As I prepare for the 2025 General Assembly legislative session, I want to ensure that voters in Western Maryland are knowledgeable about the fiscal challenges the state faces. Maryland’s fiscal outlook is dire, and it’s time for state leaders to acknowledge the problem and take decisive action.

Over the past several years, Maryland’s budget has grown at an unsustainable pace, fueled by federal pandemic relief funds and record state revenues. However, the surge in revenue was temporary, and now the state is left grappling with the aftermath of its spending spree. Democrats control all the purse strings in Maryland — from the governor to the state treasurer to the majority in both houses of the General Assembly.

The state is on pace to be in one of the worst financial situations since the recession of 2008-2009. The current year’s deficit is more than $1 billion. It nearly triples in 2026 and 2027 to $2.7 billion. And how do you think the Democratic leadership will try to address this situation? By their tried-and-true measure of raising taxes. Sure, they will offer some spending cuts, but nothing will come close to helping narrow the budget deficit. The budget deficit does not even include the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which is billions of dollars to be spent on public education with no funding mechanism.

Seven months ago, Moody’s Ratings downgraded Maryland’s financial outlook from stable to negative. This is a big change from when Gov. Larry Hogan left office and handed over to the Gov. Wes Moore Administration a $5 billion surplus.

The legislature must focus on fiscal responsibility. This means resisting the temptation to create new programs or expand existing ones without identifying sustainable funding sources. Instead, state leaders should prioritize funding for critical services like education, public safety, and infrastructure while cutting unnecessary expenditures.

The state must embrace transparency and accountability in budgeting. This includes requiring detailed cost-benefit analyses for all major spending proposals and ensuring that taxpayers know where their money is going. Marylanders deserve a government that lives within its means and respects their hard-earned dollars.

I want voters to know I will be down in Annapolis fighting against tax and fee increases and supporting spending cuts to help address Maryland’s budget deficit. We all remember how Gov. Martin O’Malley handled this situation by raising millions of dollars in fees and tax increases. I will stand up to protect the taxpayers of Maryland, who are already worried about their own fiscal situations.

If we fail to act now, the consequences will be severe. Higher taxes, reduced services, and an exodus of residents and businesses could become the norm. Maryland cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. It’s time for leaders in Annapolis to make the tough choices necessary to put our state on a path to fiscal sustainability.

— Mike McKay, Cumberland

The writer is a Maryland state senator representing District 1 (Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties).