Today, @GovLarryHogan discussed initial considerations related to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on MD state budget. Fortunately, the General Assembly's enacted budget allocates record funding for the State's rainy day fund & left a record cash balance... 1/x

...for @GovLarryHogan to use for COVID costs & recovery. The General Assembly also passed additional funding streams for the Governor to utilize to help support Maryland residents and small businesses recover from the impacts that social distancing has had on our economy. 2/x

Federal relief funding also will help narrow the state funding gap further. 3/x

It is too early to know with certainty whether these funds will be insufficient to cover the costs associated with Maryland's appropriate and timely response to COVID-19's spread in our State. Regardless, it's clear that hard choices are ahead. 4/x

What we do know with certainty is that individual Marylanders' actions today to stay home and stay safe will benefit public health, slow the spread, and increase the speed at which Maryland can begin the hard work of economic recovery. 5/x

What we also do know is that Maryland’s government must be there for her residents. We must make certain that those who are applying for assistance - be it for unemployment benefits, food assistance, or other critical necessities - are having their needs addressed. 6/x

We must take care of our employees, we must take care of Marylanders' critical needs, and we must make sure that every Maryland child has access to educational tools - both throughout this crisis, and into the future. 7/x

We in state government must be prepared for all possible contingencies. As we face this crisis together in the long term, we will be forced to make hard choices about priorities and values. 8/x

COVID-19 has changed the world and it has changed Maryland. But this crisis will end, and the cost of containing this crisis cannot be the foreclosure on hope for a better future. 9/x

Now, more than ever, our decisions about who we are and what we believe about every individual's God-given potential must continue to be our guide. 10/x

I look forward to working with leadership in the General Assembly and the Governor to best figure out the fiscal path to recovery. We will get through this because we must. We are Marylanders, and building a better future is what we do. (11/11)