Friends and neighbors of Appalachian Maryland,

As the 2026 Legislative Session begins, I want to be very clear with you: this General Assembly will fail the people of Maryland if it refuses to confront our most urgent challenges — affordability, skyrocketing energy costs, and a serious lack of accountability in state government.

Here in Appalachian Maryland, families are being stretched to the breaking point. Utility bills keep climbing. Housing costs are rising. Taxes and fees seem to go up every year. Meanwhile, wages aren’t keeping pace. That’s not sustainable, and you feel it every time you open a bill, fill up your car, or try to plan for your family’s future.

Maryland is becoming less affordable and less competitive, and the consequences are real. More families, workers, and small businesses are making the painful decision to leave our state altogether. They’re finding that just across our borders, neighboring states don’t have the same mix of high costs, energy instability, and looming budget gaps. When government becomes too expensive and too unpredictable, people look elsewhere — and that should alarm every elected official in Annapolis.

Let’s be honest about how we got here. These problems didn’t happen overnight, and they didn’t happen by accident. They are the result of years of one-party rule and ideologically driven policies that ignored economic reality and shut down meaningful debate.

When dissenting voices are dismissed, everyday Marylanders pay the price.

This legislative session must be a turning point. Kicking the can down the road only makes these problems harder — and more expensive — to fix.

The District One Delegation is committed to standing up for you. We will fight to address Maryland’s growing budget deficit, confront the state’s energy crisis, and restore real accountability in state government.

Appalachian Maryland deserves leadership that listens, tells the truth, and puts working families and local communities first.

I will continue to be your voice in the Maryland Senate — strong, steady, and unafraid — because our region, and our state, deserve better.

Senator Mike McKay
Allegany, Garrett and Washington Counties Serving Appalachia Maryland

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2026 Legislative Session

Senate Republicans are united around three priorities that must be addressed now: Maryland’s Growing Budget Deficit, Maryland’s Energy Crisis and the lack of accountability in State Government.

1. Maryland’s Budget: Fix the Structure, Not Just the Symptoms

Maryland’s budget problems are structural and worsening. Temporary fixes and optimistic projections have postponed tough decisions, but they have not changed the trajectory.

The Democratic supermajority has made aspirational choices that drive long-term instability, including:

• Locking in massive spending mandates like the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future without sustainable funding or accountability
  Massive growth in entitlement programs
• Expanding government commitments without performance measures
• Allowing spending growth to outpace population, inflation, and private-sector growth
• Increasing reliance on federal funding to support long-term obligations rather than building a self-sustaining budget

These pressures hit Marylanders directly — through higher taxes, higher fees, and fewer opportunities — making the state less affordable and less competitive. When government grows faster than the private economy, families pay the price.

This session, we are likely to see an “election-year budget” designed to defer pain and avoid new taxes or fees in order to preserve political power — but it will not fix the problem. Current projections show a budget deficit growing to $4 BILLION in the years ahead if structural reforms are not made.

Maryland’s budget has become increasingly reliant on federal funding, leaving the state more exposed to forces beyond our control.

When long-term spending is built on outside resources instead of a strong private-sector economy, fiscal flexibility disappears and taxpayers carry the risk. This session must begin a shift toward fiscal independence and growth driven by private investment.
If reform is delayed again, the choices only get harder — and more expensive.

2. Maryland’s Energy Crisis: Policy Choices Driving Higher Costs

Maryland’s energy crisis is the predictable result of policies that restrict reliable energy generation while assuming the system will somehow adjust.

Those policies have:

• Eliminated or discouraged reliable in-state energy sources
• Increased dependence on out-of-state power
• Imposed mandates without adequate replacement capacity
• Ignored warnings about grid reliability and rising demand
• The result is higher utility bills and a less reliable grid.
• Energy policy has become one of the biggest drivers of Maryland’s affordability crisis. Rising bills hit seniors, working families, and small businesses first — and hardest. When basic necessities become unaffordable, people start looking for exits.
• The urgency is immediate. Costs are rising now. Capacity challenges are real now. Waiting only locks in higher prices and greater risk.

Senate Republicans will continue to push for an all-of-the-above energy strategy grounded in reliability, affordability, and reality — not ideology.

3. Accountability in State Government: Management Before More Money

Maryland does not just have a revenue problem — it has a management problem.

Recent state audits and investigative reporting have documented hundreds of millions of dollars in waste, mismanagement, and improper spending, including:

• $32.5 million in wasteful procurement payments, including invoices paid and later canceled with no recovery effort
• $3.6 million in questionable administrative fees through subcontracting arrangements that failed to meet program requirements
• $16.5 million in contracts intended to employ individuals with disabilities where auditors found no evidence of work performed
• Nearly $600 million in unauthorized expenses charged by the State Highway Administration to federally funded projects
• Tens of thousands of dollars in unsupported or inappropriate charges at a state tax agency, including personal travel-related expenses
• Millions more in improper health subsidy and reimbursement payments due to weak controls and delayed recovery efforts

This is what happens under unchecked one-party control. Without balance and aggressive follow-up to ensure corrections happen, accountability erodes — and taxpayers pay the price.

These are not isolated mistakes — they are symptoms of a system where oversight is weak or non-existent, and accountability is optional. These figures represent only what has been uncovered to date, meaning the real cost to Maryland taxpayers is almost certainly higher.

Before asking Marylanders to pay more, state government must prove it can responsibly manage what it already has. Senate Republicans will continue to demand oversight, transparency, and consequences.

Throughout this Session, I will be providing updates as to the goings on in Annapolis. I also want to hear from you. As you all know, I serve Garrett, Allegany, and Washington Counties and all of your voices are important to me. The best way to represent you is to have your voice heard.

Please feel free to contact my Annapolis Office at (410) 841-3565 or my District Office at (240) 362-7040. My public email address is now mike.mckay@senate.maryland.gov. Please feel free to email me at anytime. I also have a District Office at the Williamsport City Hall. It is on the second floor in the first office. Our mailing address below remains the same however.

I continue to be your voice and advocate in Annapolis so I want to hear from you. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or what I can do to help you. I am on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and the Executive Nominations Committee. All of our hearings are streamed live on Youtube and the MGA website.

If you are interested in seeing where my bills are in the process, you can create a MyMGA account here or you can click here to view bills I am sponsoring by clicking “Legislation” under my name. You can sign up to testify on any bill you wish.