HUNDREDS PROTEST PROPOSED CUTS TO STATE DISABILITIES SPENDING: Chanting “Save our services!” and “No more cuts!” hundreds of Marylanders rallied in Annapolis Monday against a proposed state budget that includes cuts to planned spending for the Developmental Disabilities Administration. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
- The advocates say that the state’s $3 billion budget deficit is being balanced on the backs of the disability community, due to a proposed $200 million cut to the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration to help offset the shortfall. State health officials have said the cuts are needed to rein in unsustainable growth in the agency and provide additional financial accountability for those services. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND LAWMAKERS PROTEST MUSK MOVES AGAINST USAID: Four Maryland lawmakers were among those turned away from the U.S. Agency for International Development headquarters after speaking in protest of billionaire Elon Musk’s announcement that President Donald Trump had agreed to abruptly close the agency. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
- Empowered by President Trump, Musk is waging a largely unchecked war against the federal bureaucracy — one that has already had far-reaching consequences. Musk’s aggressive incursions into at least half a dozen government agencies have challenged congressional authority and potentially breached civil service protections. Jonathan Swan, Theodore Schleifer, Maggie Haberman, Kate Conger, Ryan Mac and Madeleine Ngo/The New York Times.
MD SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS CHILD VICTIMS ACT: The Supreme Court of Maryland on Monday upheld as constitutional the state’s Child Victims Act, which took effect in 2023 and eliminates time limits for lawsuits to be filed by people who were sexually abused as children. Already, roughly 3,500 claims have been filed, and settlement payments from Maryland could top $3 billion — at a time when the state is facing a similarly sized budget shortfall. Trish Bishop/The Baltimore Sun.
- In a narrow 4-3 decision, the court ruled that the legislature was within its power when it passed the law. The law, signed by Gov. Wes Moore (D) in 2023 opened the door to claims against private entities — most notably the Archdiocese of Baltimore — and state government agencies. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND HOUSEHOLDS TO FEEL PAIN OF TRUMP TARIFFS: If fully implemented, the pain of President Trump’s tariffs could be felt in Maryland and across the country. According to a Yale Budget Lab Analysis, an average U.S. household would lose $1,170 in income this year if Trump’s tariffs continue as proposed. The study notes that tariffs would amount to the equivalent of a more than $1.4 trillion tax increase if maintained for the next decade. However, a separate Goldman Sachs study concluded the measures would likely be temporary. Carson Swick/The Baltimore Sun.
BILLS SEEK TO GROW ENERGY GENERATION, HALT RISE IN COSTS: Maryland’s Democratic leadership in the General Assembly on Monday introduced a package of bills geared toward expanding the state’s energy generation capacity, part of an effort to stop rapidly rising energy costs that have been passed on to utility customers. Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
COMMENTARY: DEMOCRATS’ POLICIES DRIVE UP ENERGY PRICES: Maryland’s electricity costs have surged in recent years, and the blame lies squarely on the Democrat-led General Assembly and its unwavering allegiance to environmental advocacy groups. While Democrats claim they are championing a cleaner, greener future, their reckless policies are driving up energy prices for families and businesses, forcing the closure of reliable fossil fuel generation and pushing the state to the brink of rolling brownouts and blackouts. Sen. Steve Hershey/The Baltimore Sun.
REPORT: PG COUNTY PICK FOR FBI HQ FLAWED, BUT HAD NO CONFLICT: The controversial selection of a suburban Maryland site for the future FBI headquarters was not the result of a conflict of interest, a federal inspector general who launched a review of allegations of such improprieties has concluded. But a decision to weight the cost of development during the decision-making process in a way that benefited the Prince George’s County site was “not justified.” Aaron Wiener/The Washington Post.
COMMENTARY: LAKIN RILEY ACT ERRODES DUE PROCESS: The 119th Congress, with a Republican trifecta—Donald Trump in the White House and both the Senate and House controlled by Republicans—began its term by passing the Laken Riley Act. What was billed as a law designed to protect communities and prevent tragedies, like the one it was named after, has turned out to be something far more troubling: an erosion of due process, unchecked government power, and state interference in federal matters. Matthew Morris/Maryland Reporter.
COLUMN: HE’s COMING FOR OUR NAVAL ACADEMY: It took Donald Trump a week to come for the Naval Academy. You could be forgiven for missing the purge he has started at places where the minds of the U.S. armed forces are shaped: Annapolis, West Point, the Air Force and Coast Guard academies. It’s worth paying attention to how this pans out. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
NEO-NAZI FOUND GUILTY OF B’MORE POWER GRID PLOT: A founder of a neo-Nazi group was found guilty on Monday of plotting to attack electrical substations in Maryland with the goal of creating a failure in the power grid that would plunge Baltimore into chaos. The jury deliberated for less than one hour. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
BALTIMORE SUES TRUMP OVER DEI EXECUTIVE ORDER: Baltimore and its mayor are suing President Donald Trump and several federal departments to block executive orders that dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion in public and private sectors. Candy Woodall/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE IG SAYS BOWIE SCHOOL ADMIN TRIED TO BLOCK ABUSE PROBE: Maryland’s education watchdog wrote in a report last week that he believed a ranking administrator at a Bowie elementary school tried to block an oversight investigation over missed deadlines for reporting abuse. Dan Belson/The Baltimore Sun.
BLADENSBURG STOPS ANNEXATION EFFORTS OF HOSPITAL HILL: Following a closed-session meeting, Bladensburg officials announced last week that they plan to stop their efforts to annex the Hospital Hill site. The site developer warned that the project, expected to host 1,300 homes alongside retail space and a new medical office, could be negatively impacted by the annexation efforts, and both Cheverly and Prince George’s had planned lawsuits against Bladensburg. Richard Elliott/The Washington Informer.
FOUNDER LEAVING MARYLAND MATTERS: On Feb. 14, I’ll be leaving this operation. My departure date is coincidental, but it carries some resonance. I guess we could say that my three-decade love affair with Maryland politics and the people who inhabit this world is about to enter a new phase. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
