Democratic leaders in Maryland are taking legislative and legal action against President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
In his first three weeks in office, Trump has signed more than 50 executive orders, including directives to downsize the government and expand immigration enforcement.
As the Maryland General Assembly enters the sixth week of its legislative session, lawmakers are dealing with the new pressures of federal threats to the workforce and federally-funded infrastructure.
The Trump administration’s work to downsize the federal government has included offering buyouts to federal employees, firing or placing more than 7,000 U.S. Agency for International Development workers on leave and ordering federal agencies to put staff members with oversight on diversity, equity and inclusion on leave.
State Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) said he is concerned about the impact of Trump’s actions on the large number of federal workers in Maryland.
Rosapepe is co-sponsoring the Protect Our Federal Workers Act, which would expand the Federal Government Shutdown Employee Assistance Loan Fund to help employees impacted by closures, relocations or mass layoffs for units of the federal government.
“The Trump attack on the federal government is an attack on Maryland workers,” Rosapepe told The Diamondback last Monday. “So that’s clearly one big source of financial risk to Maryland.”
[Maryland lawmakers outline 2025 legislative agenda as $3 billion deficit looms]
Trump has also issued several orders that carry out campaign promises of mass deportation and increased border security.
Another State House bill, the Maryland Data Privacy Act, would mandate law enforcement agencies and state or local government units to deny certain federal immigration law enforcers access to certain databases, under specific circumstances.
Del. Nicole Williams (D-Prince George’s) is sponsoring the Maryland Values Act, which aims to limit collaboration between local law enforcement agencies and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s) told The Diamondback on Feb. 5 that legislators aim to introduce policies that support Marylanders, including protections for prescription drug price caps and the Affordable Care Act.
Trump signed an order Jan. 20 that reversed former President Joe Biden’s efforts to cap prescription drug prices for people on Medicare and Medicaid and strengthen the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid.
Peña-Melnyk is the primary sponsor on a bill that updates consumer protections for drug price limits and the enforcement of laws related to health insurance discrimination.
“History teaches us that waiting on Washington is not enough,” said Peña-Melnyk, who chairs the House of Delegates’ health and government operations committee. “We must take action here at home.”
On top of $2 billion in cuts, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget could face up to an additional $1.5 billion in cuts due to reduced federal funding for Medicaid, the removal of federal civil servants and Trump’s proposed tax cuts, Maryland Senate president Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said in a press conference Feb. 7.
“The reality is it’s worse than we expected,” Ferguson said. “We are going to have to have a very sobering conversation about what this budget looks like in the next 30 days.”
[Maryland could face up to $1.5 billion in additional budget cuts]
Moore criticized the Trump administration in his State of the State address Feb. 5 for dismantling federal departments, starting trade wars, threatening to freeze federal funding and laying off thousands of federal workers.
“We are now being tested by a new administration in Washington that sows uncertainty and confusion and chaos,” Moore told legislators during his address.
Moore maintained his hope for a good relationship between Maryland and the federal government, but said he believes those expectations will be met with “harsh realities.”
Republican leaders in the state maintain that Trump’s influence on the state is not among the issues the General Assembly should focus on.
In response to Moore’s address, Maryland Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey (R-Caroline, Cecil, Kent and Queen Anne’s) and Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready (R-Frederick and Carroll) released a statement on Feb. 5 that blamed Democrats for the budget deficit.
“Maryland families are struggling with their finances, energy costs, higher prices and more because of the expensive policies and overregulation passed by a Democratic Supermajority,” the pair wrote in the statement.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, a Democrat, has been at the forefront of the state’s legal opposition to federal policy changes, joining multiple lawsuits challenging Trump’s executive orders.
After Trump’s victory in November, Brown announced he would create a federal litigation team tasked with responding to any federal actions or policies that would harm Marylanders. He has already joined several lawsuits with other attorneys general to challenge Trump’s actions and released updated guidance outlining the role of state and local law in federal immigration enforcement.
Rosapepe said the General Assembly is taking the new federal administration’s actions seriously and is working to remain up to date with changes in Washington.
“We’re gonna get through this,” Rosapepe said. “We’re fighting back.”
