early presidential primary state of South Carolina to become “the party of ‘yes’ and ‘now’” during a hopeful speech Friday, where he challenged his party to advance its values with the same ruthless efficiency that has driven President Donald Trump’s agenda. WaPo

>“I know I’m not running,” Moore told reporters Friday. “But the thing I’m also very clear about is that anyone who’s talking about 2028 is not taking 2025 very seriously.” Moore and Kamala Harris's running mate Gov. Tim Walz, as well as Rep. Jim Clyburn’s (D-S.C.) and former Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison of Columbia, emphasized the importance of focusing on what’s happening now in Washington, D.C. Maryland Matters.

>“Urgency is the instrument of change. And do you know who understands that really well? Donald Trump!” Moore said, to a few groans from the audience. “I want to be clear: We can — and we must — condemn Donald Trump’s reckless actions. But we will be foolish not to learn from his impatience.” Trump, he said, isn’t interested in studies or white papers before taking action, whether it’s engaging in “arbitrary” trade wars or making efforts to “dismantle” democracy.  Baltimore Banner.

New Laws Limit Abuse Damages From State, Delay In Paid Family, Med Leave: When you woke up on Sunday, it became harder to collect damages from the state for child sexual abuse and easier to find relief at a pick-your-own farm, new rules will start the long process of slowing utility rate increases and a new law will again delay the start of a paid family and medical leave program. And chromite will be the official state mineral, a fact you can toast with the new official state cocktail, the orange crush. Maryland Matters.

In-Person Classes To Restart At National Fire Academy In Emmitsburg: The National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg will begin holding in-person classes again today, three months after it was temporarily shut down by FEMA to ensure compliance with the Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency, spearheaded by Elon Musk. The NFA is the only academy in the nation that offers advanced training to high-level fire officers. WYPR-FM.

Trump Tariffs Spur Ag Insecurity, Growth For CSA Farms: Farm owners throughout Maryland say they are seeing an uptick in people buying subscriptions for their fruits and vegetables through their Community Supported Agriculture programs. One farmer said the last few months have been a public “wake-up call” — from a nationwide egg shortage to funding cuts over food safety — that is revealing the fragility of the country’s food system and making consumers think local.  Baltimore Banner.

MD  Farmers Say They Have Avoided Financial Impact of Tariffs So Far: President Donald Trump’s blanket tariffs caused concern among Maryland’s agricultural industry when first announced. Many feared the repercussions of a trade war would land on farmers, as happened in 2018. But while many remain concerned about the future impact of tariffs, some in the industry say their operations have so far avoided a financial sting. Baltimore Sun.

Federal Judge Slams Trump Over Failure To Comply With Return Orders: A federal judge in Maryland slammed the Trump administration Friday for its “blatant lack of effort to comply” with her order earlier this month to report steps taken to facilitate the return of a second wrongly deported man to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador. Maryland Matters.

MoCo Trash Incinerator May Get $57m In Maintenance Instead Of Being Shut: Montgomery County may need to spend more than $57 million over four years on maintenance for the county’s trash incinerator in Dickerson despite County Executive Marc Elrich promising years ago to close it.  Washington Post.

THE OTHER 49

GOP cuts to food assistance would hit rural America especially hard --  More people struggle to buy food, and advocates fear SNAP cuts would only make things worse. A greater share of rural residents currently rely on SNAP than those in metropolitan areas. If approved, cuts proposed by Congress could further squeeze struggling rural grocery stores and increase demand on food banks aiming to keep people fed. Stateline

School Extracurriculars for the home-schooled: A decade of work by Missouri lawmakers and activists culminated this year with the legislature sending a bill to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe expanding extracurricular opportunities for home-school students, the Missouri Independent reports. The legislation would require public schools to allow home-schooled students in the area to try out for sports teams and other activities beginning in August. Stateline

By The Numbers: 214: The number of Latinas who hold seats in state legislatures across the country, an all-time record. The Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University found the number of Black, Asian American and Pacific Islander women in legislative seats all stand at record highs. (The 19th) via Pluribus

Climate: Big Money Behind “Dark Roof” Construction -- How the little-known  lobby may be making US cities hotter…  As cities heat up, reflective roofs could lower energy bills and help the climate. But dark-roofing manufacturers are waging a quiet campaign to block these new incentives for cooling.  The Guardian UK with Floodlight

Sports stadium finances perplex city straddling state lines: Missouri lawmakers are returning to special session today to consider an incentive package to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals on their side of the border. Legislation to cap the state’s share of construction costs at 50% failed in the last week of the regular session. (St. Louis Public Radio) via Pluribus

GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND THE FEDS

VA officials demand prepublication review of doctors’, scientists’ articles and speeches: Senior officials at the US Department of Veterans Affairs have ordered that VA physicians and scientists not publish in medical journals or speak with the public without first seeking clearance from political appointees of Donald Trump.  The edict  came hours after the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published a perspective co-authored by two pulmonologists who work for the VA in Texas. The article warned that canceled contracts, layoffs and a planned staff reduction of 80,000 employees in the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system jeopardizes the health of a million veterans seeking help for conditions linked to toxic exposure such as Agent Orange in Vietnam or burn-bags in Iraq. The Guardian (UK)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Here is the weekly report from People’s Action by Megan E, their federal affairs director:

I’ve been getting a few questions about HUD funding. [More generally, we need to worry about GOP efforts to mask or downplay disagreements in their own caucus about how hard some of the House bills hit on vulnerable populations (which Red states have plenty of]). There are two budget processes moving forward right now. The budget reconciliation bill is a 10 year budget that deals with revenue raising (taxes) and topline spending limits, plus mandatory spending that includes tax credits, Medicaid, SNAP formulas. Mandatory spending is spending that is required by a law rather than an annual appropriations bill. This is the budget reconciliation bill that has passed the House and is moving to the Senate. The budget reconciliation is not subject to the filibuster and only needs 50 Senators to pass with the Vice President being a tie-breaker. Therefore, Republicans can pass this bill without any Democrats voting for it. 

Then, there’s Appropriations

The annual spending budget process is called Appropriations and those bills govern discretionary spending or lump sums that Congress allocates to each individual agency for a given fiscal year. The appropriations process has just begun in the appropriations committees in both chambers for Fiscal Year 2026, which begins on October 1st, 2025. The appropriations bills are typically divided into 12 bills by agency or group of agencies, then packaged together for final passage. The appropriations bills ARE subject to the filibuster in the Senate and therefore need to meet a 60 vote threshold and the GOP majority will still need to cut a deal with Senate Democrats to pass it. 

As a reminder, the President's Fiscal Year 2026  so-called “skinny” budget calls for Congress to slash non-defense federal programs by more than $163 billion (the lowest level in the modern era) while keeping funding for the military flat (Republicans are already increasing Pentagon spending in the budget reconciliation).

Trump proposes to 

• Slash discretionary funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development by more than 40 percent.
• Eliminate LIHEAP (the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program that helps low-income people pay for heating & cooling)
• Cut $4.5 billion from K-12 education, $315 million from preschool
• An additional $2.5 billion cut to IRS funding for tax enforcement (DOGE has already slashed upwards of 40% of IRS staff) 
• A cascade of cuts to environmental protection: 
  • Trump proposes $15 billion cuts to renewable energy
  • Cancels $6 billion for EV chargers
  • $4.5 billion in USDA cuts includes conservation programs
  • Cuts funding to EPA by 55% including:
    •  eliminating the office of environmental justice and its grant programs entirely 
    • $2.5 billion from the clean drinking water state revolving loan fund
  • More than $1 billion from our National Park Service

The House Appropriations Committee THUD subcommittee is scheduled to mark-up the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Bill on July 14th at 6pm ET. The full committee is scheduled to mark up the bill, the following Thursday, 7/17 at 10am. We can expect bill language a couple of days before the markup. 

The Senate Appropriations Committee has been holding hearings on the President’s budget request for different agencies where it is calling the agency head to testify. The committee has not yet held a hearing on HUD and has nothing scheduled beyond this week so it may schedule one soon. I expect the committee to mark up the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies bill in June or July. 

Budget Reconciliation Update

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) & Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-ID) are working with the Republican conference to decide on any changes to the bill. They may skip committee markups entirely. 

They are facing some pushback from a group of Senators on the cuts to Medicaid. They include:  Josh Hawley (R-MO), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Jim Justice (R-VA). From Politico: “Hawley, like Crapo, has indicated he is comfortable with work requirements, but he is pushing for two major tweaks to the House language: undoing a freeze on provider taxes, which most states use to help finance their share of Medicaid costs, and new co-payment requirements for some beneficiaries that he has been calling a ‘sick tax.’” 

Justice, Moran and Collins have expressed concerns about the changes to the provider tax and its impact on state budgets and rural hospitals. Collins has left the door open on work requirements, while Murkowski has expressed concern about them, including the pushed- up deadline. 

In addition to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a likely no vote on the bill, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is pushing to reduce deficit spending and would like to see states pay a higher portion of the Medicaid expansion group. Right now the federal government pays 90%. Hawley is opposed and suggests there would not be enough votes to pass the bill if that changes. 

Also from Politico, “Senate Democrats are preparing to challenge parts of the GOP megabill with the parliamentarian, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter Sunday. He highlighted a specific House provision that critics say would weaken judges’ power to enforce contempt orders.”