Maryland Gov. Moore tells state workers to prepare for hiring freeze, buyouts

Washington Post

4 days ago

Gov. Wes Moore told Maryland state employees on Tuesday that they should brace for a hiring freeze, voluntary buyouts and cuts to the workforce to balance a state budget that has been heavily impacted by Trump administration spending cuts, according to an employee email from the governor reviewed by The Washington Post.
Moore told state employees in the email that the budget for fiscal year 2026, which was passed by the General Assembly this spring, requires his office to cut costs in the General Fund by $121 million. The state will implement a hiring freeze on July 1, a move that comes after months of Moore and state lawmakers trying to entice former federal workers fired by President Donald Trump to come work for the state of Maryland.
Separately, Moore said the state will be launching a voluntary buyout program, the details of which are still being developed, according to the staff email. More information on the buyouts will be announced in 'the next several weeks,' Moore said.
The governor said the state will also be 'assessing opportunities' to eliminate jobs slots within state agencies and other parts of state government that are not currently filled — a process that will ponder whether those positions align with 'mission priorities.'
'In these unprecedented times, Maryland is being tested by two storms: A historic fiscal challenge — the worst since the Great Recession — and a federal administration that continues to harm Maryland's people and the economy,' Moore wrote in the email to state employees. 'Our action positions Maryland to more effectively navigate the extreme uncertainty caused by federal actions.'
The governor said that state officials are 'committed to engaging with our public sector unions as we work through these difficult decisions.'
The governor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.