Eastern Shore legislators prepare to take on massive budget challenges
MARYLAND – Maryland is facing a $2.7 billion budget deficit, projected to grow to $6 billion by 2030.
“I think the reality of Maryland’s budget situation is just hitting home.” State Senator Mary Beth Carozza said rolling back or extending timelines for certain programs, especially the state’s education blueprint, will be necessary: “When you talk about the budget, you have to talk about education because you’ve got the blueprint education plan that is not paid for.
But the senator said that the Eastern Shore Delegation recognizes the importance of maintaining the priorities of their constituents.
“[We need to] make sure that we do everything we can to protect those programs that actually–you have more of a return on your investment, whether they be rural loan programs and help our watermen or our farmers, whether it’s tourism dollars”
Meanwhile, Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes said residents could see a reduction of public infrastructure projects. “We might not be able to see a lot of infrastructure projects occur on our college campuses. We are also seeing that our roads construction projects may not be as robust as they have been in the past.”
Delegate Sample-Hughes cited Maryland’s increasing Medicaid costs and child care subsidies as budget issues she will be hesitant to pare down. “Our Medicaid budget is one that has grown because of the need has been so great. So that is one area that’s going to be difficult, it’s not an area where I wish to cut at all, because the reality of it is, people have to be healthy to go to work,” she said.
For both legislators, the budget struggles come back to keeping the needs of eastern shore residents in their sights. “We have to be really smart in looking at everything that’s in front of us. But we as a shore delegation, we know what works on the shore. We need to keep listening to our locals,” Senator Carozza said.
Both Senator Carozza and Delegate Sample-Hughes emphasized that they are not currently in favor of raising taxes, and that it’s something that should only be considered once everything else has been taken into account.
Maryland’s 2025 legislative session will begin on January 8th.
