Maryland governments prepare for imminent federal shutdown

Julia Eisen – WMAL News | September 29, 2023

Local and state governments are bracing for possible federal shutdown, as they will try and offer assistance to furloughed workers and residents who receive benefits from federal programs that would be impacted by a shutdown.

Governor Wes Moore says the Maryland government will use up to one billion dollars of funding to cover impacted federal programs. However, he’s not happy about it.

“There’s a level of irresponsibility that we continue to see from Washington, from these radical House Republicans,” Moore told 7News.

Additionally, both Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties are mobilizing resources as well.

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks put out a statement ensuring residents that the government is finalizing a “list of resources available for furloughed workers, including healthcare, unemployment support, food assistance, and more.”

All of this comes as Maryland economists analyze how a shutdown will impact the state’s economy moving forward. Maryland’s Revenue Estimates Director, Robert Rehrmann, explained that the state can absorb a brief shutdown but a longer shutdown, such as the one in 2013, could have a disastrous impact on the economy.

“Our economy didn’t grow for several years whereas the national economy grew over that time. And our wage growth was slow over that period as well,” Rehrmann said in a Thursday revenue meeting.

The feds have until Saturday night at 11:59pm to make a final decision.

WMAL News Correspondent John Matthews contributed to this report.

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