STATE TO FUND SOME FEDERAL PROGRAMS DURING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: The first federal government shutdown of the decade tips hundreds of thousands of Marylanders and the state itself into economic uncertainty as millions of dollars that normally flow to workers and programs ceases. Here’s a look at the potential impact by the numbers, including employee counts, state revenue predictions, and a history of past shutdowns. Steve Earley/The Baltimore Sun.
- Gov. Wes Moore (D) vowed Wednesday to continue funding some federal programs as a federal government shutdown began with no end in sight. “Federal programs administered by the state will continue to support working families through Medicaid, SNAP and TANF, we will also provide greater flexibility to Head Start programs and ensure that veterans maintain access to essential resources,” he said. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- If the shutdown continues, the Maryland Department of Labor will launch a Federal Shutdown Loan Program on Monday, Oct. 6, to support essential federal workers who are not being paid. The program will offer a no-interest $700 loan to cover expenses for essential workers, as they are not eligible for unemployment insurance, according to the governor. JT Moodee Lockman and Dennis Valera/WJZ-TV News.
- Resources available to furloughed workers include unemployment, which they can apply for while not receiving a paycheck. Workers are reminded however to apply for unemployment in the jurisdiction they work in, which for many workers in Maryland could mean Washington D.C. or Virginia. Matt Bush/WYPR-FM.
- Moore administration officials said the state has done this before during shutdowns and the federal government has repaid it, including after a 35-day shutdown during the first Trump administration. There’s no assurance that states will be paid back this time. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
THE IMPACTS: AIR TRAVEL, NATIONAL PARKS, PAYING YOUR ELECTRIC BILL: The federal government shutdown is not expected to disrupt air travel in Maryland or elsewhere. While some services – such as those in national parks – are limited or frozen, air traffic control is expected to continue without interruption. Josh Davis/The Baltimore Sun.
- They came here to learn about Baltimore and United States history but instead were met with a closed door and an unexpected lesson in U.S. government. Raven Payne/WMAR-TV News.
- Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. offered federal workers help with paying bills and avoiding service disruptions during the government shutdown, the utility company said Wednesday. Options for impacted workers include flexible payments and late payment charge waivers, BGE said. Lorraine Mirabella/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE TO ANNOUNCE $340M DEAL TO CUT CONOWINGO DAM POLLUTION: Gov. Wes Moore (D) will announce today a $340 million deal with Constellation Energy to reduce pollution flowing into the Susquehanna River from the Conowingo Dam, clearing the way to grant a 50-year license to operate the dam’s hydroelectric facility that provides the largest source of renewable energy in the state. Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
NEW LAW: BLUE BUTTERFLY ON IDs TO INDICATE ‘NON-APPARENT DISABILITY:’ Thanks to a law that went into effect on Wednesday, Marylanders with non-apparent disabilities such as autism can now be given a state-issued ID marked with a butterfly that indicates their disability. Dana Munro/The Washington Post.
- The logo is meant to help police identify Marylanders with developmental or intellectual disabilities that are not immediately noticeable. Dozens of elected officials, disability advocates and other supporters traveled to the MVA’s White Oak location to celebrate “Eric’s ID Law” that went into effect Tuesday. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
OTHER LAWS TOOK EFFECT ON OCT. 1: How much time behind bars is too much time? How harsh should speeding penalties be? When should someone be charged for passing an infection to another, and how best to honor a slain parole officer? And when will we finally have an officially state mineral? The answers to those questions and more can be found among the more than 400 new state laws that took effect Wednesday, the biggest and last group of the 849 bills passed into law in the 2025 General Assembly. Danielle J. Brown, Bryan P. Sears, William J. Ford and Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
ADVICE FROM A FEDERAL WORKER WHO LOST HER JOB: Jaime Zimmerman, a 20-year federal employee, was put on leave from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in March. In July, the Bethesda mother of three teens officially lost her job. She offers some advice on how to cope in this time of uncertainty. Antonio Planas/The Baltimore Banner.
A HOUSING HUSTLE IGNITES A FORECLOSURE CRISIS IN BALTIMORE: Something peculiar is happening to nearly 704 homes across Baltimore. In concentrated pockets of the city’s East and West sides, many of the homes have hit the auction block this year at noticeably inflated prices. And no one is biting. The homes are in a portfolio linked to New York buyers who leaned on a newly popular mortgage loan product to buy hundreds of homes in Baltimore. Private equity funds have fueled its rise, and with many of the mortgages now in default, lenders and noteholders have been left holding the bag. Hallie Miller, Giacomo Bologna and Sahana Jayaraman/The Baltimore Banner.
