House Democrats say Maryland won't raise taxes; Republicans are skeptical

Mennatalla Ibrahim and Katharine Wilson, The Baltimore Sun on Jan 14, 2026

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Maryland’s 2026 legislative session kicked off Wednesday, with senior Democrats doubling down on Gov. Wes Moore’s pledge that Marylanders shouldn’t and won’t face increased taxes during this session, despite a projected $1.4 billion budget deficit.

Moore has repeatedly pledged not to hike taxes and fees to wipe out the deficit, a stark shift from the last legislative session, in which lawmakers increased taxes and fees to resolve a deficit that was twice as large as this session’s.

“It’s no secret that we’re once again facing a significant budget shortfall. This makes the work of tightening our belts and balancing the budget in 2026 even more difficult than usual,” said Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk, who was unanimously voted in by House members as speaker last month. “We must do it without raising taxes on Marylanders who are facing strained budgets. I know we can figure it out, again, if we work together.”

Many House Republicans expressed skepticism about whether Democrats can meet those fiscal promises.

“I am not buying that at all. We are in a financial situation, and we definitely need to address it. We have known this is coming for years,” Anne Arundel County Del. Stuart Schmidt told The Baltimore Sun in a text message. “There’s been [steady] increases in fees, and I’m sure there will be certain industries that are directly affected by this budget shortfall.”

Still, House Minority Whip Jesse Pippy told The Sun that he is “certainly hopeful” about the opportunity to work collaboratively across the aisle on “issues that are important to the constituents that the Republican House caucus represents.”

“We certainly heard a willingness to work across the aisle, but actions will certainly speak louder than words,” he said. “We’ve got 90 days. There will be a lot of bills introduced, and we’ll see what happens, but we’re open to [having] the dialogue to move priorities forward.”

Across the building, Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey said that the lawmakers always seem to start the session on “very common ground,” focusing on not raising taxes, affordability, and accountability.

“There are important decisions that need to be made, and at the end of the day, Marylanders across the state all have to live by the decisions that we make and the spread of your work. We want to say we’re here to work hard to make sure that we’re making the right choices,” Hershey said.

Simultaneously, Senate President Bill Ferguson listed his priorities as growing the state’s economy, enhancing affordability, and protecting the state from “too often needlessly cruel government policies” at the federal level. He was unanimously renominated by all 46 present senators last December.

“The old adage used to be that the election year sessions are quiet, where the General Assembly tries to punt on the hard topics and avoid rocking the boat too much,” Ferguson said. “That will not be the case for the 2026 legislative session. Circumstances dictate policy, and [the] circumstances our residents are currently facing require bold and immediate action.”

Ferguson criticized actions by immigration enforcement officers in the state to reporters Wednesday, calling ICE a “paramilitary force” that has been offensive to humankind. He also signaled support for upcoming legislation to ban face masks for law enforcement officers and an end to 287(g) contracts.

Ferguson also repeated to reporters that the “window has closed” on mid-decade redistricting, arguing that the Feb. 23 statewide filing deadline for candidates provides too little time. This comes as Moore has pushed for the state to look into mid-decade redistricting in response to redistricting in other states.

Ferguson introduced Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller shortly after the chamber session began. “We’re thrilled to have another year to work very closely with each and every one of you and to navigate this moment together,” Moore said. “We are very clear that we’re going to be able to get some very powerful, important things done together as a state.”

Miller did not address the chamber.

U.S. Reps. April McClain Delaney and Sarah Elfreth, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Maria Isabel Castillo, the Dominican Republic’s ambassador to the United States, were also in attendance.

Lawmakers now turn to the work ahead in a 90-day session expected to be dominated by efforts to close the state’s budget gap, while advancing proposals on affordability, immigration, energy and government accountability.

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