By Steve Crane | Editor-in-chief
"Four years in, we still have a lot of work to do.... And if we are going to spend the next four years trying to remedy this, then they need to get working on it now. They needed to get working on it from day one, as they committed to. But we find ourselves still here, and in some cases, I would argue, in greater peril." – Patrick Moran, president of AFSCME, Council 3, urging the Moore administration to boost worker pay and hiring after a new survey of union workers showed them struggling.
One Big Beautiful Bill gives with one hand and takes away with the other, while a new survey shows that state workers would like to see a little more giving on the part of state government. Those are just some of your headlines for this Tuesday.
State officials announced $80 million in grants Monday for rural health projects, the first awards of $168 million the state will receive this year from the new Rural Health Transformation Program. That five-year, $50 billion federal program aims to offset some of the cuts under last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, though advocates say it's not likely to make up for the losses completely. Danielle J. Brown has that story.
The largest union for state workers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, surveyed its members and found the workers who responded are struggling to pay their bills and ready to quit. The union is using its first-ever State of Our State Services survey to press the Moore administration for more pay and more hiring, as Bryan P. Sears reports.
We also have news on new childhood vaccine recommendations from the White House, a new record for immigration arrests, more headlines and commentary below for your Tuesday. Enjoy!
By Danielle J. Brown
Dozens of projects from county health departments, healthcare systems and Maryland hospitals will share $80 million in new federal funding to improve access to healthcare in Maryland’s rural communities, the Moore administration announced Monday.
It's the first round of $168 million in funding the state is expected to receive this year, the first year of the new five-year federal Rural Health Transformation Program. That program, funded at $50 billion nationwide, aims to boost healthcare access in rural counties across the country. The program was included in the 2025 budget reconciliation and is intended to offset some of the cuts to healthcare included in last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Staffing shortages and transportation challenges can create barriers to primary care and behavioral healthcare for residents in rural counties, such as those on the Eastern Shore. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in a written statement that the funds will help “states like Maryland develop innovative, locally driven solutions to improve rural Americans’ access to high-quality care.”
Patrick Moran, president of AFSCME Local 3, released a survey of state workers that found them unhappy with their jobs and struggling to pay the bills. It calls on Gov. Wes Moore to make good on promises of better pay, staffing and worker safety. (File photo Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters)
By Bryan P. Sears
Nearly eight in 10 state employees have considered leaving their jobs, while nearly 60% said they are working more than one job just to make ends meet.
The data comes from a survey of state workers released Monday by the American Federation State, County and Municipal Employees Council 3. Union leaders called on Gov. Wes Moore (D) and other state leaders to do more to improve pay, working conditions and increase staffing levels.
The report – the first of its kind by the union — surveyed workers represented AFSCME, one of the largest unions in the state with about 50,000 public employee members, including 26,000 state workers. It said more than 2,500 state workers responded to the survey. AFSCME Council 3 President Patrick Moran and others said the problems began under former Gov. Larry Hogan, a two-term Republican with whom the union had a contentious relationship. But Moran said things remain tough for state employees, even with the change to Democratic control under Moore.
But a Moore spokesperson said Monday that workers "have a partner in Gov. Moore, and together, we’ve made meaningful progress to protect workers and create pathways for every Marylander to earn a good living."
IN OTHER NEWS
Childhood vaccine shift: President Donald Trump signed an executive order saying federal programs should “support maximal parental choice over childhood vaccines,” although it's unclear what legal effect the order will have.
Judge says Trump can't divert homeless funding: A Rhode Island federal judge has again blocked the Trump administration from siphoning funds from no-strings-attached "Housing First" programs for formerly homeless individuals.
New ICE tactics yield record arrests: Using new tactics -- from arrests of academics at airports to staking out a popular creek in a national forest -- immigration agents made a Trump-era record 51,000 arrests in July, data shows.
TODAY'S COMMENTARY
There's an election in November, but winners in many Maryland races were picked in the primary, writes Roberto Alejandro, disenfranchising unaffiliated voters and unaffiliated candidates who face a steep hill just to get on the ballot.
MATTERS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Counties grapple with data center responses: As local governments face more pushback on data centers, many are hitting pause: 13 counties have enacted data center moratoriums to study the issue, and one has imposed a ban.
Pennsylvania pushback: Talk of data centers has led to surges in grassroots social media groups, internet search traffic and bills sponsored by lawmakers in Pennsylvania, as public opinion sours on new projects being proposed in the state.
Bay becoming more hospitable to bacteria: Vibrio vulnificus, sometimes called flesh-eating bacteria, is still rare but infections are growing in the Chesapeake Bay region, as climate change warms the bay, making it prime habitat.
Hopkins gets coal research funding: Johns Hopkins University will share in the $180 million in grants to mining schools across the county as part of the Trump administration’s goal of rebuilding the U.S. coal industry.
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