MARYLAND(WBOC/AP)- Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration is proposing millions of dollars in spending reductions.
MARYLAND(WBOC/AP)- Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration is proposing millions of dollars in spending reductions.
Moore announced Nearly $149 million in midyear spending cuts on Wednesday to steer more money to help fund child care and Medicaid as state officials continue to wrestle with budget challenges.
Moore plans to present the cuts next week to the state’s Board of Public Works, which has the authority to cut up to 25% of the state’s operating budget. The powerful three-member spending panel is comprised of the governor, the treasurer and the comptroller, all of whom are Democrats.
These proposed budget changes were made early in the fiscal year, which began July 1, to help with future planning. Both the child care program and health care are priorities for the administration.
The governor also noted that the proposed budget actions “won’t cut a penny for critical priorities, from transportation to K-12 education.”
Maryland’s Medicaid enrollment is currently close to 1.7 million statewide, which is just below the state’s peak enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
All states are reviewing their Medicaid rolls after a three-year, pandemic-era prohibition on ending coverage expired.
The budget reductions are being characterized mostly as trims across state agencies and grants, with a focus on new initiatives that won’t have as much of an impact on services currently delivered to residents.
Moore submitted a balanced $63 billion budget in January for the current fiscal year. It did not include tax increases, but the General Assembly changed the legislation to take in new revenue, including a variety of transportation-related user fees to help pay for transportation projects and tobacco tax increases to help pay for education.
Debate to address longer-term budget shortfalls is expected to resume when the General Assembly convenes in January.
