STORY OF THE WEEK: Providence is Rhode Island’s ground zero for an array of possible cuts sparked by the administration of President Donald Trump and his GOP congressional supporters. With Republicans mulling $2.3 trillion in Medicaid reductions over the next decade, the fallout would hit hard in Providence, home to the biggest concentration of low-income Rhode Islanders. Elsewhere, the Trump administration’s move to cut federal research funding has been delayed temporarily by a Massachusetts judge; opponents warn it would cause layoffs, suspend clinical trials and disrupt ongoing research. Just in the last year, Brown University received $139 million in NIH grants, Rhode Island Hospital got $31 million, and URI $19 million. Providence struggles even under the best of circumstances to generate enough revenue to operate city government, so Mayor Brett Smiley is closely watching for next steps. “Any one of these things would be a risk,” Smiley said during an interview on Political Roundtable this week, referring to the potential federal spending cuts. “All of these things have the potential to be a catastrophe.” Trump had a net 6-point approval rating in a CBS News poll this week, and as we noted last week, Americans tend to embrace the general notion of cutting government. The true test of public support for the president’s approach, however, will take more time to assess, depending in part on what happens with inflation, the economy and whether Americans feel a tangible loss from federal spending cuts. 

THE RESPONSE: Hundreds of Rhode Islanders recently demonstrated outside U.S. Sen. Jack Reed’s Providence office, calling for the state’s congressional delegation to take a strong stand against Trump, Elon Musk and their effort to remake the government. Reed joined me for a wide-ranging interview two days later and in describing the delegation’s response to the Trump administration so far, he initially cited his opposition to Pete Hegseth’s nomination as defense secretary. That might offer little solace to critics of Trump, since even the president’s most controversial Cabinet nominees have cleared the Senate. Ultimately, though, Reed said, “We’re in a position right now where, based on our constitutional system, the courts are the best form of relief. The president’s arguably breaking the law in many cases, and as a result, it’s the courts that must declare that and impose the proper sanction.”

REED’S REACTION: Sen. Reed joined the Senate almost 30 years ago, in 1997, during the so-called ‘vacation from history’ – the time between the end of the Cold War and 9/11. Here are some excerpts from our interview earlier this week.

***On the ability of courts to prevent excesses.

Reed: “Well, I think the lower courts are doing that right now, and it’s people who’ve been appointed by Republican presidents and Democratic presidents. They just understand this is clearly against the law. When it gets up to the Supreme Court, there it gets to be a little more complicated…. I think their concern is going to be not only what’s the right thing to do, but will they be recognized and will that judgment be enforced by the president. And again, Trump’s behavior is trying to send signals even to the court that you have no power. I have all the power. That concerns me, and it should concern everyone.”

***Was Politico right to contend that Trump broke the Senate due to caving GOP opposition to once-unthinkable Cabinet nominees?

Reed: “Well, there is a very significant and real danger because our constitutional role is advice and consent. And frankly, my suspicion is that many of the people that voted for these individuals [like Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] had no confidence in their ability to do the job. And as a result, the Senate, I think, stepped back from its constitutional role, and that’s unfortunate. The closest we got was Hegseth. It’s the first, the second time, I believe, that a vice president ever had to vote to break a tie for a cabinet appointee.”

***This didn’t make it into the interview due to time constraints, but I asked Reed, 75, if there was anything that could keep him from seeking reelection next year. “The only thing that would stop me would be a medical condition that would prevent me to basically fulfill my obligation to the people of Rhode Island,” he said. “I’m working hard as I always try to do. These are difficult times. I’m trying to do my best. In a way, too, I think leaving the scene at the moment of intense political instability might not be the best thing.”

BEER BATTLE: The number of craft brewers in Rhode Island has climbed to almost 40 over the last 15 years (and who doesn’t enjoy having a cold one at The Guild beer garden near the pedestrian bridge in Providence on a pleasant day?). This has been a bright spot for the local economy and it enhances Rhode Island’s appeal as a destination. But craft brewers here are regulated more stringently than counterparts in Connecticut and Massachusetts. This remains a hot topic at the State House, where Sen. Wally Felag (D-Warren) wants to create a study commission examining alcohol and cannabis, and where the elusive quest for common ground continues.

DELEGATION DOINGS: Elsewhere, U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo put a new spin on the old chestnut Schoolhouse Rock and he had a prominent role in responding to GOP criticism of the U.S. Agency for International Development …. U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse led with Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) a congressional delegation to the Munich Security Conference. The event featured a backlash by some European leaders against the Trump administration’s moves on Ukraine …. U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner’s office said more than 11,000 people – more than twice the usual amount – joined a telephone town hall related to the Trump administration. Magaziner is rejoining the Congressional Labor Caucus as vice chair and he will co-lead the Building Trades Taskforce for the caucus, moves touted as ways to help him advocate for skilled trades and infrastructure in Rhode Island.

WASHINGTON BRIDGE: Rhode Islanders expecting sharp questions about the Washington Bridge were bound to be disappointed by a joint House-Senate Oversight hearing Thursday. Sen. Mark McKenney (D-Warwick), chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight, noted at the outset that a lawsuit being led by Attorney General Peter Neronha against 13 state contractors limited RIDOT Director Peter Alviti’s ability to discuss the roots of the bridge crisis and why it happened. The main takeaway was Alviti’s assertion that Rhode Island has enough money to replace the westbound Washington Bridge even if the Trump administration holds up hundreds of millions in appropriated grants. (Still, since GARVEE bonds are paid back with future federal money, one has to wonder if that is a safe plan in our current moment.) The most common questions among lawmakers were when the new bridge will be completed – and how much will it cost? As Alviti and Gov. Dan McKee said during a news conference in December, that information is expected to emerge in June.

SMITH HILL: Progressive lawmakers have argued for years that fairness compels a tax increase for affluent Rhode Islanders. They point to findings showing how previous tax cuts have disproportionately benefited the well to do. Legislative leaders, sensitive to the state’s perceived business climate, have been just as insistent in holding the line against broad-based tax increases. So will the dynamic change now that the state once again faces a new era of perennial budget deficits? Supporters of the Working Families Party think they have a shot, and WFP has taken a workman-like approach to winning legislative elections, nudging the General Assembly a bit to the left. General Assembly supporters rallied for a Statehouse news conference Wednesday to promote a 13-point legislative agenda emphasizing taxes, affordable child care, tenant protections and examining a public energy utility provider. Only one senator, Sen. Linda Ujifusa (D-Portsmouth), attended the rollout, in contrast to 15 state reps, but a separate Senate event is expected.

OLD SCHOOL: House Speaker Joe Shekarchi is in DC this weekend at the 2025 New Speakers Orientation to participate in a session on “Advice From the Trenches – A Panel of Experienced Speakers.” He’ll be joined on the panel by counterparts from South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. 

REPUBLICAN THUNDER: The House Republican Caucus unveiled a 14-part budget and policy priority plan this week. The package calls for an office of inspector general, advancing educational attainment for all students regardless of zip code, investing in state infrastructure, improving state customer service, improving health care quality and more. Budget issues include ending any new programs created with American Rescue Plan Act money that require additional funding, and establishing line items for each state agency. In a statement, the caucus said, “Rhode Island House Republicans seek to right-size Rhode Island's budget, which is disproportionate to the state's size, economy and population. It is unsustainable and burdensome for taxpayers. Republicans seek to make the government more accountable, transparent and efficient through the budgetary process. This budget approach seeks to identify and save wasted/ineffectively spent taxpayer dollars and reinvest those savings.” The House GOP has enjoyed a collegial relationship with Speaker Shekarchi, so aspects of this initiative could get serious consideration. 

GOP BATTLE: Joe Powers, chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Party, faces in a March 1 election Jessica Drew-Day, who lost a run against Rep. Carol McEntee (D-Narragansett) in 2022. She serves as first vice chair of the RIGOP and chairs the South Kingstown GOP Town Committee. Both Powers and Drew-Day seem all-in for President Trump, so it’s not immediately clear how they differ politically. While an anonymous source sent an email complaining about Powers’ leadership (Powers declined to comment on the criticism), the incumbent chairman got a vote of confidence from the House of Representatives Minority Caucus Leadership Team and RI Young Republicans, among others. In a post on Facebook, House GOP Leader Mike Chippendale (R-Foster) called Powers part of “the slate I want running the RI GOP. There's no need for failed, fringe individuals anywhere near a leadership role in the party, and this slate right here is the RIGHT choice. This RIGOP Leadership Team worked with the House Minority Leadership Team in 2024 – helping us secure a 66% victory percentage with our House candidates. Let's keep the momentum going forward!” For those keeping score at home, GOP representation in the General Assembly remains flat from 2022 at 14 of 113 members, the House presence climbed by one, while the Senate fell by one.

CITY HAUL: Providence Mayor Brett Smiley on what’s ailing Democrats nationally: “I think their diagnosis of the problem, we need to acknowledge, at least for many Americans, is right – that government’s not working for some of them, that they think it’s too bloated, that they think that there is spending that doesn’t make sense. What we need to do as a party is articulate a different solution, as opposed to rejecting the problem. And so I don’t think we should be defending the bureaucracy either. I think we need to articulate that we know how to make government work for people as opposed to just defend the status quo, which is what we’re trying to do here in Providence, which is to demonstrate that government can work, that government can get things done, that it can be easy, it doesn’t have to hurt and that it can actually help people.”

STATE HOUSE: State Rep. Enrique Sanchez (D-Providence), who this week broke his silence about his recent arrest, is being represented by a fellow lawmaker, Rep. John J. Lombardi (D-Providence).

GIFT LAW: The state Ethics Commission this week began an effort to strengthen the state’s “gift” rule, following the controversy in which free consulting services were directed to Gov. Dan McKee after his administration awarded a contract to the ILO Group. John Marion Jr., executive director of Common Cause of Rhode Island, called it a necessary and urgent step. “This is just the beginning of a process that must result in Rhode Island strengthening ethics laws so that our leaders are accountable to the people, not the highest bidder,” Marion said in a statement. “We will continue to press the commission to make our gift laws a strong one so we can have total and full confidence in how our state leaders are representing us.” The need to police gifts – and at what size – is a recurring issue in Rhode Island politics. Back around 2002, it was part of a blowup that had impeded the Ethics Commission for a period of time.

HOSPITALS: The deal for the Centurion Foundation, a nonprofit based in Atlanta, to acquire CharterCARE Health Partners – mostly Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence – is back on track after a ruling in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Texas this week. A closing is set for the next 30-60 days. We heard similar talk after state regulators approved the deal last year. And while Attorney General Peter Neronha has said that Centurion offers more hope for the local hospitals than departing owner Prospect Medical Holdings, it’s unclear if Centurion will be able to turn around years of financial losses at Roger Williams and Fatima. 

KICKER: Which came first, the chicken or the need to hit Megabucks to pay for a dozen eggs?