ICE cooperation, massive budget deficit, redistricting facing Maryland General Assembly as session starts

Maryland's General Assembly session starts Wednesday with lawmakers staring down a massive budget deficit of $1.4 billion.

The governor has promised not to raise taxes and fees.

It comes as a new poll shows most Marylanders feel overtaxed by the state.

Budget battle 

At a news conference last week, Moore told reporters, "It does not take a Nobel prize in economics to understand when you have increased speeding, but your growth remains relatively flat, that's how you get structural deficits." 

The governor also addressed housing growth and affordability.

Moore blamed the Trump administration for the state's budgetary issues. 

"Even after turning a deficit into a surplus last year, another massive hit hit the state of Maryland where we saw the inauguration of a federal administration that decided to launch an all-out assault on the state of Maryland," Moore said. 

The governor's office told WJZ Tuesday, "Governor Moore is laser focused on delivering results, not on any polls. Last session, Governor Moore led the charge to provide a tax cut or no change in income taxes to 94% of all Marylanders."

According to the Department of Legislative Services, "This shortfall represents a significant change in circumstance from the $145 million general fund surplus projected in the July 2025 forecast following the 2025 session. A significant driver of the change relates to provisions in the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that were not known at the time of the forecast. These provisions result in a reduction of $371 million in revenue, mainly due to the increase to the state and local tax deduction cap. General fund spending increases by an estimated $100 million for OBBBA expenses, including a larger state share of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program administrative costs and implementation costs for programmatic changes in Medicaid." 

DLS also noted, "Other ongoing spending growth includes $217 million for behavioral health services covered under Medicaid, primarily for community-based services, and $175 million for K-12 education due to higher than expected retirement costs and general funds needed to replace costs that cannot be covered by the Blueprint for Maryland's Future (Blueprint) Fund. The forecast assumes maintenance of a Rainy Day Fund balance of approximately 8% (more than $2 billion), though some of these reserves could be used to address a portion of the cash shortfall in fiscal 2027 on a one-time basis."

Other issues 

While lawmakers will have to make painful budget cuts during the 90-day session, other topics include energy policy and data centers and protections against rising electricity costs.

Several bills also address immigration and how much the state should be cooperating with the Trump administration for enforcement. Also, lawmakers will consider whether those who join ICE should be banned from consideration for state law enforcement jobs.

Maryland House Majority Leader David Moon tweeted, "I'm introducing a bill to 'digitally unmask' anonymous ICE agents involved in violent or unconstitutional misconduct. Maryland would use widely available technology to preserve identifying data so victims can seek justice in court for serious, credible cases."

Juvenile crime and redistricting will also be topics of discussion.

You can track the General Assembly and bills under consideration here.    

New poll 

The Gonzales poll surveyed 808 voters in the state between December 21, 2025 and January 6, 2026. 

 Almost 47% of respondents said Maryland is heading in the right direction while 44% felt the state was on the wrong path.

The poll revealed that 58% believe they pay too much in taxes, and 41% say they pay about the right amount.

Pollster Patrick Gonzales spoke to WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren about the numbers.

"Right now, Governor Moore's approval is 52% approve, 41% disapprove. 52% gets you back in office. But among the 58%, who say they pay too much in taxes, a hypothetical Republican challenger is actually beating Governor Moore in this poll," Gonzales said. 

It could be a red flag for lawmakers. 

"We'll see how they respond and what they do. Do they heed these signals that a large group of people are frustrated and kind of fed up? Tune in," Gonzales said. "…People are horribly frustrated about those kinds of day-to-day to day expenses."

Moore's representative noted Gonzales had been hired before by Ed Hale, one of Moore's opponents. 

"I've been in this business for 40 years. I would put my reputation up against any accusations that would ever compromise the quality of my work for money or possession," Gonzales told Hellgren. "If I were shilling for Ed Hale, why in god's name would I put out a poll three weeks after UMBC put out a poll that has Governor Moore doing better than that poll."

The UMBC December poll showed 67% of voters say the amount of taxes and fees Marylanders pay should be a high priority for state government to address.

You can read about other issues in that poll here.