Acting Prince George’s County Executive Tara Jackson detailed the county’s efforts to navigate an about $170 million deficit amid an uncertain national and state environment during a budget presentation on Thursday.
During the presentation, Jackson outlined the county’s proposed $5.4 billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year. U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders and the state’s $3.3 billion budget deficit will have a significant impact on the county and its financial situation, Jackson said.
“This uncertainty has an effect on us. It will have an effect on county jobs, on businesses and on our residents, as well as programs that residents have come to depend on,” Jackson said. “This is the most difficult budget that I have faced.”
The county could have a deficit of more than $407 million by the 2030 fiscal year, according to the presentation.
Jackson announced Thursday that most agencies in the county will see budget cuts and one “small agency” will be shut down. The county will also eliminate funding for programs within multiple departments, including the public works and transportation department and the permitting, inspections and enforcement department.
Jackson did not respond to The Diamondback’s request for comment about which agency would be shut down.
[PGCPS school board approves $2.9 billion budget amid funding cuts]
The county’s former chief administrative officer, Jackson became the acting county executive after Angela Alsobrooks resigned in December following her U.S. Senate victory. Aisha Braveboy, the county’s state’s attorney, is expected to win last week’s special election to be the next county executive.
Jackson said drafting the 2026 fiscal year budget has been especially difficult because the county is unable to predict revenue and expenditures.
The state’s budget deficit has made it challenging for the county to understand how much funding it will receive and how much it is obligated to pay, Jackson explained.
Stanley Earley, the county’s management and budget director, said during a Feb. 4 county council meeting that multiple Maryland General Assembly bills aim to reconcile the state’s deficit by requiring the county to bear additional costs.
Recent federal layoffs and grant freezes have also had an adverse impact on the county.
Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency told government agencies to prepare for “large-scale reductions in force” and freeze trillions in federal grant funds, the Associated Press reported in February.
The county is home to almost 73,000 federal workers, according to Jackson. Higher levels of unemployment will lower income and property tax revenue in the county, Jackson said.
“Mass layoffs will hurt families and our community as a whole,” Jackson said.
The about $260 million in the county’s federal grants used to fund essential services are at risk of being withheld, according to Jackson.
[Maryland federal judge orders Trump administration to reinstate fired federal employees]
Earley also said during the Feb. 4 council meeting that many state and federal grants for the Board of Education, county government and local housing authority are at risk.
This uncertainty has been concerning for many county council members, including District 3 council member Eric Olson.
“I’m more concerned this year about our overall budget than I think I have ever been concerned in terms of everything that’s going on at the federal level and how that could impact our local government,” Olson told The Diamondback last week.
The proposed budget calls for a $112 million increase in funding since the last fiscal year for the county’s Board of Education, providing more than $2.9 billion to Prince George’s County Public Schools. Nearly $43 million of this funding will go toward developing schools.
This funding fulfills a requirement set by a proposed bill in the Maryland General Assembly that would require county governments to provide increased funding to schools needed for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, Jackson said.
The education reform program, which was passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2021, provides $3.8 billion annually to public schools across the state over the next 10 years.
The county’s contribution to the program increased by $45 million and could increase further due to future state actions, according to a Thursday news release from Jackson.
Jackson said the county often pays a disproportionate amount for the Blueprint program, while educating some of the “more vulnerable” children in the state.
“I would never say that education, ensuring that every child gets a quality education, is not worth it,” Jackson said. “It’s difficult because we are not the wealthiest county in the state.”
The county council will continue to work on the budget throughout April and May and must approve it by June 1.
