Steve Burns
WMAL.com

ROCKVILLE – (WMAL) Multiple Montgomery County councilmembers have expressed a wariness in opining on federal issues, because, as Councilmember George Leventhal said, “there could be no end to it.” But on President Trump’s proposed budget, he said, it is warranted.

“It is so vividly clear that the cuts contemplated by the Trump administration would have such a devastating effect on our economy,” Leventhal said at a recent meeting.

The all-Democratic County Council unanimously passed a resolution urging Maryland’s Congressional delegation to keep Maryland’s best interests in mind when it goes through the budget proposal. It includes deep cuts to agencies that call Montgomery County home, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

“This will have an extraordinary, deep impact on our residents,” Councilmember Nancy Navarro said. “We have worked so hard to recover from the recession, and now we have to take into consideration what might happen, if indeed this budget is adopted, what would happen to our regional economy.”

Councilmember Hans Riemer posited an answer: “I think this budget would cause an immediate, deep recession in Montgomery County, and in the Washington region,” he said.

While the order is generally directed at Maryland’s representatives on Capitol Hill, some of the ire was also directed at Maryland’s Republican Governor Larry Hogan, who hasn’t been forceful enough in standing up for Maryland in the eyes of County Council President Roger Berliner.

“It is time for our Governor to be engaged, supporting Maryland’s welfare,” Berliner said. “It just has not happened, and it is, in my judgment, irresponsible on his part.”

Copyright 2017 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: Montgomery County MD)