WASHINGTON — Democratic state lawmakers said Thursday they want to see what policy proposals President-elect Trump follows through on before enacting any more of their own policies to protect state priorities.
Leaders from California, Massachusetts and New York spoke with reporters Thursday at an event hosted by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
California Sen. Monique Limon (D), chair of her chamber’s Democratic Caucus, said the legislature is poised to pass bills bolstering the state’s legal muscles, including providing at least $25 million to the state Department of Justice. Limon expects those funding measures to be enacted before Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
But any other Trump-proofing policies are likely to be enacted later.
“There are policy and budgetary concerns,” Limon said. “We are at the beginning stages of the special session, so we’ll see where we end up.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called the special session to prepare the state for Trump’s administration, including providing a legal defense fund. California sued the federal government 122 times during Trump’s first term, which cost the state $42 million.
Lawmakers contend that money was well spent. In one 2017 case, when the state sued over Trump placing immigration enforcement requirements on federal policing grants, the state won and was awarded $57 million.
Limon said likely areas of policy action include protecting the state from high tariffs and mass deportations. Limon said California could revisit its 2017 sanctuary state law, which limits police enforcement of deportations and limits immigration enforcement actions in public schools, hospitals and health facilities, courthouses, and libraries.
“There’s not a uniform 50 state agreement on what that even looks like or means,” Limon said.
As chair of the Senate Banking and Finance Committee, Limon said she is also exploring how to strengthen consumer protections. She pointed to possible changes to the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was created by Democrats responding to the 2008 financial crisis and is often pointed to by Republicans as creating unnecessary regulations.
“Making sure that the state has some of [these protections] in place I think is worth looking at,” Limon said.
Massachusetts Rep. David Linsky (D) and New York Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) also said their chambers would be waiting to see a specific need before legislating when it comes to the Trump administration.
Both said their legislatures had already moved to protect abortion rights, combat gun violence and other Democratic priorities in previous years.
“We did that in 2019,” said Stewart-Cousins, who is the Senate president pro tem and majority leader.
The state enacted the Reproductive Health Act in 2019, which enshrined Roe v. Wade in state law. Voters last month also approved, along with other states, abortion rights protections added to the state constitution.
She said New York Senate Democrats stand ready to uphold the state’s values if called upon to do so.
Linsky said it’s wise to wait and not expend any cost or floor time if it’s not needed.
“The incoming president has a whole history of reversing course, sometimes in a matter of minutes,” Linsky said. “I don’t want to react to something that’s not really going to happen. I’m a very practical person.”
Linsky said the state passed abortion protections in 2022 and gun control legislation this year.
Immigration could be a point of contention between Massachusetts and the Trump administration, Linsky said.
The state has relied on a 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that found that state law provides no authority for Massachusetts law enforcement to arrest and hold an individual for federal civil immigration violations beyond the time that the individual would otherwise be entitled to be released.
“We’re a very welcoming state,” Linsky said.
Linsky said he could see a fight over that ruling. He said the state’s U.S. senators are currently working to make sure $1 billion in federal funds is awarded to the state to replace two aging bridges that connect Cape Cod to the rest of the state “is actually delivered and in the bank in Massachusetts before Jan. 20.”
“We’re worried about stuff like that,” Linsky said.