Rather than just voting no on a bill that would give Maryland officials the authority to sue Donald Trump, state senators decided to leave the chamber altogether.
According to the AP, nine of the 14 Republican senators walked out of the State House chamber after an initial vote on the measure, which would give the state’s attorney general the power to sue the federal government without the governor’s go-ahead. Democrats wanted the bill so the state has recourse on Trump’s immigration order, as well as changes to healthcare legislation and environmental regulation that the Trump administration indicated they will be bringing in the coming months.
The GOP senators said it was about procedure, and that they left after being denied more time to debate the measure. But Republicans are against the bill, too. Harford County Republican Robert Cassilly questioned “why this body needs to infuse itself with the nonsense out of Washington,” alluding to the partisan divide that the bill created. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, a Democrat, said he favored a quick vote. But his reason was also that the measure will be divisive. So at least the two sides agree on one point.
