Chanting “Save our services!” and “No more cuts!” hundreds of Marylanders rallied in Annapolis Monday against a proposed state budget that includes cuts to planned spending for the Developmental Disabilities Administration.

They filled Lawyers Mall outside the State House, waving signs that read “Save our DD services” and breaking out into chants as speakers talked about the risk of losing hard-fought progress in keeping individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities in their communities and out of institutions.

“This is unacceptable,” said Ken Capone, policy director for The Arc Maryland. “We understand that the state is in a deficit, and we all need to tighten our belts, but this should not be done recklessly and without representation from the disability community.”

Facing down a $3 billion budget gap and sharply increasing costs for caring for Marylanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Gov. Wes Moore has proposed cutting back on about $200 million of planned spending at the state Developmental Disabilities Administration as part of his budget.

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The Democratic governor’s cuts target multiple programs within the Developmental Disabilities Administration, including for individuals who receive services from organizations and others who hire their own caregivers and assistants, known as self-directed care.

Moore’s budget plan would also eliminate a program that provides small grants to help individuals and their families with short-term needs, such as attending summer camp or providing respite care.

The budget immediately alarmed people with disabilities, their caregivers, advocates and organizations that provide services.

On Thursday, the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Coalition decided to plan a rally, and by Monday night they had hundreds of people in Annapolis as lawmakers passed by on their way to evening sessions at the State House.

Sen. Craig Zucker was the only lawmaker to speak at the event, pledging to carry the crowd’s message to his colleagues in the State House.

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“These are tough budget times, they are,” said Zucker, a Montgomery County Democrat. “But we have to make sure that we’re continuing to look out for the most vulnerable in our community.”

Zucker noted the quick planning of the rally. “Look what we’ve done in three days,” he said. “Imagine what we can do over the next three months.”

Ken Capone, policy director for The Arc Maryland, tells the crowd that budget cuts to the state's Developmental Disabilities Administration would threaten progress that's been made for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Hundreds attended a rally organized by the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Coalition on Lawyers Mall in Annapolis on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.
Ken Capone, policy director for The Arc Maryland, tells the crowd at a rally on Monday that budget cuts to the state's Developmental Disabilities Administration would threaten progress that's been made for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. (Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner)

Some speakers had pointed criticism for Moore.

“It’s not fair for Governor Moore to ask me and 3,500 other people in self-directed services, as well as provider-supported services, to take budget cuts, and we will not stand for it,” said Mat Rice, executive director of the advocacy group People on the Go Maryland.

Laura Howell, CEO of the Maryland Association of Community Services, said the large turnout for the rally helps make the case to the governor.

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“It is a testament to how dire these cuts would be for our community, and your presence tonight sends a powerful message: We will not stand by while our community suffers at the hands of Governor Moore’s proposed funding cuts,” Howell said.

A spokesman for Moore declined to comment ahead of the rally, instead pointing to a guest column authored by Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller that was published in The Capital Gazette on Monday.

Maryland state Sen. Craig Zucker, a Montgomery County Democrat, speaks at a rally against proposed spending cutbacks in the state Developmental Disabilities Administration on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. Zucker was the only lawmaker to speak at the rally, which attracted hundreds of Marylanders to Lawyers Mall in Annapolis.
Maryland state Sen. Craig Zucker, a Montgomery County Democrat, was the only lawmaker to speak at a rally against proposed spending cutbacks in the state Developmental Disabilities Administration on Monday. (Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner)

Miller wrote that the administration has spent record amounts in the Developmental Disabilities Administration, but the rising costs can’t continue.

“Regardless of the cause, unsustainable expense growth threatens to hold us back from making continued progress in developing top-quality care for Marylanders,” Miller wrote.

Miller wrote that while the budget will bring costs in line for service providers, some of whom make varying hourly rates, it will also focus on “consolidating program services” and using federal funds.

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The Moore administration notes that even with the slowdown in spending, the Developmental Disabilities Administration’s budget is still $500 million more than it was three years ago.

Some at the rally acknowledged that the changes at the Developmental Disabilities Administration could be worthwhile to make programs more efficient, and one parent who spoke said she’d be eager to share her ideas.

But they balked at the idea of solving problems in the programs by simply rolling back planned spending.

“We should not have to suffer for the mistakes of the Department of Health,” Rice said. “We should not be victims of accounting errors.”