The deficit is about five times larger than the predicted amount of $300 million in March, according to the spending affordability briefing.

The cost of Medicaid behavioral health, K-12 education and the impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump in July, were all significant contributors to the deficit, the briefing shows.

The bill tightens restrictions for Medicaid coverage, causing an estimated 175,000 Marylanders to lose coverage, according to a state health department briefing from July. Maryland could lose up to $2.7 billion in federal funding per year by fiscal year 2034, the department’s briefing reads.

[Gov. Wes Moore announces $62 million for SNAP benefits]

Nearly 49 percent of the shortfall relates to an existing deficit from years prior, operating budget manager Tonya Zimmerman said. The largest contributor was $190 million worth of provider reimbursements to the Maryland Department of Health.

The budget’s shortage creates an ongoing financial imbalance for the state. To make up for the shortfall, Maryland will have to rely on increasing revenues, cutting services and raising taxes, documents show.

State revenues are also $718 million lower than the estimate, according to the spending affordability briefing.

“At the midpoint of what has been the most tumultuous decade for revenues in a generation, Maryland faces several challenges to its revenue structure,” Maryland comptroller Brooke Lierman said in a September news release.

The changes in the federal government have contributed to the alterations in the state’s budget, Zimmerman said. The legislative services department assumes funds will be depleted due to the loan payments offered to federal employees during the 43 day long government shutdown.

“The main story, of course, for the Maryland economy here in 2025 relates to the federal government,”  said Theresa Tuszynski, a policy analyst in the legislative services department.

Maryland was home to more than 160,000 federal jobs last year, which accounted for about 11 percent of all wages in the state, Tuszynski said.

But since January, Maryland has lost about 15,000 federal jobs, she said. That makes up a roughly 9.3 percent decrease, the largest decrease of any U.S. state, Tuszynski said.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act cut state revenue by $371 million, the spending affordability briefing shows.

[Trump administration demands state leaders undo full SNAP benefits]

The decline in federal jobs and contracts implies less overall income and wage-based taxes, which contributes to the state’s revenue deficit.

The state has also been affected by the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration this past spring, Tuszynski said. The sales tax in Maryland increased by 2.6 percent, exceeding the predicted $72 million two times faster than expected.

The rise in sales tax is being shifted into funding for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, increasing its distribution by 0.3 percent from fiscal year 2024 to fiscal year 2025, the affordability briefing shows.

The Blueprint program increases the amount of funding for statewide education by expanding early childhood programs, raising teacher salaries and providing college pathways, the program’s website says.

Future program funding is predicted to exceed $1.6 billion in ongoing revenue by fiscal year 2031, the spending affordability briefing reads.

In October, the Category 5 hurricane began wreaking havoc across the Caribbean, making landfall in Jamaica before then heading north toward Cuba, Haiti, the Bahamas and Bermuda. Nearly 6 million people in the Caribbean are affected by the storms’ destruction, according to the United Nations.

The junior public health practice major, who is half Jamaican, said that her father’s side of the family was caught in the storm. Hall nervously awaited calls from her family in St. Ann’s, confirming their safety.

“It is very devastating,” Hall said. “It’s going to affect the Jamaican community a lot and especially for the people who have family there.”

As a result of the hurricane, 45 people have died and 15 people have been reported missing, the Jamaican government confirmed Tuesday. The storm has displaced 30,000 households, according to Jamaica’s emergency management office director.

Hall said it would take months for Jamaicans to rebuild their homes and major buildings, like churches, in their towns. Hall is also the president of this university’s Caribbean Student Association, and said the association is planning to accept donations to give to the Jamaican embassy in Washington, D.C.

The association is donating medical supplies, basic hygiene products and family care materials. The closest drop-off location to campus is The Jerk Pit, she said.

“We feel helpless because we don’t feel like what we can give is enough,” Hall said. “But there’s still a sense of at least giving what we’re capable of.”

Hall also said peer support is important at this time. Donations, prayers and raising awareness on campus can help those affected by the storm’s damage, Hall added.

[UMD community members reflect on war, humanitarian crisis in Sudan]

The association released a statement on social media on Oct. 29 expressing its support for any Maryland community members with personal ties to the countries affected by the hurricane.

”Our thoughts are with those who have experienced loss and disruption as a result of the severe weather event,” the post read. “CSA stands in solidarity with all those engaged in recovery and rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of this disaster.”

The Dean of Students Office reached out to students from Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic to offer support.

Twanna Hodge, a doctoral information science student who was born and raised on the St. Thomas Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, said though hurricanes are a common occurrence in the Caribbean, Hurricane Melissa is one of the most devastating hurricanes in history.

She added that high winds and devastating rainfall leaves most without electricity for days. This leaves people without a way to safely cook food or get in touch with relatives for long periods of time, she explained.

“It is hard to be in a situation where you can only watch what is happening,” Hodge said.

Hodge mentioned witnessing the total devastation caused by Hurricane Maria, a storm in 2017 that struck Puerto Rico. It killed about 3,000 people, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

International education policy doctoral student Abigail Smith is working closely with the Jamaican embassy in Washington, D.C., to help support those affected in her home country.

[UMD students celebrate diversity of South Asian culture at multicultural night]

Smith grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, and said she immediately jumped into action when she heard about the storm.

“My first reaction was like, I want to go home,” she said. “I want to go help. I want to be on the ground.”

Smith said she plans to go home by the end of the year to help her community, but it is not currently safe for her to go to Jamaica due to the storm’s destruction. While she is away from home, Smith said the support she has received from her peers has been heartwarming.

Many of Smith’s classmates checked in on her after the news broke, the International Student and Scholar Services office sent an email with resources and a faculty advisor donated about $100 for supplies.

“Our humanity is so tied to each other,” Smith said. “You know, it’s Jamaica today, it could be D.C. or Maryland tomorrow.”

This story has been updated. 

Federal judges ruled last week that the Trump administration must use $4 billion in emergency funds to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by Friday, court documents show. But on that Friday, the administration issued an emergency appeal to block that court order, despite some states already issuing funds, according to court documents.

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson accepted the appeal on Friday, giving the administration 48 hours to respond. The agriculture department then demanded states to undo any funding that may have gone out in the past week.

In response to the original court ruling demanding the Trump administration pay for SNAP benefits, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore allotted $62 million from the Fiscal Responsibility Fund for Maryland residents.

Maryland joined many other states in suing the Trump administration for suspending SNAP benefits.

Nearly 680,000 Maryland residents rely on federal food assistance programs, with nearly 270,000 of those being children, according to an October news release from Moore’s office. Many SNAP recipients have felt uncertainty as the nation continues its longest government shutdown in history, nearing 40 days.

Moore also declared a state of emergency on Oct. 30 as a response to the shutdown in an attempt to assist those affected by the mass layoffs and revocation of federal benefits. Moore said $10 million from Maryland’s Fiscal Responsibility funds would be used to assist food banks across the state.

”Witholding funding from food assistance is not just illegal, it’s also cruel,” Moore wrote in his state of emergency declaration.

Many states alluded to “catastrophic operational disruptions,” if they do not get reimbursed for the SNAP benefits distributed prior to the Supreme Court’s pause, the Associated Press reported on Saturday.

The administration also noted on Saturday that states may face repercussions if they do not undo steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits, as the original ruling to distribute funds was “unauthorized.”

The federal General Services Administration selected Greenbelt as the location for the new headquarters in November 2023 after more than a decade of discussion. But Trump announced in July that he intends to keep the FBI in Washington, D.C., by relocating the headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building complex — which was not an option originally approved by Congress.

Maryland is suing on the grounds that Trump violated Congress’ decision, unlawfully re-allocated billions in funds and ignored the federal requirements to consult with state leaders, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a Thursday press conference

In 2022, Congress gave the General Services Administration three relocation choices: Greenbelt, Landover and Springfield in Virginia. The administration officially selected Greenbelt for its location, sustainability, cost and development flexibility, a news release from the administration read.

In July, the FBI stated that keeping the headquarters in Washington, D.C., would save money and time, despite U.S. Customs and Border Protection currently being housed in the Reagan complex.

“It’s about our public servants,” Gov. Wes Moore said in the Thursday afternoon conference, calling Trump’s plan illegal.

Moore said that the current headquarters lacks appropriate security measures, and is too small and exposed to ensure proper function. The chosen Reagan Building has the same issues, he said.

[U.S. senators advance plan to keep FBI in Washington, DC]

Brown said that Maryland had been working with federal partners for more than a decade to create a new headquarters when Trump shut the process down in 2017.

The project was revived by Congress in 2022, he said, providing the General Services Administration with the three location options. Between 2016 and 2024, Congress allocated more than $1.1 billion for the project. Prince George’s County contributed more than $100 million to the project, Brown added.

“Marylanders were counting on this project, Prince George’s County was counting on this project, local businesses were counting on this project,” Brown said. “We invested because the federal government said it was coming.”

Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy emphasized in the press conference that the headquarters was set to be the largest single economic development project in the history of Prince George’s County. The relocation was set to bring in about $4 billion in economic benefits and more than 7,500 jobs— enough to alter the gross domestic product of the county.

The project would also give Prince George’s County the opportunity to have the best cybersecurity in the nation, Braveboy said on Thursday.

The lawsuit also alleges that Trump’s decision intends to harm Maryland by denying economic benefits expected by the state, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) wrote in a Thursday news release.

“So if Donald Trump thinks that we are going to roll over when he tries to make life worse for our law enforcement, he better think twice,” Moore said. “And we’ll see him in court.”

“It’s time to take our power back,” the freshman shouted to the crowd on Tuesday afternoon. “We fight and we win — say it with me, now.”

“We fight and we win,” the crowd chanted in unison.

This university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter held a rally and march to urge campus administration to keep U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement off campus. A few community members, including Perry, spoke to the crowd about the importance of the university supporting international students and undocumented and immigrant students on campus.

The group then marched from Hornbake Plaza to the Thomas V. Miller Administration building, holding up signs and chanting phrases like, “Say it loud, say it clear: immigrants are welcome here.”

Perry, a computer science and immersive media design major, felt inspired by the crowd’s energy and turnout.

“Someone has to step up,” they said. “It all starts with one person.”

[UMD community members demand sanctuary campus status, non-compliance with ICE]

The group’s petition — which demands that this university declare itself a sanctuary campus — has just fewer than 3,000 signatures. More than a dozen other student organizations including this university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, United Academics of Maryland-University of Maryland and 17 for Peace and Justice co-sponsored the petition.

Declaring sanctuary campus status would require university officials to refuse any acts of compliance with immigration enforcement agencies and alert community members about their presence, the petition read.

It would also require this university to refuse authorization of University of Maryland Police to carry out any immigration enforcement activities, according to the petition. The organizations also demand that the university re-upload webpages with resources for undocumented and immigrant students, which disappeared from Stamp Student Union’s website over the summer.

This university did not comment on whether or not it would consider adopting sanctuary campus status in a Wednesday morning statement.

The university wrote that the International Students and Scholars Services office, which offers individual advising, office hours and other online resources, will continue to support international community members on campus.

Associate communication clinical professor Jade Olson attended Tuesday’s rally to push the university to make a statement. The professor told The Diamondback that she encourages the university to accept the chapter’s petition and pledge not to cooperate with ICE.

“I love my job. But I can’t do my job if my students are scared to go to class,” Olson told the crowd in a speech. “I can’t do my job if my fellow workers, like graduate teaching assistants and my faculty colleagues, are afraid to come to class.”

Olson also emphasized to the crowd that the university is complicit in the crackdowns against international students and academic freedom by not outwardly standing up to protect international community members.

[Prince George’s County community members rally along Route 1 for ‘No Kings’ protest]

Rose Ying, a graduate neuroscience and cognitive science student spoke to the crowd on behalf of the Graduate Labor Union.

Ying demanded the university outwardly offer more support and recognition to international students.

”My friends told me that they live in fear everyday of ICE showing up at their door and taking them away,” Ying said. “I know people who lost weight, who changed their travel patterns to avoid walking home alone or at night because they didn’t want to disappear.”

Nick Cosgrove, the chapter’s co-chair said he was proud of the turnout, especially as the chapter continues to grow.

“Last year, you probably didn’t even know we were on campus,” the sophomore American studies and communication major said. “It’s a huge step forward for us, and I am really proud of everyone for showing up.”

Cosgrove explained that the chapter spent days planning the march. The group alerted the university and UMPD, and created signs and chose speakers to represent their co-sponsors, like Ying.

“This federal government is anti-immigrant, period. It doesn’t matter if you are undocumented or documented,” Ying told the crowd. “UMD needs to stand up for their campus, and it starts by publicly declaring a sanctuary campus.”

The Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission has historically met every decade to redraw the legislative and congressional maps to reflect Census results. But many other states have begun redistricting mid-cycle.

“My commitment has been clear from day one — we will explore every avenue possible to make sure Maryland has fair and representative maps,” Moore wrote in a Tuesday news release.

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, the former Prince George’s County executive, will chair the commission. The bipartisan group will organize public hearings, solicit public feedback and make recommendations to government officials, according to Tuesday’s news release.

[Gov. Wes Moore announces $62M for SNAP benefits]

As midterm elections approach, U.S. President Donald Trump is tactfully trying to avoid Democrats gaining at least three more seats in Congress, the Associated Press reported. The move would switch the control of the U.S. House away from the Republicans.

“President Donald Trump and his allies are trying to rig the system and are hand-picking Republican states to go through redistricting processes,” Moore said in a video statement on Tuesday.

Trump’s efforts have triggered political gerrymandering, the process of redistricting congressional boundaries for political benefit, across the country. The partisan process became legal in 2019, with the exception of racial bias.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Md.) was originally against the Senate’s participation in Maryland’s redistricting movement as he felt the legal risks were too high and the certainty of the current map would be destroyed, according to a letter from the state House.

Ferguson also expressed concern that if blue states like Maryland begin redistricting, the red states that have not started redistricting would follow along. He called the redistricting process a “short-term advantage” for Maryland that undermines trust and added that it would be “too risky” to possibly lose another seat to Republicans.

But after Moore’s announcement, Ferguson released a statement confirming the senate’s involvement in the redistricting process, under the condition that all eight existing congressional districts will be included.

[Gov. Wes Moore issues $10M to support food banks ahead of SNAP benefits pause]

“The Senate Democratic Caucus understands that this is an unbalanced risk reward calculation,” Ferguson wrote. “It is why there is overwhelming concern about Maryland joining the mid-cycle redistricting wars rather than focusing on tangible, immediate policies to protect our State from this lawless Trump Administration.”.

Seven other states have already begun their redistricting processes and enacted new congressional maps.

California began its redistricting process in August and residents voted to adopt the new maps on Tuesday. Other states including North Carolina, Missouri and Texas have already enacted their new congressional maps, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“While other states are determining whether or not they have fair maps, so will Maryland,” Moore said in a Tuesday video statement.

University of Maryland student Elizabeth Dorokhina was excited to begin her internship at the Federal Trade Commission for the fall semester.

But soon after she received the offer, the federal government shut down.

“It kind of caught me off guard,” the junior English and history major said. “I do really wish I could have started that position.”

Since the shutdown occurred toward the start of the school year, she has been unable to find a new opportunity for the semester, she explained.

Dorokhina, like some other university community members, are now uncertain about their careers due to the federal government shutdown.

The government shut down on Oct. 1, leaving about 750,000 federal employees at risk of being furloughed each day, according to a letter from the Congressional Budget Office. Some university community members have been furloughed or put on back-pay from their federal jobs and internships.

[UMD experts say worse political gridlock is contributing to government shutdown’s length]

Noah Der Garabedian, a junior computer science and finance major, has been working at the Government Accountability Office as an analysis and program management intern since September.

Der Garabedian is currently unable to work due to the pause in operations, despite still needing to meet deadlines once the government re-opens, he said. But the shutdown has no end in sight.

According to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), this shutdown may be the longest in history, the Associated Press reported. The longest shutdown to date lasted 35 days during Trump’s first term in early 2019.

Der Garabedian explained that the Trump administration’s budget cuts have also affected his ability to work. Last spring, he was set to intern at the Department of the Interior when budget cuts eliminated his position nearly a week before its start date.

“Having this happen a second time … it’s definitely tough for the future outlook of me wanting to potentially work in the government,” he said.

[Here’s how UMD community members could be affected by the government shutdown]

While a government shutdown does not typically halt federally-funded research programs, there is still a possibility of impact at this university.

There is currently not a widespread impact on research, but no new awards have been granted during the shutdown, according to a statement from the university’s research vice president Patrick O’Shea.

Sophomore government and politics major Joyce Zhang has been employed at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the trade policy and programs directorate since August. Zhang is working the same hours, but is not getting paid.

Although her pay will come eventually, Zhang said she feels grateful that she does not rely on her internship to pay her bills.

“It’s not a good feeling,” she said. “I definitely think that the students that rely on that paycheck are definitely impacted.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misspelled Noah Der Garabedian’s name. A previous version of this story also misstated that all research awards had been halted. Only new research rewards are affected by the shutdown. This story has been updated.

Staff writer Mayah Nachman contributed to this story.

The chapter demanded the university rescind its requirement for the organization to pay for additional security for an on-campus event featuring The Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips, according to a statement posted on social media Sunday.

The event, titled “Fighting Like Charlie,” will take place weeks after the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder and conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The statement said the fee is unconstitutional and “view-point discriminatory,” accusing the university of assuming any events connected with Turning Point USA require extra security.

The chapter also posted a letter addressed to university president Darryll Pines from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression — an organization that aims to protect free speech on college campuses — that calls for the university to rescind the fee requirement “forcing” the Turning Point USA chapter to pay for private security. The letter requested a university response by Monday.

[Experts warn Turning Point USA watchlist could pose risk for UMD professors]

This university responded to the letter, stating that Turning Point USA’s university chapter will still have to pay the “relatively nominal, reasonable and standard security cost to proceed with its event,” according to an email sent to The Diamondback Monday.

The university emphasized that its security requirements are the same for all similar on-campus events, regardless of the chapter’s viewpoints.

The chapter posted on social media Tuesday evening that it still views the fee as discriminatory, and refuses to pay. The Leadership Institute — an organization that trains conservative activists — agreed to cover the costs so Wednesday’s event can go as planned.

The chapter was informed on Oct. 2 that University of Maryland Police would provide security free of charge, campus rights advocate Charlotte Arneson wrote in the letter. But the next day, UMPD sent a follow-up email that said the event organizers were required to hire extra security for bag checks and metal detectors, Arneson continued.

Last week, Contemporary Services Corporation, a crowd management and event security company often used by this university for campus events, provided the chapter with an estimated cost of $148.52 for a minimum of four hours of security coverage, according to the letter. This was despite the event only being scheduled to last an hour, the letter read.

Arneson and this university’s Turning Point USA chapter argued the implementation of an extra fee infringes on their First Amendment right to free speech, citing the university’s security policy about political discrimination.

[Conservative influencers challenge UMD students to debates outside McKeldin Library]

“In determining whether security costs shall be imposed, and the amount of any such costs, the University may not consider the content or viewpoints of the speech expressed or intended to be expressed by the event sponsors, speakers, guests, or attendees,” the policy states.

UMPD told the chapter in an email that requesting external security services is not exclusive to Turning Point USA and has become “a common security practice” due to “a recent increase in threats,” according to the letter.

The letter cited examples of past Turning Point USA events on campus where UMPD did not charge additional security fees. It also noted the university’s chapter of Students Supporting Israel held a vigil on Oct. 7, 2025 on McKeldin Mall using CSC staff free of charge.

Arneson wrote that this university’s security fees infringe on the preservation of “viewpoint and content neutrality” on campus.

“UMD cannot and must not force student groups to pay more money for security protection because others in the community might feel offended by an event and subsequently become violent or disruptive,” Arneson wrote.

From the Washington, D.C., border to College Park, nearly 1,500 Prince George’s County community members gathered along five miles of Route 1 to protest President Donald Trump and demand support for democracy. Saturday’s rally was one of thousands across the United States intended to stand up against the Trump administration’s actions and agenda.

The protest was the largest turnout to date for Indivisible Route 1 Corridor, an advocacy coalition in Prince George’s County that peacefully argues for democracy, according to University of Maryland professor and Indivisible member Louiqa Rashid. Young children, college students and senior citizens rallied along the road to support the cause.

Laura Usher, a member of Indivisible’s leadership team, was one of the main organizers for the protests across Prince George’s County.

Usher said she volunteers for Indivisible because she noticed people in her community being negatively affected by Trump’s return to office.

“I jumped on board to be one of the co-leaders because I really wanted to build a community to empower people,” she told The Diamondback.

The first “No Kings” protests were held nationwide on June 14 to coincide with Trump’s parade celebrating the U.S. military’s 250th birthday. No Kings’ website said the protests “drowned out” Trump’s parade and became “the strength of a movement rising against his authoritarian power grabs.”

[Experts warn education cuts, student loan changes could make it harder to attend college]

The local protest on Saturday featured multiple primary gathering points, including one in front of the Trader Joe’s in College Park.

Senior public health science major Maya Hoffman stood in front of the grocery store and held up a homemade cardboard sign that read “NO KINGS, liberty for all.” Hoffman said she attended the protest to show her support for county residents and university community members who have been affected by Trump’s crackdowns on education.

Since Trump returned to office in January, the administration has canceled research grants, revoked and restricted international student visas and worked to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.

“Local action and community organizing is really important to feeling connected and taking agency over our situation,” she said. “It’s really incredible.”

​​Former women, gender and sexuality studies professor Deborah Rosenfelt said she appreciated the variety of people that showed up for the protests.

Rosenfelt is a marshal for Indivisible Route 1 Corridor and a co-leader of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Maryland, a chapter of a national organization that unites Jewish citizens to fight against racism, white supremacy and antisemitism in the United States.

”It’s really important for people to turn out in droves to give each other moral support to keep resisting authoritarianism,” she said. “We have a special interest in the fact that the right has been using a false claim that they care about Jewish safety to justify some of the worst things they’re doing, especially on college campuses.”

[Gov. Moore promises to fight Trump’s intended National Guard deployment in Baltimore]

Across the country, some students with visas and federally-funded scholarships have been reluctant to attend campus organizations and protests due to the Trump administration’s threats against free speech. Many diversity, equity and inclusion programs have been renamed — including at this university — or shuttered altogether.

Members of this university’s Graduate Labor Union gathered outside of Trader Joe’s to protest for “a more progressive world,” said English doctoral student Declan Langton.

Langton waved around a red sign quoting the Declaration of Independence that read “It is [our] duty to throw off such Government.” They said showing up for events like “No Kings” protests can help make people feel less alone by creating community.

“It’s not just you alone in your room, but it’s you and people you’ve never met before,” Langton said. “It’s your friends, it’s your faculty members and it’s people you don’t even know driving by. It’s just really special.”

Gov. Wes Moore said in a press conference Wednesday morning that the shutdown was avoidable and will directly hurt Maryland residents. 

“The longer this unnecessary federal government shutdown goes on, the harder it is for us to keep services going,” he said.

Moore emphasized his goal of keeping the state safe through programs that allow federal agencies to continue paid operations throughout Maryland. He said he plans to expand emergency assistance programs for furloughed workers. 

A government shutdown happens when Congress fails to approve funding bills for federal agencies and programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the National Institute of Health and the Department of Education.

[Here’s how UMD community members could be affected by the government shutdown]

About 750,000 employees could be furloughed per day because of the shutdown, which would lead to an estimated $400 million in lost compensation each work day, according to a letter from the Congressional Budget Office.

Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller also emphasized the influence the federal government has within the state of Maryland. With more than 60 federal facilities, 260,000 federal workers and 200,000 contractors, Miller said Maryland could bear the consequences of the shutdown more than any other state in the country. 

U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) released a statement Wednesday blaming Republicans for the shutdown.

“Republicans have the keys to the kingdom,” she wrote. “The American people, including our patriotic federal workers, will pay the price for Republicans’ callousness and incompetence.”

The shutdown disregards thousands of federal workers in the fourth district of Maryland, which includes most of Prince George’s County, U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) said in a Wednesday news release. 

“From day one of this administration, federal workers have been under attack — even as they continue to serve the American people with dedication and professionalism,” he said.

Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy said in a Wednesday news release that she is working to identify areas where residents have been immediately affected by the shutdown. She said the county plans to “be at the ready to meet the needs of the people.”

Prince George’s County Council chair Edward Burroughs expressed his concerns in the joint statement with Braveboy.

“Prince George’s County has already faced unprecedented challenges under the Trump administration,” Burroughs wrote. “The last thing we need is further uncertainty regarding federal jobs and support.”

[Experts warn education cuts, student loan changes could make it harder to attend college]

More than 15,000 Marylanders were affected by a slew of federal layoffs that occurred after President Trump’s reelection, according to Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman.

The federal government invested $150 billion annually to the state of Maryland prior to President Trump’s return to office, according to Lierman. At least 400,000 Maryland residents rely on federal paychecks. 

Maryland has seen a decline in federal investments since January and is “approaching a critical point,” Lierman said.

Moore mentioned in his press conference that keeping the government open and functioning should not be at the expense of healthcare access

The White House released a statement on Wednesday denying any fault in the shutdown, saying it is “100% on Democrats, whose radical agenda is poisoning [U.S.] politics.” 

“My message to President Trump is clear: stop this shutdown,” Moore said. “You’re the one causing it, we’re the ones dealing with it, and Marylanders are the ones feeling it.”