Anyone, including your correspondent, approaches the keyboard with a heavy heart this week. It feels punk to tap out sentences about resistance while thousands of our fellow humans  are out in subzero temperatures in Minnesota (and this week, everywhere) fighting back against  occupation and terrorism by a  poorly-trained gang of thugs.

Here in Maryland we are much less troubled by that Minnesota not-nice brand of oppression but suffering from the Trump Gang’s discriminatory persecution of many of our fellow citizens and immigrants of various status who don’t look like white billionaires. On top of that, our state budget took a mighty hit from the Big (Un)Beautiful Bill that diverted so much of our tax money to ICE (Trump’s personal armed force) and away from the public-health and premium subsidies that have allowed families to have medical insurance since the Obama administration (as the stories below detail). Our General Assembly is wrestling with the resulting deficit in its session right now (or, actually, after the snow and ice are cleared somewhat). It already looks as though the state’s commitment to a clean energy future will be slowed and the out-of-pocket cost of going to college in Maryland increased.

It’s News You Can Use, sometimes better, sometimes not so great.

HERE IN MARYLAND

Summaries by Maryland Reporter

Seven Inches Of Snow, Sleet Disrupt Maryland Routines: Sunday’s winter storm hit Maryland with more than 7 inches of snow and sleet, forcing widespread closures and travel disruptions that extended into Monday, along with limited power outages. Gov. Wes Moore closed all state offices Monday, as cleanup on main and secondary roads continued. Local governments from Baltimore City to those on the Eastern Shore declared a state of emergency, urging residents to stay home. Baltimore Sun.  >> This weekend’s snowfall may not top the record 2016 blizzard that dropped 29 inches and closed schools for seven days in some areas, but it could force Maryland school districts to hold classes in mid-June. Baltimore Banner.

Moore Changes PSC Direction With Barve As New Chair: The recent leadership shake-up at Maryland’s Public Service Commission came as Gov. Wes Moore was seeking a fresh direction for the board, which regulates gas and electric utilities in the state. The governor announced earlier this month that he had selected Kumar Barve, a longtime state delegate who has served on the commission since 2023, after a resignation from Chair Fred Hoover, a former director of the Maryland Energy Administration and assistant people’s counsel. Maryland Matters.

On The Budget Plan: Moving Funds Out Of Clean Energy: Gov. Wes Moore’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget would transfer $292 million from Maryland’s primary clean energy fund as part of nearly $1.8 billion in program cuts and fund shifts aimed at closing the state’s budget deficit. The move has drawn sharp criticism from environmental groups and mixed reactions from lawmakers as the Maryland General Assembly begins reviewing the plan.  Baltimore Sun.

More Enroll In Downgraded Health Insurance Marketplace: The number of people enrolling in health care plans through the state’s insurance marketplace may be at a record high, but the quality of coverage is down for thousands of Marylanders, officials told lawmakers this week. Maryland Matters.
(and see Pluribus roundup on this, in  “other 49” section below)

University System sees $162 million drop in state funds, faces tuition increases,  furloughs

A loss of $371 million in federal funds from Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill echoes through the proposed state budget and brings a cut in state funding for the University of Maryland system, the student newspaper reports. The USM system lost $163 million in state funding and the flagship College Park campus was down $53 million. In-state tuition and out-of-state tuition for undergraduate and graduate students increased by 4 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Mandatory university fees increased by 4.5 percent for undergraduates, and 5 percent for graduate students. Layoffs, furloughs and salary reductions have been authorized by the Board of Regents but not yet imposed. The Diamondback.

Lawmakers Hope To Streamline Court Process In Squatter Cases: Maryland lawmakers are renewing a push to streamline the court process for dealing with squatters, including a bill that seeks to accelerate the timeline for removing unauthorized residential tenants. Baltimore Banner.

Carroll Voters To Choose From Array Of 'I Voted' Stickers: Carroll County voters will get to pick more than candidates in upcoming elections. After casting their ballots, voters will be able to choose from among the four winning designs for the 2026 Carroll County Board of Elections “I Voted” sticker. Carroll County Times.

THE REGION AND THE OTHER 49

JOBS NEXT DOOR: Delaware's unemployment rate jumps past 5% for the first time since 2021 | Delaware Public Radio

HEALTH CARE: State health insurance officials are reporting increasing numbers of Americans opting out of coverage or opting for lower-priced, flimsier plans. It’s the first sign that rising costs caused by the expiration of federal tax subsidies are having an impact on ACA enrollments. Those trends are expected to continue as those who are automatically re-enrolled begin receiving bills with higher rates. (Pluribus News) [paywalled]

VOTER DATA: A federal judge has dismissed a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, placing another roadblock in the path of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to obtain sensitive voter information from states, the Georgia Recorder reports. Georgia is now one of at least three states in which federal judges have dismissed lawsuits seeking sensitive voter information. Stateline Daily

Pluribus “By the Numbers” Dept: 21%: The decline in cross-border shipping containers entering Montana from Canada during the first 11 months of 2025. Individual crossings dropped 29% over the same period. (Montana Free Press)  *AND* 7,343: The number of births recorded in Milwaukee, Wis., in 2025. That’s a 5% decline from 2024 and a 22% drop from 2019. It’s the lowest number of births on record since the state started collecting data in 1990. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND THE FEDS

The Economist: “Nearly half of Americans think that the killing of Alex Pretti by immigration-enforcement officers was unjustified, according to surveys by YouGov the day after.”

 Stateline Daily reports Fallout from Alex Pretti killing: Trump administration facing widespread criticism -- Gun rights groups, Republicans in Congress and the business community back away, if at times gingerly

The federal killing of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis this month, captured from multiple angles by witnesses recording on their cell phones, kicked off a dizzying day here and in Washington. Democratic politicians and ordinary Americans reacted with a mix of outrage and incredulousness, backfooting the Trump administration as the federal operation Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has called an “occupation” approached its third month. By late Saturday, a Trump-appointed Minnesota federal judge had ordered the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies to refrain from “destroying or altering evidence.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said his party would block a must-pass government appropriations package — and partially shut down the government next week — if it contained additional funding for the Homeland Security Department. 

The 74 – an education newsletter – reports that in Minneapolis “the Trump administration’s weeks-long immigration enforcement campaign in Minneapolis, which has shuttered schools and terrified students and parents, has left one group particularly vulnerable: children with disabilities. Their families, who already fear their kids shutting down, running away, harming themselves or acting out when confronted under normal circumstances, have seen their anxiety skyrocket as they contemplate worst-case scenarios with federal agents… parents say their kids are missing not just school but also therapy appointments to avoid encountering potentially hostile federal agents.

Will the GOP hold the line? “For weeks, I was hearing from Republican lawmakers, Republican operatives, that hey — if Democrats want to do this whole anti-ICE thing, go for it. Historically immigration has been a Republican issue and we would love to see Democrats try,” a POLITICO podcaster reports.  “I don't hear that same argument in this moment. What I'm hearing from Republicans is that they are very frustrated that this administration has taken an issue … that was a total goldmine for Republicans politically, and are losing the plot on it.”

Here’s the weekly report from People’s Action director of federal affairs Megan E

Hey People's Action, I hope you’re hanging in there. 

I sent the update below on Saturday, but I’m trying to keep resources for targeting Congress around ICE out of MN updated in this toolkit. As of now, Senator Fetterman is the only Senate Democrat who has not made a statement about Alex Pretti’s killing by border patrol agents. Senators Gillibrand (NY), Hassan (NH) & Shaheen (NH) have made statements about the killing and concern about agents conduct but they have not publicly committed to voting against the bill. 

Enough Democrats have committed to voting no to block the bill. Democrats are asking to have the Homeland Security funding bill stripped out and to vote on the other funding bills. Republicans have so far said no and are moving forward with the bill package. Due to the snowstorm, the Senate won’t open until tomorrow night [Tuesday] for first votes. 

Demands and next steps are still being developed and this is what I’ve heard from our partners in Minneapolis and the immigrants rights movement. 

The bare minimum that lawmakers should be calling for & committing to:

• ICE out of MN and our communities & a moratorium on ICE activity around the country
• Voting NO on the Homeland Security bill
• Calling for Kristi Noem to resign or be impeached
• A thorough investigation of the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good with full cooperation by Homeland Security
• There are also calls for guardrails to restrict ICE activity in the funding bill but skepticism on the effectiveness of such guardrails

For more background, last week the House passed a “business as usual” government funding package that includes $400 million more for detention and $370 million more for ICE enforcement. This money comes on top of the unprecedented $45 billion ICE got through the 2025 reconciliation bill that cut almost a TRILLION dollars in health care funding. 

While House Democratic leadership voted against the bill, they did NOT whip against it. The bill passed 220 - 207 with seven Democrats voting for the bill and it would not have passed without Democrats’ votes. Representatives Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen of New York, Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzales of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Jared Golden of Maine, and Marie Glusenkamp Perez of Washington were the Dirty Dem 7.

Several Republican governors and Congressional Republicans called for more information or investigations into the murders of peaceful observers of immigration agents. Most of the Republicans [who spoke up] are either not running for reelection or in very close Congressional races -- among them, Senator Bill Cassidy (LA), who recently found his spine after Trump endorsed his primary challenger. 

In solidarity, 

Megan

[People’s Action is the national affiliate of Progressive Maryland]