Maryland Gov. Wes Moore had a tough assignment on Thursday: sell his budget-balancing plan to a room full of people who see serious flaws in it.

More than 100 people signed up to weigh in on Moore’s budget during a marathon public hearing, almost all of them pleading with lawmakers not to raise their taxes or cut a government program they rely on.

The Democratic governor came into this year facing a $3 billion budget gap between money coming in from taxes and other sources, compared to money planned to go out the door to run government programs, from health care to state police to fighting climate change.

Moore proposed closing that gap with a combination of tax hikes, primarily on the wealthy, and spending cuts. But the state’s financial situation appears to be growing worse as President Donald Trump eliminates government jobs and Republicans in Congress threaten to slash federal spending.

“The world has changed significantly in just six weeks, and our final state budget for this year needs to reflect that harsh reality,” Moore told members of the House of Delegates committees that handle tax and budgeting issues.

Moore defended his budget plan as one that makes targeted changes to the tax code that will raise more money, but also give modest tax relief to many moderate-income families. He said his plan uses tax dollars wisely to spur emerging industries and provide vital services for Marylanders.

He acknowledged, though, that the budget is likely to change in the coming weeks, as the state gets new estimates of revenues coming and the Trump administration continues to take actions that have an outsize impact on Maryland. The governor has recently ratcheted up his anti-Trump rhetoric.

“We need to lead with our values, to balance the budget and we need to adjust to new leadership in Washington, and we need to do all these things at the same time,” Moore said. “This isn’t easy work, but responsible governing is hard and that’s what Marylanders are calling on us to do right now.”

Moore fielded a few questions from Republican lawmakers, but none from the Democrats who hold a super-majority in the General Assembly.

The only Democrat to address the governor was Del. Ben Barnes, who chairs the Appropriations Committee and said that the “paradigm has shifted” since Trump took office.

“I want to accept your invitation to work together on a final budget, as you call it, that recognizes the shifted paradigm,” Barnes said. “I look forward to the next couple weeks.”

After Moore and his entourage left the hearing room, the governor acknowledged to reporters that budget negotiations will be difficult.

“This was going to be hard during normal circumstances, and these are not normal circumstances, where we find ourselves actively pushing back against what we’re seeing in Washington,” he said.

Back in the hearing room, dozens of people took their turns at a big desk facing rows of lawmakers, making their cases against cuts and taxes.

There were people with developmental disabilities and their caregivers, opposing cuts to support programs; advocates for crime victims, pleading not to strip funding; delivery companies, criticizing a proposed 75-cent delivery tax; casinos and sports gambling companies, speaking out against a provision to increase the state’s share of their proceeds; business owners, opposed to corporate tax reforms that might make them pay more; car dealers, rejecting a change in how taxes are calculated on trade-in vehicles.

Each did their best to make a compelling case to the lawmakers who have a key role in deciding the fate of the various proposals.

“These are not nice-to-have services, these are must-have services,” said Kurt Wolfgang from the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center, which provides crisis mental health care to victims.

Liz Zogby from the Maryland Down Syndrome Advocacy Coalition made the case against cuts to the Developmental Disabilities Administration.

“These cuts will ultimately fall on disabled people and their family members, who will be left to fill the breach left by our state,” she said.

The drumbeat of opposition to Moore’s taxes-and-cuts plan has been building in Annapolis in recent days.

Advocates for mental health care gathered earlier in the week to decry cuts to the 988 emergency hotline, school mental health care and community behavioral health programs.

“These cuts do not save us money, they end up costing us more,” said Del. Jessica Feldmark, a Howard County Democrat.

And hours before Thursday’s budget hearing, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce held a press conference to make the case that despite a proposed cut in the corporate tax rate, other elements of Moore’s plan would harm local and small businesses.

Chamber President Mary Kane said she’s worried even more tax hikes could be put on the table — such as extending the sales tax to services — if the budget picture worsens.

“These proposals may only be the beginning,” she said.

Republicans spent part of Thursday offering their ideas for balancing the budget; namely, cutting even more government spending than the governor proposed.

“Before looking to Maryland families and businesses for a bailout, Democrats in Annapolis need to cut spending,” Sen. Stephen Hershey of the Eastern Shore, the top Senate Republican, said during a press conference.

Sen. Justin Ready, the Senate’s minority whip from Carroll County, recommended that the state should halt plans to reduce Maryland’s carbon footprint and curb hiring for open state jobs.

“We’re not advocating for no budget,” said Del. Jesse Pippy, the House minority whip from Frederick County. “We’re advocating that we don’t spend more money than we have.”