Gov. Moore made the announcement on Friday.
Gov Wes Moore (R)
Annapolis, Md (KM) Maryland Governor Wes Moore says federal employees who must report to work will be allowed to use MARC and Commuter Bus service free of charge during the government shutdown. The state’s chief executive made that announcement on Friday in Howard County while attending a resource fair.
“This is what Maryland does in times of crisis. We band together and we help each other out,” the Governor said in a statement. “But while Maryland is mobilizing to ease the shutdown’s burden on our people, let’s be clear: no state can fill the gap created by the federal government. The longer this shutdown lasts, the more pain we will feel. So it’s time for Donald Trump to come to the negotiating table on health care and open the government.”
Moore said this service will remain in affect for federal government employees who must come to work during the shutdown.. Those employees need to show their federal government-issued badges to the operator before being allowed to ride for free.
The federal government is the largest employer in the State of Maryland, according to a news release from the Governor’s; Office. Prior to this year’s workforce cuts, 269,000 Maryland residents were employed by the federal government, and 160,000 federal jobs were located in Maryland. Since the Trump Administration has taken office, Maryland has lost more than 15,000 federal jobs—the largest in number in the nation, according to a news release from the Governor’s Office.
By Kevin McManus