Maryland Leaders Announce Four-Year Plan to Address Ongoing Budget Shortfalls
The governor's office in Annapolis, Maryland, released a joint statement on Nov. 13: Governor Wes Moore, Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk announced after their meeting that day that they had agreed to work together to develop a four-year plan addressing the state's ongoing budget shortfalls.
In the statement, the three leaders said Maryland's budget challenges are not a new phenomenon and cannot continue to be addressed one year at a time, and that this year they are taking a new approach. A more predictable state budget, they said, will be a stronger foundation for diversifying the economy and supporting the most vulnerable in the state's communities.
The statement said Trump administration cuts and economic uncertainty have added to the financial pressures facing Maryland, but that the state cannot wait for Washington to change course and has a responsibility to address the challenges within its control.
Developing the joint four-year plan will require a careful review of state spending, a commitment to making government more efficient, and an honest assessment of which investments are delivering results and where changes are needed, according to the statement.
The three leaders said there will be difficult decisions ahead that affect people's lives, and committed to making them together, being straightforward with Marylanders about the choices faced, and protecting the services and investments that matter most to the state's future.
(Source: Office of the Governor of Maryland)
Source: Office of the Governor of Maryland
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：马里兰州州长 Wes Moore 官方肖像（马里兰州州长办公室官方照片，GSM 州长图库）。 / Photo: Official portrait of Maryland Governor Wes Moore (Office of the Governor of Maryland, via GSM governors library).
