PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Gov. Gina Raimondo said Friday that many Rhode Islanders have legitimate fears about moves President Donald Trump has made in his first week in office, but that she’s unsure whether his executive orders are “meant to be symbolic or whether they have any actual legal weight.”
The Democrat told reporters: “As far as I know, a president can’t, by the stroke of a pen, withhold federal money. That’s a congressional prerogative. So we’ll see. We’ll see how much of it is bluster, how much of it is reality.”
Among the executive orders the Republican president signed is one that would withhold some federal funds from jurisdictions that don’t communicate with federal authorities about someone’s immigration status.
Raimondo said she was waiting to see what happens, but she said she would strongly oppose moves to undo the Affordable Care Act or to compel state and local police to act as immigration agents.
“At this point, I’m trying to stay calm, level headed and just wait and see where it goes, being ready at each point to protect Rhode Islanders and not really sacrifice our values,” adding that she expected it would be “a very challenging year ahead.”
“I’ve spent an enormous amount of time in the past, this month, just being with Rhode Islanders, and there’s a lot more anxiety and fear and concern and upset than you might realize. You know, legitimately, people are just afraid.”
Democrat Hillary Clinton won easily in Rhode Island.
Raimondo said she has heard from women, the LGBT community, people concerned about being deported, American Muslims and those of Syrian descent who worry about their futures. She said the worry even extends to those who voted for Trump.
She seemed exasperated as she recounted a conversation she said she has had many times in which someone who voted for Trump asks her to fight to make sure they can keep their health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
“I’m like, ’Why did you vote for Trump then?’” Raimondo told reporters. “I’ve had that version of that discussion more times than you might believe.”
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