Beacon Hill fired up for spending — and condemning Trump
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Deehan here, back with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.
The halls of the State House sprang to life this week as the House played policy — debating how to spend over $60 billion — and the Senate played politics — voicing outrage at the unprecedented tactics of the Trump administration.
State of play: The House got busy Monday, adding spending amendments and other policies to the already $61.4 billion annual state budget.
- Members filed more amendments to this year's bill than they had in over a decade, even though there are fears of economic difficulty if Trump's trade policies, attacks on higher education or cuts to research funding create a downturn for the state's finances.
The Trump agenda was top of mind down the hall in the Senate chamber, where Senate president Karen Spilka led a chorus of Democrats warning about the encroaching threats posed by the president.
- Spilka vowed to "resist this new tyranny" of the Trump administration's treatment of visa holders and undocumented immigrants.
What they're saying: Spilka, whose Jewish family fled Russia and later fought to liberate Jews in World War II, drew parallels between the U.S. in 2025 and Europe in the 1930s.
- "It is not just terrifying, it is enraging. This is not who we are. This is not the country that my family fled to and my father fought for."
Between the lines: Senate leaders vowed to pursue a legislative agenda that could protect Massachusetts residents from Trump, but they didn't offer much in the way of specifics.
The Minority's minority: The House's slender GOP minority has a tradition of sticking together during the budget debate, supporting fellow Republicans' attempts to insist on formal roll-call votes to put Democrats on the record for big spending pushes.
Yes, but: MAGA-aligned Rep. Marc Lombardo couldn't seem to rally support from the more centrist rank-and-file Republicans to force a formal vote on Day 1 of debate.
- That's because right-winger Lombardo challenged minority leader Brad Jones for the top Republican spot late last year.
- A consequence of Lombardo's ill-fated jockeying was the seeming end of the conservative hard-liner's ability to get roll calls on the record.