PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo says she’s trying to remain calm, even as she says many Rhode Islanders have legitimate fears about moves President Donald Trump has made in his first week in office.
The Democrat says on Friday that it’s unclear to her whether executive orders Trump signed “have any actual legal weight” or are just “bluster.”
She says she doesn’t believe the president has the authority to withhold federal money with “the stroke of a pen,” and says that’s up to Congress.
Among the executive orders Trump signed is one that would withhold some federal funds from jurisdictions that don’t communicate with federal authorities about someone’s immigration status.
Raimondo says many residents, including Trump voters, have told her they’re worried the Affordable Care Act will be repealed.
