Hiring Freeze, Employee Buyouts Ordered By MD Gov. Moore: Reports

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday told state employees to prepare for a hiring freeze, a voluntary buyout program and workforce reductions, citing a "historical fiscal challenge," according to multiple reports.

The job reductions stem from a mandate included in the state's fiscal year 2026 budget and will amount to $121 million in savings, the Washington Post reported.

In his letter to state employees and obtained by the Post, Moore said the cuts to personnel funding “position Maryland to more effectively navigate the extreme uncertainty caused by federal actions” and that he is “committed to engaging with our public sector unions as we work through these difficult decisions.”

The governor also called the state's financial climate the worst since the Great Depression, citing in part, "a federal administration that continues to harm Maryland's people and the economy," according to CBS Baltimore.

The 2026 budget was passed and signed by Moore earlier this year. While it slashed the personnel budget by more than $100 million, it did not specify how the cuts would be carried out, the Baltimore Banner reported.

The hiring freeze will be implemented on July 1 and likely continue until that date next year, according to the Post. The freeze does not include the University of Maryland system, the legislative branch or the Maryland Judiciary. Jobs involving around-the-clock direct care are also not affected.

More information on the employee buyouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

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Moore Chief of Staff Fagan Harris said in an interview with Maryland Matters that state officials have been trying for weeks to come up with a plan to get the savings from the state’s general fund, in accordance with the fiscal 2026 budget that the governor signed in May.

“It’s going to be all of these things that help us get to the number, ultimately,” Harris said.

As recently as two weeks ago, the administration was looking at layoffs of current workers as part of the budget-cutting mix, an administration official said at the time. But Harris said Tuesday that they were ultimately able to stop short of actual layoffs.

Patrick Moran, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 3 — which represents more than 26,000 state employees — said the state’s ongoing issues with “chronic understaffing, dangerous working conditions, and unsustainable workloads” must be taken into account as the final decisions are made on cuts.

“While it’s clear our state must navigate tough and volatile times, any solutions cannot come at the cost of providing quality state services,” Moran said in a statement Tuesday.

Del. Ben Barnes (D- Anne Arundel and Prince George’s), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said he was pleased to see the governor take a path that did not include cuts of current staff.

“I’m very happy to see that there will not be furloughs or layoffs, as they’re not warranted or necessary given our current fiscal picture,” Barnes said.

Sen. Guy Guzzone (D-Howard), chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, hailed the governor’s move as “very reasonable and logical.” It should achieve the $121 million in needed cuts, but Guzzone warned that further cuts at the federal level could force state officials back to the drawing board.

“We don’t know what else may come along — what other shoe might drop,” Guzzone said. “But I think it’s important to keep a level head and make reasonable decisions along the way. And I think this was a reasonable decision by the governor.”

Patch news partner Maryland Matters contributed to this report. Read more here.

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