FEDERAL SHUTDOWN MEANS TAX REVENUE LOSS FOR MARYLAND: Maryland lawmakers were warned Tuesday of the potential of tens of millions in lost economic activity and revenue under the federal government shutdown that began at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Chief Deputy Comptroller Andrew Schaufele, in a briefing before the Joint Federal Action Oversight Committee, estimated that the state could lose $700,000 per day — possibly more — in tax revenue in a shutdown. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- It’s unclear, with the House of Representatives adjourned until next week, when lawmakers could consider their next moves to reopen the government. The final decision came down to a vote in the Senate on the same Republican bill that failed more than a week ago. Democrats, seeking health care concessions and other guardrails on the president’s spending authority, withheld support. Brenda Wintrode and Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
- The consequences of a shutdown will be sweeping in the nation’s capital and across the country, where states are bracing for the impact. About 750,000 federal workers could be furloughed, leading to a $400 million impact a day. All federal employees would go unpaid until the shutdown is over. Additionally, the Trump administration plans to lay off thousands of federal employees, which would reshape the federal workforce. Jennifer Shutt and Ariana Figueroa/Maryland Matters.
- Maryland is home to an estimated 269,000 federal employees, with about 161,000 jobs physically based in the state at agencies such as the Social Security Administration and the National Institutes of Health. While it is unclear how many Maryland workers accepted buyouts, the eventual impact could be “devastating” for state and local governments, said Anirban Basu, of Sage Policy Group. Todd Karpovich/The Baltimore Sun.
- State officials outlined both the immediate and long-term concerns, including a potential surge in unemployment insurance claims and questions about whether President Donald Trump’s administration will follow tradition by back paying states for programs when a budget agreement is eventually reached. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND’s FEDERAL WORKERS REACT TO SHUTDOWN: Ahead of the shutdown deadline, The Banner contacted current and former federal employees, and they shared their thoughts on a shutdown — and how they’re bracing for it. Almost all requested anonymity out of fear of retribution. Prachi Vashisht/The Baltimore Banner.
FAST-TRACKING ENERGY PROJECTS BEGINS: Maryland opened the door Tuesday to a program that could fast-track energy projects through the state’s regulatory process in hopes of boosting the amount of power generated in the state. For the next 30 days, the Public Service Commission will accept applications for large-scale power projects or “dispatchable” generation, which can provide energy quickly during periods of peak demand. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
TWO EDUCATION BOARDS OK METRICS TO IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT: The Maryland State Board of Education and the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board approved additional metrics Tuesday to improve student achievement, including measures to shrink the achievement gap between student groups, but they didn’t set a timeline for meeting that goal. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND RESTARTS BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL AWARDS WITH SEVEN WINNERS: Maryland is reinstating its Blue Ribbon awards for schools, after the Trump administration recently decided to end the decades-old national program that recognizes exemplary schools. Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday announced this year’s winners – seven in total – for the state’s newly restarted program. Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.
COMMENTARY: TRANSPARENCY LACKING AT BACK RIVER TREATMENT PLANT: A meandering environmental disaster in Maryland was finally brought under control two years ago. Or it seemed that way on paper. That’s when the state attorney general and environment secretary announced the settlement of a lawsuit against Baltimore City over unauthorized discharges of pollution from its wastewater treatment plant into the Back River. But the lack of transparency is raising questions over just how successful the settlement has been. Kim Stansbury/The Baltimore Sun.
MTA: NO RANSOM PAID, SERVICES RESTORED AFTER RANSOMWARE ATTACK: Maryland officials say no ransom was paid and services have been fully restored in the wake of a ransomware attack that exposed personal data and disrupted bus services at the state’s transportation agency. Josh Davis/The Baltimore Sun.
LOCAL SCIENCE COMMUNITY PUSHES BACK ON TRUMP AUTISM CLAIM: The unproven statement from President Donald Trump that Tylenol causes autism drew immediate pushback from doctors and scientists who cautioned that the president’s assertion is not supported by the data about the widely used painkiller acetaminophen, Tylenol’s main ingredient. “The cause could be the fever the drug was treating,” said Christine Ladd-Acosta, an autism researcher in Johns Hopkins University’s Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. Meredith Cohn/The Baltimore Banner.
A COLLEAGUES’ BREAKFAST AND A $190,000 BILL TO TAXPAYERS: The most expensive breakfast in Baltimore County may have taken place March 30, 2021, when county Inspector General Kelly Madigan met Patrick Murray at a Towson coffee shop. Murray, chief of staff for then-County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., called the meeting because a county employee was uncomfortable with Madigan’s questioning during an investigation. Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
BALTIMORE SUN JOURNALISTS FACE GAG ORDER IMPOSED BY SMITH: While Hunt Valley based Sinclair Broadcast Group, chaired by David D. Smith, made headlines in September by forbidding its ABC affiliates across the country from airing Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show, back in Baltimore, the Smith-owned Baltimore Sun was clamping down on journalists with a proposed clause in their new contract that prohibits union members from making “false or disparaging statements” about the paper’s management or ownership. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew.
