Gov. Wes Moore said Wednesday he will propose $2 billion in cuts next week when he releases his plan for Maryland’s next state budget and that he continues to have a “very high bar” for tax increases. .
Moore’s comments on the opening day of the annual 90-day legislative session in Annapolis were the first signs of how officials will begin negotiations around resolving a significant $3 billion budget deficit for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Lawmakers in the House and Senate are expected to push a variety of proposals that would, for instance, raise new revenue through corporate and personal income taxes, though Moore said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun that he is focused on cuts and evaluating whether to continue existing programs.
“If things are not effective nor sustainable, then why are we funding it? And we have to be honest about that,” Moore said in an interview in his office shortly after first announcing his broad plan for the cuts. “It is an aggressive approach, but it’s one that I think is necessary because we are not just going to kick the can down the road.”