Maryland’s State Budget: Delaying the pain, or investing in the future?

Maryland Now · Feb 12, 2026 · 29m

The Maryland General Assembly is back in session — and the only thing lawmakers must do each year is pass a balanced budget. And this year, an election year, there is no way that policy makers are going to raise taxes. So to fill an unexpected $1.5 billion gap between revenues and expenditures, fueled by unintended costs in healthcare and rising costs in education, Gov. Wes Moore is looking at spending cuts and untapped pots of money. Like every year, long‑term projections look increasingly grim. So how worried should Marylanders really be?

In this episode, hosts Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz, and…