MILLIONS IN FEDERAL FUNDS FOR MARYLAND REMAIN FROZEN: Millions of dollars in federal grants to Maryland remained frozen Tuesday, state officials said, despite multiple court orders directing the Trump administration to release the funds. About $13.7 million in direct grants to the Maryland Department of the Environment were “suspended” Tuesday, including funding for air pollution monitoring, mining-related projects, the expansion of electric vehicle chargers, coastal and forest restoration projects, and workforce training for energy-sector jobs. Rachel Baye/WYPR-FM.
TRUMP ACTIONS FORCE ‘LINE BY LINE’ EFFORT TO CUT MARYLAND BUDGET: A three-week blitzkrieg of federal budget actions by President Donald Trump is fueling a level of budget uncertainty and angst among Maryland officials. Senate President Bill Ferguson said he and others are tearing the budget apart “line by line” looking for potential cuts to offset reductions in federal aid. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
TAX ON SUGARY DRINKS COULD SWEETEN BUDGET PICTURE: Maryland lawmakers will be asked to sweeten the state’s coffers by adding a tax on sugary drinks projected to raise nearly $500 million annually. If passed, Maryland could become the first state to tack a 2-cents per ounce tax on sugary drinks, syrups and powders. The money raised would be earmarked for free school meals, child care subsidies and the state’s general fund. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
BILL WOULD REQUIRE VIDEO CAMERAS IN NURSING HOMES: Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) wants the legislature to make it a state requirement to have video cameras installed at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. “Video evidence has been crucial in securing justice for victims of abuse,” Brown said in testimony Tuesday before the Senate Finance Committee. “Opponents have raised concerns about the cost of video recording equipment and data storage, but the cost of inaction is far greater in terms of the harm to victims.” William Ford/Maryland Matters.
MOORE SUPPORTS BILL TO IMPROVE BAY WATER QUALITY: Gov. Wes Moore is putting his support behind proposed legislation that seeks to improve water quality of the Chesapeake Bay, support regenerative agriculture, and streamline oyster aquaculture. The Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act would create the Maryland Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming Program and an associated fund to support environmental conservation by farmers. Marcus Dieterle/Baltimore Fishbowl.
VAN HOLLEN, ALSOBROOKS PROTEST CIVIL SERVICE DISMANTLING: Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks joined other members of the state’s congressional delegation and federal employee unions near the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to denounce the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the federal civil service. Mennatalla Ibrahim and Colin McNamara of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
TRUMP APPEALS MARYLAND JUDGE’s BLOCK OF BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER: President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday said it’s appealing a Maryland federal judge’s ruling blocking the president’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for people whose parents are not legally in the country. Mike Catalini/The Associated Press.
BA CO SCHOOL OFFICIALS URGED TO PROTECT STUDENTS FROM ICE: Community leaders called on Baltimore County school officials Tuesday to ensure that undocumented students are protected, days after reports that an Overlea High School teacher reached out to immigration officials and offered to name names. That incident has rippled the immigrant community, leaving students and family members more scared than ever over their safety in school, advocates said during the board meeting and at a news conference earlier in the day. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
TRUMP ORDERS DISMISSAL OF BOARDS OF MILITARY ACADEMIES: President Donald Trump said Monday that he had ordered the “immediate dismissal” of the boards of visitors at the nation’s military academies, including the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, claiming they have been “infiltrated by Woke Leftist Ideologues.” Trump, who has been consolidating power and challenging governmental norms in the three weeks since he took office, made the announcement on his Truth Social platform. Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.
JHU JOINS 12 OTHER RESEARCH SCHOOLS TO FREE FEDERAL FUNDING: Johns Hopkins University is joining 12 other academic research institutions in suing the National Institutes of Health, as the Trump administration takes actions to limit the amount of money the federal government will give to universities for indirect costs for medical research projects. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
- The suit stems from NIH’s announcement that it would cap the availability of indirect funds, which are expenses added on to federally funded biomedical research grants to pay for equipment, safety measures and personnel who support researchers. The move was presented as a cost-cutting measure by the Trump administration. But the funds, in some cases, “quite literally keep the lights on,” according to university president Ron Daniels and Johns Hopkins Medicine CEO Theodore DeWeese. Ellie Wolfe and Meredith Cohn/The Baltimore Banner.
BROWN TO SEEK MAJOR DAMAGES FROM W.L. GORE: Attorney General Anthony Brown says the amount of funds the state will seek from W.L. Gore for its alleged role in contaminating drinking water with PFAS chemicals is “likely a very large number.” Brown said there were extensive damages for past and future contamination caused by Gore’s factory in Cecil County. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
HOPKINS PRIVATE POLICE FORCE FINALLY TO HAVE HIGHER CAMPUS PROFILE: The Johns Hopkins University’s controversial private police force will finally have a noticeable presence on campus, a major milestone for an effort that has faced heated opposition since the idea was introduced about seven years ago. Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.
CALVERT CLIFFS TO GET $100 MILLION UPGRADE: The Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant is licensed by the federal government for another decade. Its owner, though, is planning investments in preparation for a potential license renewal that would last into the second half of this century. Constellation Energy, which owns the nuclear plant near Lusby in Southern Maryland, is spending $100 million to upgrade equipment and electrical systems. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Banner.
MO CO COUNCIL OKs PLASTIC BAG BAN DESPITE OPPOSITION: The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday adopted a ban on plastic shopping bags at most stores and doubled the tax on paper bags to 10 cents — steps that, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll, many Montgomery County voters oppose. Dana Munro/ Emily Guskin and Scott Clement/The Washington Post.
