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Boston Globe

Democratic state legislatures have started to take on Trump. What about Massachusetts?

Advertisement 'I am used to inaction from the Legislature,' Hille continued, pointing to the previous slow-moving session. 'But given the extent of the crisis that we're facing and the absolute importance of bold leadership in this moment ... I am surprised they have kept the same old timeline.' It wasn't always this way. In 2017, two weeks into Trump's first presidency, the Massachusetts Senate In Trump's second administration, Democratic-controlled states have already taken steps to fight sweeping policy changes. California Governor Gavin Newsom In Colorado, state legislators passed a resolution And in Connecticut, lawmakers Since the Massachusetts Legislature began its session Jan. 1, lawmakers have taken up bills aimed at helping residents affected by Trump's actions. Advertisement Legislative leaders say Trump's barrage of executive orders, and ongoing uncertainty about which will hold, has made it difficult to respond. Courts have blocked the president's efforts to Mariano told the Globe that in Trump's second term, the 'expanse of what he's got his hands on' has grown, saying, 'Every day is something different.' The speaker's remarks came after he voiced concerns at a MassBio conference about the administration cutting funds for public health research. 'We don't know where it all is going to land until it lands,' Mariano said. 'We can't make a budget — we're just shooting in the dark, and it's frustrating as hell." By contrast, members of Massachusetts' all-Democratic congressional delegation have held town halls criticizing unpopular Republican policies and responding to frustration among constituents. Attorney General Andrea Campbell has joined Governor Maura Healey, for her part, has Advertisement Some cities, meanwhile, have found other ways to challenge Trump's moves. Boston, Pittsfield, and Worcester have all passed measures declaring themselves to be Asked last week how the Legislature could respond, Senate President Karen Spilka replied, 'What do we take action on?' She called the variety of Trump's changes 'cold-hearted, cruel, and just disgusting,' saying she had heard from veterans in her district, for example, struggling to access benefits following layoffs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. 'Most of the cuts are there, then they disappear — it's like whiplash within not only the same week or day, but within an hour,' Spilka said. 'This is probably his strategy, to flood the zone and make it so it's hard to know what's real and what's not real.' Spilka said taking up resolutions, as the Legislature has done in the past 'may be an avenue we will go.' 'We are talking and we're working on issues, but we can't restore the veterans services, we can't restore the federal Department of Education, so we need to see some concrete things,' she added. Some, however, say that response isn't enough. As the Democratic Party faces its 'There's a lot happening, it's hard to keep track of, but this is what the job is for leaders — it's leaders' jobs to respond to it and make sure there is someone responsible in charge who's going to protect the state," said Vickash Mohanka, director of the Massachusetts Sierra Club. Advertisement 'We would love to see the state just do something, be more active, and take more decisive stances,' Mohanka added, noting that his organization had canceled some events out of fear of immigration raids. 'I would like them to show the U.S. what is possible.' Some lawmakers, too, feel the Legislature has been slow to react. 'People are hungry for leadership right now … we need to be matching their fight and matching their energy,' said state Representative Erika Uyterhoeven, a Somerville Democrat. 'We just have to think ahead. As much as there's a lot of uncertainty around what's happening in the White House, we understand their playbook now,' Uyterhoeven added, pointing to At 'I do think we need to do more,' Eldridge said. 'But things are happening so quickly ... it is by design, by the Trump administration, to numb people, to sort of get them to slow down because we're still recovering from what happened three days ago.' Advertisement Former state Representative Patricia Haddad, who chaired the Trump-focused working group alongside Mariano in 2017 and lost her re-election bid to a Republican last fall, said her former colleagues are 'doing what they have to do' in focusing on the budget; their priority should be ensuring 'communities feel supported and our departments feel like they can continue to perform their duties.' 'All my friends are out trying to make their constituents feel like it's going to be OK,' Haddad said. 'But at the end of the day, we have a little more knowledge, but we're in the same place. We don't know what's happening tomorrow.' Anjali Huynh can be reached at