Dear Friends,
A deal to end the shutdown was made this week, and the federal government reopened after the longest closure in U.S. history. Pressure to close the deal came from the White House, the Senate, and even the corporate world.
The Senate-led agreement ignored the catastrophic implications of legislative proposals that threaten our community. We still need a budget that addresses the health care crisis. Currently, many working Americans and those who depend on government assistance are facing a difficult financial situation come January, when the cost of health insurance is expected to increase significantly.
The expiration of Affordable Care Act premiums will impact every family trying to make ends meet. For some families, it could mean being asked to pay 50% percent of their income toward health care, or worse, seeing millions of people nationwide choose to forgo health care coverage. There are approximately 50,000 residents in the County who spend around half their monthly income on rent, and now keeping their health care could be just as big a burden.
There is also the devastating impact a new fiscal year will have on the civil service ranks. We have seen dedicated employees fired after years of service through draconian Reductions in Force (RIFs). I am glad that the continuing resolution included temporary protections to reverse these RIFs and protect more federal workers from RIFs, but these protections will end in January, and we must go further.
Let's remember that while the shutdown complicated our situation, it was already dire. Marylanders have been struggling to pay their bills due to soaring grocery prices, and higher energy costs are also putting a strain on family budgets. Locally, we have too many federal employees and contractors who have lost their jobs (even with the most recent temporary RIF protections).
Like many others, I am very concerned about this compromise to end the shutdown. What did those senators who caved get for it? (I want to thank our Maryland Senators for standing strong.) We have already seen estimates on the number of uninsured people we’d have to serve in our nonprofit health clinics in 2026. Demand in our County-sponsored health clinics could jump by 10,000 residents or more.
Additionally, this is nothing more than a promise to hold a vote by mid-December on extending health insurance tax credits. This problem needs to be solved as quickly as possible and not just kicked down the road. The deal to end the shutdown failed to deliver any new protections for working families, no additional resources for struggling communities, and nothing that would justify the harm caused to millions of people who live paycheck to paycheck.
What angers me the most is that the sole basis for defunding Americans who already struggle in the most expensive, but not the world’s best health care system, is to give tax cuts to billionaires. This is not about efficiency, not about better ways of doing things; it’s simply about working people in this country receiving a benefit that stands in the way of billionaires paying even lower taxes than they already do.
SNAP payments have been restored (temporarily) but only through Sept. 30, 2026. In other words, instead of reaching common ground and giving people some peace and sense of normalcy, it postpones these battles for a few months. Food and health care should be areas of common ground, something that serves as a baseline for civil society – not sacrificial lambs to placate billionaires. It’s a true testament to the power of money in this country that politicians are so ready to harm so many to benefit so few – particularly when those few can buy anything in the world they want.
This failed compromise, led by eight Senate Democrats, does not include the necessary guardrails to prevent President Trump from ignoring the law and withholding funds for important priorities. As this federal budget debate continues, we must demand that Congressional leaders put forth an agreement that holds this administration accountable to the needs of working Americans – not wealthy tycoons.
Addressing Hunger: SNAP and MC Groceries Updates
On Tuesday, I joined a group of volunteers from my office and other County departments to help distribute food to those in greatest need. This food distribution event takes place regularly through the Christian Reformed Church in Silver Spring.
We joined volunteers from a nearby synagogue, Catholic church, and some local students. We were at this site for a two-hour food event that served approximately 800 families. The disruption to SNAP payments so far this month contributed to a surge in demand for food assistance resources.
The group that sponsored the event is one of over 50 organizations throughout the County that received a community food assistance grant, with total funding of more than $4 million for those grants. These funds are not part of the recent proposed special appropriation from the County Council, announced just after the shutdown began, but rather from the $23.5 million allocated toward food resources in the current year's budget (Fiscal Year 2026).
We invested in our food assistance network during the pandemic and then maintained and strengthened it afterward, as the demand for food assistance persisted. That is one of the reasons for the creation of the Office of Food Systems Resilience.
In Aug. 2024, we launched the “MC Groceries” program. Through this partnership with Instacart, families who don’t qualify for federal assistance but still struggle to afford groceries in a high-cost region like ours—an area known as the SNAP gap — get assistance to round out their monthly grocery purchases. Here is a link to the Washington Post story featured above.
Over the last year, we’ve provided more than $1 million in grocery stipends to working families, giving them the ability to shop where they want and the power to buy the food their families actually eat. We have found that this extra spending power allows families to buy essential items for their families that they would normally forgo, such as protein and fresh produce.
I am pleased that we are expanding this program from more than 500 to 700 households. Most families enrolled in the program have at least two children and have utilized food delivery services. That means more flexibility for struggling families and an ability to devote more time and energy elsewhere. Data shows a 7% increase in employment for families enrolled in the program.
This is just one example of how the money we spend on food assistance resources is paying off.
For more information about food resources, visit montgomerycountymd.gov/foodhelp.
FY27 Budget Forums Concluding
When I became County Executive, I changed the timing of our community conversations about the budget so that I could hear from residents well before my recommendations are submitted to the County Council in mid-March. This has allowed us to incorporate more public feedback into the budget. That gives residents and our community partners a greater say in how our operating funds are used.
On Monday night, many in our African American community joined me for a budget forum focused on their needs. On Thursday afternoon, the audience was older adults from Leisure World and other communities. Pictures from these events and many more can be found on the County’s Flickr page.
I’m proud of the way we have expanded our reach to connect with more people. We are hosting 12 community conversations this year, with the last two discussions taking place next week – one for the Asian American Pacific Islander community on Monday, Nov. 17, at the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center in Gaithersburg and another for the Silver Spring region on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at the Silver Spring Civic Building. Virtual links for the remaining forums can be found on montgomerycountymd.gov/budgetforums.
The budget reflects our community’s goals and values. I hope residents make time to take advantage of one of the remaining opportunities to participate and be heard.
University Boulevard Corridor Plan
I am concerned that the Montgomery County Council’s Planning, Housing, and Parks Committee advanced the University Boulevard Corridor Plan (UBCP) this week. Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Natali Fani-Gonzalez voted to move this plan forward to the full Council without adequately addressing concerns over racial equity, the environmental impact, or how this corridor plan would impact neighborhoods.
We are once again being sold on the false narrative that we need to rezone our existing neighborhoods to accommodate future growth, and that the way to rezone them is through these new corridor plans that exclude significant parts of adjacent neighborhoods and meaningful public input. These plans, for reasons I have explained in my comments on the UBCP, are not traditional master plans. They are done to facilitate the rezoning, and nothing more. They exclude communities from being part of the decision-making process, which is a role residents had in earlier master plans. If the Council approves UBCP, the subsequent rezoning would not result in more housing; it merely changes zoning, and we already have the zoning we need. In fact, with our existing zoning, we have already planned for more housing than we are projected to need by 2050. And most of the existing zoning is located closer to transit and future projected job sites than what is contemplated in this plan. This corridor plan is nothing more than a giveaway to developers who think that your neighborhoods should become the next green field developments. Changes to this area are not being made through our traditional master plan process, which allowed residents and local businesses to be meaningfully engaged in the process and the decisions. Meaningful engagement is not measured by the number of meetings; it is measured by whether residents have a seat at the table and are actively part of the decision-making process. For residents who may be relieved that this is not their neighborhood, this one plan is not the end of the matter. The Planning staff is already advancing more corridor plans that aim to change neighborhoods for the worse.
The growth map shown below details all the designated corridors in the County; it is from the Planning Department and approved by the County Council.
You can find the map here: Corridor Planning - Montgomery Planning.
I would like to thank Council Vice President Will Jawando for listening to the community and raising important concerns during the committee review process. The plan will now be presented to the full Council for review and consideration on Tuesday. If you are concerned about any aspect of the plan, you can contact the Councilmembers. Each of you has a district Councilmember and four at-large Councilmembers who represent you. You can find out how to contact them here: Members At a Glance - Montgomery County Council, Maryland.
DEP Upcoming Shred Event This Weekend
The County will host a document shredding event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on America Recycles Day, Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Montgomery College campus in Rockville.
These events were halted due to the pandemic, but the public asked the County to resume them. It’s free to participate and open to every resident in our County, regardless of where you live or your financial resources.
Every ton of paper that we keep out of the landfill or the incinerator helps us move closer to our Zero Waste and Climate Action Plan goals. Recycled paper gets sent to facilities where it’s turned into new products. That saves trees, conserves energy, and reduces the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
Disposing of your documents carefully is important because they contain personal identification information, and that is what identity thieves are after. People deserve a simple and responsible way to dispose of personal documents.
If you have old tax records, bills, or files stored in a box at home, this is an opportunity to dispose of them safely and responsibly.
Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade Next Weekend
Next Saturday, Nov. 22, the community will be out once again for the annual Thanksgiving Parade, which starts at 10 a.m. in the Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment District. The parade will begin at Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street, then proceed south on Georgia Avenue to Silver Spring Avenue. More participants than ever are signed up to take part.
This parade showcases the best of who we are as a community. Every year, I see the streets lined with people from end to end supporting our high school bands, cultural dance groups, and live performers.
This year’s parade will also be the first major public event to promote the County’s 250th Birthday. Next year, on September 6, we will celebrate this special anniversary.
Last weekend, I attended the Montgomery County History Conference at Montgomery College in Germantown. It was a well-attended event with fact-based and honest presentations on our County’s history. I want to thank and acknowledge Matt Logan, the executive director of Montgomery History, for inviting me. There is a lot to learn about this County’s history and great value in not whitewashing what happened here generations ago. It is an essential building block in our goal of racial equity and striving for social justice.
Glimpse of Winter and Cold Weather
This week, we all rushed to grab our heavy coats and gloves. The winter-like weather prompted our first Extreme Cold Alert of the year.
When the wind chill dips below freezing, the County increases its efforts to help more people get inside. This year, despite our efforts to help families experiencing homelessness, we continue to serve a high number. There are more unsheltered families now than there were in January during the annual point-in-time count.
This blast of cold weather serves as a timely reminder to prepare for extreme weather conditions. Our Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security collaborates with every department in the County to ensure the public receives a cohesive message about how severe weather affects them.
Winter will bring challenges for many, as heating costs continue to rise. Last week in this newsletter, I shared tips on conserving energy to potentially save money on energy bills. I want to remind people to utilize the services available through the energy companies to break up payments or find relief on their energy costs.
Advance notice of an emergency, even just a few minutes, can make a big difference in your safety. That’s why we created the Alert Montgomery system to help everyone be better prepared for the dangers they face. Another important step is putting planning into action. At montgomerycountymd.gov/MakeAKit, you can find information to help you and your family prepare for a range of emergencies that could impact us all.
Operation Green Light Bus
I hope you are able to see the Operation Green Light bus that will be on the streets for the remainder of the month in honor of military veterans. The County unveiled the bus this week ahead of Veterans Day. I saw a friend at the ceremony whom I have known since my days at the University of Maryland. He was returning from service in Vietnam, and I was engaged in protests against the war. It was a humanizing experience amidst a stormy time. Soldiers do not choose to fight; they are ordered to do so. They don’t vote for the wars, but they do what they are called to do. The bravery they show and dedication to our country should never be overlooked, even when we don’t agree with the politics that control their missions. When you see a green light in our community or a specially decorated bus around the County, it should serve as a reminder to thank a veteran.
As always, my appreciation for all of you,
Marc Elrich
County Executive
