From left, Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-3rd), Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), NTEU President Doreen Greenwald, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) at podium, Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-2nd), Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) and Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) at the Capitol on Monday. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)
State officials have been doing what they can to connect Maryland residents with food, housing, health care and financial resources ahead of a looming government shutdown.
What they can’t do is make the White House and Congress come to an agreement that would head off the shutdown that is scheduled to hit at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.
“There’s rumors that the Trump administration is going to use the shutdown as an excuse to lay off … people,” said Del. Jazz Lewis (D-Prince George’s). “It’s a scary time for them.”
After a meeting between President Donald Trump (R) and congressional leaders at the White House ended without an agreement Monday afternoon, Vice President JD Vance said bluntly, “We’re headed to a shutdown.”
Maryland has already lost the most federal jobs of any state, shedding more than 15,000 federal jobs since Trump took office in January, and the administration has directed agency heads to prepare for large-scale layoffs if a shutdown occurs.
Even without layoffs, a shutdown could threaten a large part of Maryland’s workforce — the state had an estimated 269,000 federal workers in 2023, according to a report from the Maryland Department of Labor.
“Marylanders should not have to bear the consequences of political games that put their paychecks, healthcare and security at risk,” David Turner, the communications director for Gov. Wes Moore (D), said in a statement. “At every step, the governor’s priority is making sure that Marylanders know their state will stand with them.”
He said the state has been working to connect Maryland residents with resources to help cope with a shutdown, including career transition support and increased administration of both unemployment insurance and interest-free loan programs for furloughed workers.
“The potential mass firing of more federal workers and furloughing tens of thousands of contractors in Maryland as the result of shutdown will only further jeopardize both our citizens’ livelihoods and Maryland’s economy,” the statement said.
Lewis said that besides the large number federal employees in Maryland’s workforce, the state is also home to federal contractors or researchers, meaning a government shutdown could have a “ripple effect” on the economy. Nearly 11% of Maryland’s gross domestic product came from the federal government in 2023, according to a report from the Maryland Department of Labor.
Legislation to provide emergency assistance to furloughed workers was passed during a long government shutdown in the first Trump administration, and that fund is still operational, according to Lewis. The fund was also expanded to provide support to federal workers who have been laid off.
“Maryland’s going to stand ready to try to help our citizens where and how we can,” he said.
The Maryland Labor Department has resources like the Federal Shutdown Loan Program for essential workers — those who have to work without pay during a shutdown, but get back pay after it ends — and unemployment insurance for furloughed workers, according to a statement from Labor Secretary Portia Wu.
The state provides these resources along with support for laid off federal workers, such as other types of unemployment insurance and support in finding a new job, according to the statement. Many Maryland counties have also offered job fairs to help federal workers transition into a new role.
“A federal government shutdown creates immediate financial hardship for our dedicated public servants,” the statement said.
On Capitol Hill Monday, lawmakers came out to support companion bills by Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-3rd) aimed at helping workers through any shutdown. The Help Federal Employees During Shutdons — or Help FEDS — Act would require that states allow essential federal workers, who have to work without pay during a shutdown, to apply for unemployment insurance.
Elfreth said she remains hopeful her Republican colleagues will listen to their “better angels” on helping federal workers.
“I think everybody is up here because we happen to be optimistic in nature. You couldn’t really be a politician in this Congress without being an optimist,” she said.
“Many federal employees live in all 435 congressional districts, and so our colleagues are going to have their own constituents working on Wednesday if we shut down without a paycheck,” Elfreth said. “It’s just about calling forth everybody’s better angels in this moment, at least on this issue.”
The lawmakers were joined by Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which she said represents nearly 160,000 federal employees and 38 federal agencies nationwide.
“My hope is that everyone works together to provide the necessary resources to fund the government, deliver services to the American people and avoid a wasteful and costly government shutdown,” she said. “I am grateful for the people standing behind me today that are willing to stand up and support federal employees.”
— Reporter William J. Ford contributed to this story from Washington, D.C.
by Nicole Pilsbury, Maryland Matters
September 30, 2025
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