Phil Scott

After the high-profile arrest of a Vermont resident in Colchester on Monday, Democratic leaders in the Vermont Senate are asking Republican Gov. Phil Scott to terminate a memorandum that allows federal immigration authorities to lodge detainees in state prisons.

For Republicans, H.454 moves too slowly and does not sufficiently contain costs. And for many rural Democrats, the legislation is unacceptably hostile to the state’s smaller schools. But enough lawmakers held their nose Friday to advance the bill on to the Senate and keep education reform on track in Montpelier.

Scott’s second veto appears to be the final word on the acrimonious annual budget adjustment bill, after Democrats say they are moving on.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced new tariffs on foreign goods in some of Vermont’s biggest export markets, such as China, India and Trinidad and Tobago.

“The Governor’s attempt to circumvent the intent of the General Assembly is an unconstitutional encroachment on a core function of the legislature,” wrote the head of the Office of Legislative Counsel.

Members of the House Committee on Appropriations have spent the last three months crafting a $9 billion spending plan that relies on hundreds of millions of dollars that might evaporate by summer. And a plan to buy down property taxes next year could be on the chopping block if Vermont sees significant cuts to Medicaid funding.

The extension, which will apply to roughly 400 households, comes after the governor struck down legislation that would have granted a reprieve for all participants.

Since the beginning of the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers in both the House and Senate have been working on their counterproposal to Gov. Phil Scott’s sweeping plan to overhaul public education. But it’s become clear that the two chambers are moving in very different directions.

The Legislature and Gov. Phil Scott are once again locked in a heated political battle over the program’s future.

This will likely come as welcome news to property taxpayers, who saw bills rise an average of almost 14% this year. But the use of $118 million one-time funds to buy down rates is a risky move — and one that could set schools and taxpayers up for a financial cliff in the following year.