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Democratic lawmakers have spent the last five years laying the groundwork for the most aggressive emissions-reduction policies Vermont has ever seen, but a political sea change after the November election has brought that work to a 鈥渟tandstill,鈥� according to legislators and climate advocates.

Administration officials have been pressuring lawmakers to speed up the transition away from the emergency motel housing program, and cut down on costs. Despite winning some concessions, the governor鈥檚 administration wouldn鈥檛 say whether it was satisfied.

Housing advocates say a cap on the amount of state tax revenue set aside for the new CHIP program would severely limit the number of homes that could be built with its help, among concerns about other restrictions.

A state budget plan that appears to have the support of Republican Gov. Phil Scott would hold back more than $100 million in anticipated revenue surpluses to deal with potential cuts to federal spending by Congress.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott has postponed a rule that would have required 35% of all vehicles delivered to Vermont car dealers to be zero emission, starting in model year 2026.

Buying down the rate, as this use of one-time money is called, is generally considered bad policy 鈥� on both sides of the aisle 鈥� because it risks creating a tax spike in the following year. But lawmakers say voters sent them a clear message in November: tax relief, now.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott鈥檚 nearly decade-old push to exempt military pensions from state income taxes hit a key milestone Tuesday when the Vermont House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation that includes tax breaks for retired servicemembers.

Vermont lawmakers are considering postponing or even eliminating some of their key spending priorities as they attempt to gird next year鈥檚 state budget against potentially drastic cuts in federal funding.

Simply taxing second homes at a higher rate is not so simple, in part because Vermont currently has no system for categorizing vacation homes. But lawmakers are trying to change that 鈥� with the House's sweeping education reform bill.

"I don't believe we can live in chaos for the next three and a half years," Vermont's Republican governor said on Vermont Edition.