In her coverage of the downgrade of Maryland’s credit rating by Moody’s from the coveted triple AAA to AA1 (Maryland state government’s credit rating downgraded, May 14, 2025), Pamela Wood pointed to the ‘rising spending and slow-growing revenue’ of the state in comparison to other states with AAA ratings: Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia. Moody’s also based their downgrade on the substantial hit to Maryland’s economy from massive federal government layoffs by the current administration.

Among all the states with AAA ratings, Maryland’s economy is the only one dominated by the governmental sector. Being a small state and adjacent to the nation’s capital, Maryland’s largest source of income is income tax. One in 10 Maryland workers is a federal employee. It isn’t hard to see the connection.

Importantly, Moody’s noted that the state had been fiscally responsible in closing the deficit gap through proactive financial management practices, including slowing expenditures. So the only variable not in control of the state administration is the employment of federal workers.

Here is the bottom line: Moody’s downgraded Maryland’s credit rating because, despite its best efforts, the state could not fix the damage done by DOGE and their dismantling of the federal government. Maryland, D.C. and Virginia have the most federal employees — and both Maryland and D.C. had their ratings downgraded.

Virginia is a much larger state and has other economic avenues to offset federal jobs losses, even though they, too, have taken a substantial hit to their economy. Blame, if it is to be assigned, lies with the Trump administration and their hatchet approach to federal infrastructure.

Believe me, the damage goes far beyond a credit rating — the United States will be feeling the effects of this sabotage for decades to come.

So let’s all take a deep breath, and return to resisting the illegal and unconstitutional actions of this federal administration.

Jyoti Mohan, Cockeysville

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