From the early morning until the mid-afternoon, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore stuck to a singular message on the first day of the state’s legislative session: Tough choices, and budget cuts, are ahead.

The state’s budget woes, with a gap between income and expenses stretching to nearly $3 billion, loomed large as lawmakers returned to Annapolis for 90 days of work on Wednesday.

Moore will set the starting point for how to balance the state’s books next week when he introduces his proposed budget. From there, lawmakers will review and adjust the budget before sending it back to the governor.

On a busy first day full of handshakes and ceremonial tasks, Moore spent his time setting a serious tone. Here’s what we learned from the Democratic governor.

Cuts are coming

The sky was still a little pink with the rising sun when Moore delivered his one tidbit of news at a breakfast discussion, telling the crowd of insiders and reporters that he’s planning $2 billion worth of cuts.

“The proposed budget that I have has $2 billion worth of cuts, $2 billion worth of cuts,” Moore said. “Because we’ve got to be serious about this.”

That comment sent reporters scribbling in their notebooks, the first hint from the governor as to how he’ll propose closing the budget gap.

The budget deficit has been coming for awhile, as spending has grown more quickly than the state’s income has grown. There’s just not enough coming in to the state in the form of taxes, fees and federal aid to pay all the bills. In the short term, benefits programs like Medicaid health insurance and child care assistance have grown rapidly. In the long term, an ambitious education plan is driving future projected deficits.

“We’ve got to address the fact that this budget is bloated,” Moore said in an interview with The Baltimore Banner. “You know, 70% growth over the seven years before I became the governor, and nothing to really show for it” — a clear dig at his predecessor, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

Few details on cuts

Moore only gave broad outlines of how he’ll cut the budget as he spoke in the morning at The Daily Record’s Eye on Annapolis summit.

Moore said some of the $2 billion in spending cuts would come in the form of “government efficiencies,” including savings from improved management of government vehicle fleets and streamlining information technology services.

“There is a lot that government can do to make sure that we are tightening our belt, that we are being more efficient, that we are being swifter,” Moore told Daily Record reporter Jack Hogan.

He also suggested that the state needs to put its money toward efforts that grow the economy — especially at a time when federal funding is in doubt under the forthcoming second presidential term of Republican Donald Trump.

Pushback expected

Moore acknowledged that spending cuts are not an easy path to take, even if he believes it’s the responsible choice.

“Every cut has an interest group, and it’s hard. This is hard work,” Moore told The Baltimore Banner. “I know this is a season of hard choices in the state of Maryland.”

How to close the rest of the gap?

One key question that Moore left unaddressed is how he plans to get the rest of the way to closing the nearly $3 billion budget gap. Fees? Taxes? Tapping the state’s savings? Moore didn’t show his hand.

“I’ll work with anybody with any type of solutions,” Moore said during an afternoon press conference. “But I have been very clear, and my bar is not moving. I do have a very high bar when it comes to revenues, and we are not going to grow our economy on the backs of working Marylanders.”

Various ideas have been floated to raise more money for the state to get it out of its short-term and long-term budget problems: changing corporate tax laws, increasing taxes on high earners, expanding the sales tax to cover services and fully legalizing online gambling.

A note of optimism

For all of the governor’s serious talk before reporters, you wouldn’t know about the budget problems based on his brief comments to state lawmakers.

Moore visited the House of Delegates and state Senate chambers, noting excitement for the work ahead but making no mention of the budget situation.

“We are excited about what this session is going to mean, what this session is going to bring,” Moore said in the House of Delegates. He declared it would be “a good session for the people of Maryland.”

He then went across to the Senate chamber and offered more of the same. He said it was a joy to be in the State House with the “champions” in the legislature.

“This is going to be an exciting 90 days,” he said.