Mass. Democrats' Tea Party moment that wasn't
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Deehan here, back with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.
Senate President Karen Spilka pointed toward one of the State House's many Revolutionary-era murals on Tuesday as she compared the fight against King George III's tyranny to what Massachusetts residents are facing under President Trump.
Why it matters: The three-headed Democratic Hydra of state government — Spilka, House Speaker Ron Mariano and Gov. Maura Healey — aren't on the same page about how to respond to what they view as a steady stream of threats from the White House.
- Meanwhile, progressives are starting to get anxious.
Between the lines: Spilka's messaging, unintentionally accompanied by patriotic fife music from another event down the hall, underscored the revolutionary attitude and evoked the Tea Party movement that organized to oppose President Obama's agenda 15 years ago.
Threat level: In a letter to Democratic leaders, several progressive organizations warned of "an onslaught of current and anticipated cuts to federal funding" that they want lawmakers to be ready for.
Yes, but: Democrats haven't offered nervous lefties much in the way of solid resistance.
- Healey has set herself up as a protector of Massachusetts within the law, but the famously lethargic Legislature has yet to outline how it will confront the Trump agenda.
- Mariano says the House is aware of the impacts already happening in the state and its members "look forward to working with" Healey and the Senate however they can.
Spilka's action plan, on the 71st day of Trump's second term, is to designate Arlington Democrat Sen. Cindy Friedman's steering committee as a clearing house for the Senate's efforts to counter Trump.
- Details of what those efforts are, or may develop into, were not discussed at the launch of Spilka's "Response 2025."
What they're saying: "Somehow, the Senate's announced response is more comical and more underwhelming than creating a new committee: they held a press conference to let the public know that an existing committee is going to do the work that it should have already been doing," Progressive Massachusetts policy director Jonathan Cohn said after Spilka's announcement.
Meanwhile, Healey announced the White House had terminated $106 million in K-12 education funds for math tutoring, mental health and security in Massachusetts schools.
- Healey, Spilka and Mariano condemned Trump's cut.
- At the "Response 2025" launch event, Spilka, Friedman and other senators were not prepared to answer precisely what they'd do to respond.