R.I. AG Neronha blasts Governor McKee for denying additional funding as his office battles Trump – The Boston Globe

On the Rhode Island Report podcast, Neronha said states such as California and Hawaii have given their attorneys general more funding to fight Trump. But he said McKee’s proposed state budget ignored his request to add $3.65 million to his office’s budget and 15 full-time employees to his staff.

“Governor McKee is doing what he often does in this situation, which is putting his personal problems with me ahead of what’s best for Rhode Island,” Neronha said. “The only people capable right now of pushing back against this president are people who are in a position to sue him.”

Neronha noted that he co-led a federal lawsuit filed in Rhode Island to block Trump’s pause on federal aid and grants that is part of a sweeping ideological review of spending by the new administration.

He emphasized that federal funding accounts for one-third of the state’s $14.2 billion budget. And he noted that it’s still unclear if Trump’s funding freeze will stop Rhode Island from getting $220 million, promised by the Biden administration, to replace the westbound Washington Bridge, which was abruptly shut down in December 2023 amid the threat of “catastrophic failure.”

“If that doesn’t work out, who’s going to be in a position to have to go to court to try to get it?” Neronha said. “My office.”

While both are Democrats, Neronha and McKee have clashed in the past.

In October, McKee accused Neronha of directing a politically motivated investigation into a multimillion-dollar state contract for the ILO Group. And in 2023, Neronha criticized McKee for not funding his request to add 15 positions and create a cold case unit, but the House ended up providing the funding in that year’s final budget.

On March 3, McKee released a video announcing he will seek reelection in 2026, and the video said McKee “is fighting to protect our state from Trump’s radical agenda and chaotic leadership.”

“How?” Neronha said in response to the claim of fighting Trump. “Governor McKee was really late to this fight.”

So is Neronha, who is term-limited as attorney general, still considering running for governor in 2026?

“I haven’t ruled anything out,” he said. “I believe that I could do the work and do it well. But I’m not sure that’s how I want to spend my 60s, and I have to figure that out.”

But Neronha indicated he is unlikely to run for lieutenant governor. “I don’t know that I’m wired to be a No. 2, honestly,” he said, noting he has led the attorney general’s office and the US Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island.

Neronha said he does see leadership qualities in other potential candidates for governor, including former CVS executive Helena Buonanno Foulkes and House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi. “Both high quality individuals that know how to lead and get things done,” he said.

On the podcast, Neronha said he does not support a bill that would tweak the definition of a misdemeanor to be an offense with a maximum sentence of 364 days rather than 365 days.

With Trump vowing mass deportations, the Senate passed the bill on Feb. 26. And Senator Jonathon Acosta, the Central Falls Democrat who sponsored the bill, says it would prevent the detention or deportation of immigrants for lesser crimes while more “egregious” misdemeanors would still be covered by federal immigration policy.

“What I worry about are unintended consequences,” Neronha said. “There are very few crimes that are victimless and don’t impact somebody in a serious way.” He said, “I can see a path to supporting aspects of that bill, but I don’t support it in its current state.”

To get the latest episode each week, follow Rhode Island Report podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcasting platforms, or listen in the player above.

Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.